The Raymer enterprise. (New Raymer, Weld County, Colo.) 1910-19??, 1917-11-01
MAKES DEFENSE OF NON
PARTISAN LEAGUE HEAD
October 1lth. 1917,

POoC VI ttNattub thS lhhtiSHsS 'hht
the Nom Partisan League itself is an
unsound financial condition This
is absolutely untrue and in the in
terests of fair play we ask that you
correct this false impression.
The National Non-Partisan Lea
que is in a perfectly sound financial
condition. Even its worst enemies
do not dare to allege otherwise, but
are compelled to resort to cowardly
innudo. The Leagues books are aud
tied quarterly by one of the best
known and most reliable account
ants Of st. Paul. Complete reports
of every penny collected and every
penny expended are made too the
members of the League. The League
credit is good and ii pays and is well
able to pay its OBLIGATIONS. Anyone
who has doubts concerning this can
satisfy these doubts by making the
most searching Investigations. The
League welcomes such Investigations
1t is true that Mr. Townley hled
bankruptcy proceedings fhis ii
Mr.. Townley's private affair, howev-
er, and does not concern the League.
In fact, he went bankrupt some
years before the Nonpartisan League
was organized. And neither Mr..
Mr.. Townley, nor the Nonpartisan
League ever has made an effort to
conceal this fact. The whole story
is set forth on page of recent
pamphlet issued by us. entitld "The
National Nonpartisan League, orr
gin. purpose. and method of opera
ton"
There is nothing discreditable in
the story. Mr.. Townley is not the
first farmer TO go broke and proba-
bly, will not be the last. Business
men fail, too. and SO do newspapet
editors. Usually little is said about
these things. but in Mr. Townley's
case hostile press is reyamping the
story of his misfortune for the sole
purpose OF trying to harm the great
organization he heads
MIR. Townley and his brother fail
ed In 1912 when the rariest snow
storm in 26 years ruined the flax
crop on their 5000 acre farm near
Beach. n. d.. and left them practi-
cally paupers. What the elements
started the organized grain combine
completed. For three years prior to
their failure, the Townley brothers
sold their flax at an average price
OF S2.05 per bushel. In the spring
of 1912 they paid $3.50 per bushel
for seed. but when they came to sell
what was left to sell of their crop
1000 acres they could not cut at
all--the grain combine had juggled
the price down to 95 cents bushe.
This insured their failure.
But it was failure that cost the
grain interests dear. This made Mr..
Townley realize that the farmer, the
victim of high interest rates, high
cost of machinery. and high cost of
living generally, virtually is com
PEELED to risk his farm each year by
betting on the weather. II the far
mer wins his bet with the weather
he is compelled to make another bet
with the brain combine And he us
ually loses his bet-for he is going
up against a crooked game where
the cards are stacked and the dice
loaded against him, where a single
crop failure may offset the results
OF a life time of toll and turn out
the farmer homeless and painless.
Mr.. Townley realized that he
could do nothing to combat the ele-
ments, but he did decide that it was
possible to put a stoop to this mark
ct rigging by the grain combine and
1t was this determination that led
to the organization of the Nonpar-
tisan League. And 1t Is because
other farmers have been compelled
too face the same unjust conditions
that they are joining the League in
such numbers.
The politicians who represent the
special interests that trim the farm
er and fatten off his misfortunes are
badly frightened by the rapid
growth of the League They realize
that their graft is ended once its
program is enacted into law. Hence
they stoop to any discreditable meth
DDS that they think will harm the
League. They cannot meet the Non
partisan Leagues economic argu.
ments and therefore turn to mud
singing, always the sure sign of
losing cause.
This Is why these interests
driven by desperation to use =