Grand Forks herald., 1917-03-30
specifications for the most aatoundine

specifications for the most Astounding
political extravaSansa that has been
staged in many q decade. At this
point enters the man Of destiny, 4. G.
Or. busted hax king" president Of
the Nonpartisan league, and, for =
time, king Of North Dakota.
Mr.. Townley, aided by other shrtwd
leaders. organized the league in 1915.
They used motor cars and made q
house to house canvass. Their plan
to put the kibosh on the stand-pat-
and the membership spread IKE
prairie hre. They even started 1 wssk-
ly paper and employed q clever car
toonist to stir up the hornets nest
with his pen.
Caucuses were held in each precinct
to nominate delegates to county con-
ventions on February -. 1915. The
as to give the leaders . chance to
visit them all. They county norniri-
ees were to be candidates for tho leE-
islature and algo Delegates 70 the. state
convention. That was held at Fargo,
March 20. The leaders had already
decided upon ticket that would be
acceptable to the farmers. That
ticket was nominated with a whoop.
Two days later q mass meeting Of
three thousand farmers was called to
ratify the choice ana let or surplus
enthusiasm. It was all beautifully
staged and there evolved from Il and
started down the road as smoothly,
opposition in the history Of American
politics.
A Backward someesanlt.
This sudden backward somersault
to the old convention system virtuai-
ly abolished the primary. But every
thing was done In perfectly lesal
way. The league candidates ronHped
through the campaign with scarcely
any opposition. Republican and Dom.
on. the band wagon. Both endorsed
the league program In its entirety.
Lynn ]. Frazier, farmer and q Re-
publican In normal times, carried the
state BY $1,000 majority. Thus. with
out hitch, the North Dakota farm.
ers swept into power In few short
months.
And now comes the most vivid, most
paradoxical and almost uncanny part
Of the story. The fight, for state
owned terminal elevator was the
backbone Of the whole farmers move
ment Around 1t centsred the whole
Equity society and Nonpartisan league
program. And yet Lynn J. Frazier.
vetoed a bill which
provided for state owned terminal
elevator. which bill was in line with
the demands Of the people expressed
by their votes in 1910 ana 1914.
The first definite evidence Of revolt
against Townley's leadership came on
the last night Of the session when the
minal elevator bill against Townlsy'F
wish. But after its passage he stub
bornly held on and insisted on tho
governors vstoins It Several anti
I. W. w. bills were introduced At tho
last session Of the legislature 1t the
urgent demands Of farmers. Every
one Of them was killed In the Secrst
caucus.
The Whole out1lt Socialists.
Now let us consider the personnel
Of the league leaders. We have seen
what they did. now let's see who they
are. Charles Edward Russell, ono
time candidate for governor Of New
York on the Socialist ticket, we'll
known Socialist writer ana speaker.
ana contributed weekly articles 10 the
league organ. the Nonpsrttsan Leader.
The vital sections Of House Bill ~
sound much IKE 'passasss from his
book, why Am . Socialist"
D. G.. Coates. once lieutsnant-sov-
SkVAoAA0I
the league ortanissrs ana 10 manager
Of the Leader. He II gsneraly con-
sidered the brains Of the league
A. b. Bowen and A. G. Townlsy,
who fathered the movement, are both
sociaiists,s the former having been .
Socialist candidlts Tor goverRlofe of
North Dakota at one time. ff'
o. NJ. Thomson, ono Of the chief
organizers. was 2 Socialist candidate
for congress In 1914. N't
Henry .Teisen. secretary Of the
league and right hand man Of A. G.
Townley, wes secretary Of the state
Socialist 2AGty ana editor Of the leon
eclast, a Socialist paper published at
Minot.
AS q whole, these mon are free lance
opportunists and agitators. They are
not actual farmers, nor are they in
close touch with the past or present
life Of the people 1of North Dakota.
None Of the real leaders are identified
with the everyday problems Of the
average farmer. A. G.. Townley. the
only leader claiming to. be q farmer,
bases his claims on having plunged
on fax raising by thousands Of acres.
When a staff correspondent asked
Mr.. Townley why it was necessary to
separate the farmers from SIC for two
years dues in advance II the latter
were really in a spontaneous uprising
anu Know 0AdCIly what Ln0y wanted
in legislation. Townley's only reply
was that the money was necessary for
organization. Those who get the
money are.not held to any accounting
to the membership, nor are they un-
der bond. There are now about sew
enty-five thousand members in four
states. A little arithmetic will DOM
onstrate that someone is handling
lot Of money. The only reply the
correspondent could get from sscre-
tary Teigen was that "the bookkeep-
or gets the money"
1t is now planned to launch this
sort of movement in Kansas. These
leaders plan to start their real cam
paign here this summsr. One hun
dred mon will travel up and down the
state in motor cars, organizing the
farmers. Every farmer will be seen,
talked to, given the plans Of the
league, madea member-and, Incl
dentally, separated from sixteen dol
lars.
The plan is q good one-for the
organizers. We doubt II it IL q good
one for the farmer. But we have
no doubt of its being mighty poor
one for the business men Of Kansas.
WORK THAT IS pIA