The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1917-09-28
UvERBALANcED.
President Townley fell off his tight
rope last Saturday at st. Paul.

President Townley fell off his tight
rope last Saturday at st. Paul.
Townley has been sharp enough to
realize that 1T would never do to at
tempt to commit the Nonpartisan party
with treason. His dupes might be de-
ceived in other directions but when it
came to choosing between their country
and Mr.. Townley the farmers would do
Just as most of the German citizenship
of this country have done as between
the Fatherland and the United States.
But on the other hand, Mr.. Townley
has been using the troubles of this
country as material for building up his
organization. tie has been careful IN
his publications and personal speeches
to certify very vehemently to his own
loyalty though always ending his public
remarks with but"
The newspaper organ of the Nonpar-
tisan party has never made an unquali-
fed editorial in support of the govern
ment or the measures taken by the gov
ernment to win the war. On the con-
trary the paper IS filled from end to end
with attacks on the government and its
doings. In general effect, the impress
sion left on the readers of the "Nonpar-
tisan Leader" is that this whole coun-
try is rotten from the core, that there
are no honest men in the land except the
farmers, that every body has conspired
to beat the farmer, etc.
But as we have said, the paper and its
manager have been careful to keep on
the legal side of the fence. 1t wells its
attacks on the government by charging
all sorts OF villany to mythical person
it calls "Big Biz" But the implication
is that "Big Biz" runs the government.
By the same implication it follows, if
not directly asserted, that this war was
begun and is being continued in the
financial interests of Big Biz and that
farmers are the chief sufferers from the
war, run by "Big Biz"-and the govern
ment of the United States.
In this left-handed manner the Non
partisan Leader" and the Nonpartisan
leaders have been poisoning the public
mind-but still keeping clear of a direct
charge of treason.
But at the st. Paul meeting "Gener.
al" Townley overreached. He has been
walking tight rope stretched between
patriotism and anarchy, between help
ing and harming, using long balance
pole, loaded with loyalty at one end and
prof. o-Germanlsm at the other end, and up
to last Saturday had kept an apparent
equilibrium between the extremes.
But he overloaded his balance pole at
the disloyal end by adding Senator La
Toilette thereto. Previous to the meet
ing Townley declared that if any speaker
uttered disloyal words that he would be
kicked out OF the hall and that the
meeting was to be held to help the gov
ernment settle the food problems be-
tween the producer and the consumer.
But Townley did not deceive anybody
by that statement. The only question
with the general public was how far
would Townley and his friends go in
their known disloyalty. Everybody
knew that the meeting was to hinder
and not to- help. A large proportion of
the audience were there out OF mere
curiosity to hear what might be said
and to see possible riot.
Townley's own talk was rather lnane.
He was up against . dilemma; it would
not do to be too loyal, for fear Of dispro-
wing his own previous utterances, while
it would not do for political reasons to
be too outwardly disloyal. Hence he
ljpst tried to keep his balance on the
political tight.rope.
The audience got tired Of Townley q
platitudes and shouted him silent in
their calls for 'LaFollette." The sena.
tor from Wisconsin did not dissppolni
them, though he told them nothing new,
He told Of his reactlonsry course in
congress and how he had opposed the
wal from the beginning and WAS still
lIopIbsing il with the help Of Senate,
lGronna snds two or three othsrs. 3
Il was opposition and disloyality from
beginning Is end. Whether il amount
ed 70 actual treason u : ! lsgal sense, u
Irnv, hain~ imas1 No I,.st