The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1917-10-19

discretion Of the sheriffs and 9TH
err peace officers in each locality
because they are in close touch
with conditions affecting the pro-
posed meetings and are better
able to determine whether the
public peace and order is threat
ened.
Finally it was decided that At
torney General Smith should be
asked to prepare statement of
the laws relating to the authority
and duties of the sheriffs which
is expected to clarity the situa-
ton.
A. c. Townley, president of the
on-Partisan league, spoke to about
400 men at Nicollet last night. Sheriff
Olson and the safety commission OF
Nicollet county, after being assured
that nothing would be said at the
meeting which could BE construed as
an attack on the government, agreed
to permit the holding of the meeting
The president of the council at
N1collet requested of the commission
that the meeting be permitted.
Townley spoke from an automo-
bile in the open air at the principal
business corner of that town, to an
audience that was largely composed
of farmers, though not entirely so.
The gathering was probably in the
neighborhood of 400 when the meet
ing was at its height. A chilly breeze
made the session quite uncomfortable
but the meeting was a fairly long
one, lasting in the neighborhood of
two hours. 51lAo... lgas
Mr.. Townley this time did not OPP
pose the liberty loan On the con-
trary he supported it, and also sup
ported CONSUMPTION. About the only
fault he had to find with things, as
far as the conduct of the war was
concerned, was the great war profits,
which he declared the kings of in
Gustry, the coal kings, steel kings
and others, were making out of the
war. He declared these war profits
amounted to four billions of dollars a
year, and that as the young men of
the nation were conscripted for war,
so also the war profits should be
conscripted. He declared the patriot
ism of the league and said the league
would support the liberty loan. He
said CONSUMPTION of men was right.
But that four billion dollars a year
should be taken to help win the war.
Digs at Mankato.
All through his address he kept TAX
ing digs at Mankato for barring his
meeting out of that city. In his al
lusions to money kings he nearly al
ways managed to link up the people
of MankatO in some manner in the
same classification as a matter of
fact.
He declared for free speech and in
that he kept thrusting at Mankato. He
said this was a government founded
on the principle of the will of the ma
jority, and said he would abide by
the will of the majority, whatever
that might be.
In one of his digs at Mankato he in
simulated that Mankato had "killed
the goose that laid the golden egg"
meaning that the farmers would stay
away from Mankato and not go to
trade there any more. The idea that
farmers might appreciate the fact
that he had been barred out of Man
kato on account Of his past utterances
and that this action on the part of
Mankato was one from motive of
loyalty and patriotism was not brought
out, but it suggested itself.
Purpose of League.
He went at some length into the
purposes of the league and it's work
in North Dakota He said that fifty
years ago, 95 per cent of the wealth
of the nation was owned by 95 per
cent of the people, and that today two
per cent of the people owned go per
cent of the wealth. He said the league
was organized to enable the farmer
to handle as well as to raise the food
stuffs, since it was in the handling
that the great fortunes were made,
not in the raising. His speech was
largely bid for new members for
the league, and he kept talking about
the SIG that it would cost to join. He
said the league was organized in
North Dakota to save $1,000 year for
each farmer of the state.
Matt Meurer of Nicollet was chair
man of the meeting. Levi Samuelson
of Lafayette made some preliminary
remarks. He said the meeting was
being held in the open air because the
principal hall of the town was being
used that night by a show and the
other hall was not large enough. He
declared that nothing disloyal would
be said at that meeting. He said the
members of the league were as loyal
as anybody else to the Stars and
Stripes. He said permission had been
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