The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-09-26
GETTING OUT FROM UNDER.

Just now. people Of the northwest
are being treated to an interesting
spectacle i'm the attempt OF President
Townley and the Nonpartisan lead
ers to get out from under.
AS the war bulletins would say.
they are camoufiaginE.
Now. the art OF Camouflaging, as
practiced by the warning armies in
the field. is one Of deception. They
try to make things appear different
from what they really are. The
French will rig up a telephone pole,
making it look like a cannon, and
make no attempt at concealinE 1t
Some distance away. the real fire
eater is carefully shielded. probably
covered with a great canvas the
top OF which is painted In such man
ner as to make II appear just as
much like the surrounding Landscape
as possible. An enemy airman is
thus deceived into wasting his fire
on the phony gun, while the real
cannon blazes away undetected. and
unseen.
And so, Mr.. Townley and his aides,
realizing the storm of resentment
created by their seditious and in
flammatory meeting in st. Paul last
week. are cultivatinE the art of
camoufiage.
Resolutions adopted by the mis-
named Farmers and Producers
convention, protesting loyalty, are
being pointed to by Mr.. Townley,
and are being printed in his papers
TO disproye the charge Of disloyalty.
These resolutions wera carefully pre-
pared for the occasion, but fail to
cover up the real spirit and evident
intent of the st. Paul meeting.
Mr.. Townley pledged himself to
curtail all seditious talk at the
convention. He didn't do it. Instead.
he invited to his support in the proc
ess of stirring up the farmers,
such notorious disloyalists and anti
government speakers as Senator La
Toilette, Senator Gronna and others
Of their ilk. He placed the meeting
plans in the hands of a man who
advised, in New York city just a few
months ago, that the people should
take up arms, march TO Washington,
and restore the government to the
people" The meeting was conduct
ed in just the manner that Mr..
Townley proposed that it should be
conducted. His is the responsibility,
regardless of his attempts to make
Senator La Toilette the scapegoat. as
one of his official papers already has
attempted to do.
Mr.. Townley's telegram to Colonel
Roosevelt. protesting that the farm
ers are loyaT. is another camoufiage.
Criticism raised by the st. Paul
meeting has not been directed at the
farmers-it has gone directly to
those responsible. and Mr.. Townley's
attempt to sidestep this criticism and
pass ii on to the farmers, certainly
will win for him the merited con-
demnation Of thousands of loyal
farmers who do belong to the Nom
partisan league. for Mr.. Townley
would seek TO escape all responsible
ty for the St. Paul affair and load it
of onto the league membership. The
members are not responsible.
The st. Paul meeting was Mr..
Townley's meeting. 1t was called to
protest the price of wheat. state
ments from the Townley platform
and by the Townley press to the
contrary Notwithstanding. On Aug. 80,
announcing the meeting, Mr.. Town ]
ley specifically declared, in an inter-
view given to a league paper in st.
Paul. and reprinted in at least one
of the leagues organs in Fargo, that
the meeting would be given over to
no other purpose than the discussion
Z OF the price Of wheat. and he declar-
ed himself convinced that the gov
eminent price. was too low, and that
at least So a bushel should be paid.
Farmers believe the price too low
and win try to reopen the question
and obtain higher figure. The Ma
tional Nonpartisan league issued a
call for a conference today to pro-
test the maximum price Of $500
bushel, and to see whether the food
administration can be induced to
amend its plan of enforcing this
price as maximum. is the manner
in which the leagues organ in Fargo
carried one OF the original announce
ments Of the st. Paul conference.
Since then, it has industriously un-
dertaken to present the conference
eall in another light.
Mr.. Townley is in poor business
attempting to shift responsibility for
the ST. Paul meeting from his own
shoulders to those Of the farmers.
When ne undertakes to avoid the
shafts OF criticism Ieveled at himself
by pointing to the farmers, he
reckons unwlsely. And the effort to
make Senator La Toilette the scape-
goat for all that was evil and sedi-