The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-12-21
PATRIOTIC FARMERS ORGANIZE
TO OPPOSE T0WNLEY TEACHINGS
AND TO FURTHER THEIR CAUSE
New League Launched Oemee Will Seek Gain Things Non
partisan Managers Promised but Which Have Been For
gotten in Lust for National Political Power.

partisan Managers Prom
gotten in Lust for Nation
Minot, N. D., Dec. 21.Believing tina
the farmers of North Dakota SHOULD
organize and that the organization
should be under the absolute contrO
of the North Dakota farmers; for the
purpose of defeating certain vicious
measures that have been agitated dur
ing the past eighteen months; for the
purpose of furthering certain meas
ures believed to be beneficial both
from social and economic standpoint
and, for the purpose of bringing about
closer cooperation between the farm
ers and the government to the end
that all may work comparatively to
preserve the union in the present cri
sis, are the fundamental reasons for
several hundred farmers in northwest
North Dakota breaking from the Non
partisan league and organizing what
is known as the North Dakota Farm
crs' league.
When A. C. Townley, president of
the Nonpartisan league, and a hand,
full of organizers set out to launch a
farmers organization they found the
farmers of North Dakota willing to
get together for the purpose of secur-
ing their economic rights On the
surface the league gave promise of be.
ing a simon-pure farmers Organiza
q a ct ctotn al I,p
ticket endorsed by the league received
big plurality. Lynn J. Frazier, a
farmer, was placed in the chair of the
chief executive and the farmers felt
confident that they would have con-
troll of the state machinery to bring
about much needed reforms. The last
session of the state legislature, how
ever, had hardly opened when Presi-
dent Townley and his handful of Or
ganiZers assumed the roles of dicta-
tors, and the farmers received no OPP
portunities to carry out the program
they had planned. This created a GER
tain amount of dissension. AS the days
of the session passed the autocratic
stand of Townley and his fed advisors
became more and more outstanding
and defiant. and close Observers Of
North Dakota politics saw at glance
that time would bring about q serious
break in the ranks of the NOnpar.
tisan league.
League Leaders Ambitious.
The leaders Of the NOnpartiSan
league have :, devoted most Of their
time to, organizing other states along
similar, lines to the plan adopted in
North Dakota, and to meeting the op-
position offered their organization by
other political organizations. They
felt confident that the farmer mem.
bers of their league in North Dakota
would remain in the fold, thus the
new organization of North Dakota
farmers has been able to work along
through its infancy without opposi-
ton. The members of the Nonparti.
san league who were opposed to the
dictatorship set up by Townley aided
by representatives in the last legisla.
ture who were elected by the farm.
ers, held series Of conferences in
BOttineau, Minot and other county
seats and laid plans for organization
work. No professional organizers were
employed g The men who had the
cause of the state; at heart spent their
own time going from district to dis
trict, getting in touch with fellow
members of the Nonpartisan league
who were dissatisfied with the tactics
of T0wnley, Frazier and other league
leaders, and when the northwestern
part of the state had been gone over
and sentiment in favor of the new
movement created in every county,
the farmers behind this new party de-
cided to hold a general convention.
The convention was held this week in
Omemee and was attended by repre-
sentatives from almost every county
in northwest North Dakota.
Several hundred farmers who have
been staunch supporters of the Non.
partisan league since it's inception
have joined this new party known as
the North Dakota Farmers league or
have signiiied their intention of join
ing. An executive committee, COM
posed of farmers and farmers only,
handle the executive matters of the
new league, while subcommittee is
at work in each county signing new
members. AS result of the stand
taken by TOwnley on the Liberty loan
issue and other patriotic measures and
the conduct Of Governor Frazier since
the war began, particularly his attend
ance at the St. Paul meeting where
LaFOllette and Van Lear spoke, and
his effort to stamp the federal prose
cution of kake Richards O'Hare as a
political more, the league members
who have the cause of America at
heart are found to be very willing to
line w with this Few farmers organ
ization which il composed of farm
ers and controlled by farmers.
Nonpartisans Represented.
At the convention in Omemee the
NOnpartisan league was represented
by l.. A. Knoke of Willow City, who
ran for state office on the socialis,
ticket at the last election, and l.. L.
Stair of Bottineau, also very prom
inent in the socialist party in this
state. They produced series of ques
tons pertaining to the aims of the
new party and were answered by NJ
Tiegen of Kramer, one of the organic
ers of the new party. Mr.. Tiegen is
one of the states most prominent
farmers and was one of the men who
first joined the Nonpartisan league
His desire to do his own thinking sOor
brought him before Townley's atten