The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-03
Editors Note.-An eastern view
Of Mr.. TownIey's invasion Of New
York to organize the farmers Of
that state as he did the farmers
Of North Dakota. ,+. r4..,


DO the farmers of this state, do
those in particular who have just
formed the Farmers Nonpartisan
league of the state of New York, un-
der the patriotic auspices of Mr.. A.
c. Townley, the head and front of the
North Dakota Nonpartisan league, un-
derstand what Mr.. Townley is driving
at? DO 'the representatives of some
trades unions, who confabulated with
the farmers at the request of the la
Dor food council, whose chairman is
Mr.. John C. Hilsdorf, and whose sec.
rotary Is Mr.. Carl Beck, know the
past history Ofnthe North Dakota
mother Society? }''4 t.a
Ostensibly the, New York league is
union OF farmers and workmen for
the cooperation and good of producer
and consumer. Is that what the Nom
partisan league has sought or is seek
ing to do? 1t began with a little coun.
ty society organized to elect to the
legislature men pledged to vote for
an appropriation to establish state
grain elevator. OF the big five" who
bossed the concern as it spread and
widened, one IS an English agitator
who had been conspicuous as an !. w.
w. One is socialist lawyer. MIR.
TOwnley is himself a socialist. How
1t grew and prOspered as a political
party: in 1916 elected the governor
and other state officers, 81 of 113
members of the state house of repre-.
sentatives. 10 of 25 state senators,
three members of the state supreme
court; its program of state.owned
terminal elevators, packing and cold
storage warehouses, -four mills, of ex-
emption Of farm improvements from
taxation: its attempt TO raise the state
debt limit and revise the constitution
by legislative bill-these things are
parts of it's local life. What is vital to
remember is that the Nonpartisan
league of North Dakota is secret
society, open only to farmers.
1t is class party. 1t is pledged to
the abolition of political parties. That
is, it intends and hopes to carry the
northwest, the country, as the main
political party. 1t took vigorous. early
growth in South Dakota, Iowa, Mime
sofa and Montana. 1t has now taken
root in New York. In the western
states it followed originally the North
Dakota program, but class party of
farmers would not be strong enough.
So the ingenious Mr.. TOwnley, the
apparent chief, with we know not
what yelled figure or figures. contem-
plating the presidency. behind him.
reaches out for the workmen, an effort
begun at st. Paul. The Nonpartisan
league is two-class party of farmers
and wOrkmen. shall we say a party
of well.tO-do farmers and laborcrs,
bourgeois Bolsheviki?
In its national aspects and anlbi-
tons the Nonpartisan league deserves
A scrutiny more severe than We were
at first inclined to give to an attempt
ito bring New Zealand to North Da-
kota. Mr.. Townley is not fond Of
the press, men who engineer the
kept press and lie-like-hcll men. who
lie by wholesale" He Is a patriot, in
these ATTITUDES. Last summer we
heard of his saying that "Our young
men were going to France to bleed
for the profits of the damned pirates
and that the cry for the war came
from the trusts" Is it the iniquitous
newspapers Of his own state that belle
him? Did they belle him when they
said that he opposed the liberty loan
and the Ped Cross? Well, in Septem.
Der Mr.. Townley's Nonpartisan league
got up the st. Paul convention, which
was to be conference on the high
cost of living, and was convention
of producers and consumers or what
not There was much patriotic reality
or camouflage of patriotism in its res.
olutions, and, there was anti-war eco
nomic stuff about paying for the war
~