The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1918-05-16
TOWINLEY RATIFIED
Some Rather Embarrassing Questions
Propounded to Him by Senate
Military Committee.
He Felt Obliged to Repudiate Some of
the Radical Utterances of His
Candidate for Governor.

!
league Of Minnesota, was permitted to
appear before the military committee
OF the United States senate, to answer
the charges made against the leaders
OF the league by Judge J. F. MCGEE.
He appeared before the committee on
May LIST, and made a sorry spectacle
Of himself. In answer. to pointed
questions by members of the commit
tee he hesitated and equivocated, but
finally he repudiated statements con-
tanned in book issued by C. A. Lind
bergh, Mr.. Townley's candidate for
governor.
Through the kindness Of Senator
Nelson we have been furnished with
galley proofs of the questions pro-
pounded to Mr.. .Townley and his an
swers thereto. The entire proceedings
would fill several pages of the
Union. But we quote verbatim, as re-
ported by the official stenographer,
that part Of the proceedings that re-
fers to Mr.. Lindbergh which makes in
teresting reading, and is as follows:
Senator Weeks. Has the Nonpar-
tisan league nominated it's ticket in
Minnesota for next fall?
Mr.. Townley. Yes, sir.
Senator Weeks. Is Mr.. Lindbergh
their candidate for governor?
Mr.. Townley. Yes, sir.
Senator Weeks. Has he issued a
pamphlet or book or something of that
sort expressing his views?
Mr.. Townley. Not since the nomi-
nation, that I know of.
Senator Weeks. Are you support
ing Mr. Lindbergh?
Mr.. Townley. I certainly am.
Senator Weeks. I have here few
extracts from his book. Let me read
one of them.
Mr. Townley. Have you his book,
may I ask?
Senator Weeks. I have not got the
book here. These (indicating) have
been furnished me. They have been
copied and they may not be correct.
The next step was to resort to the con-
scripton of men, In some states even women
are forced to register. The CONSUMPTION is
intended to raise, by force if necessary,
armies to make across the seas to fight in
foreign lands. ---- did not dare to sub
nit CONSUMPTION to vote of the people, so
that congress voted to conscript men for that
purpose.
Do you approve of that sentiment?
Mr.. Townley / do not know wheth-
er that is a part of the book. do not
know the context. I could not express
an opinion. I have not read it.
Senator Weeks. If that were true,
would you approve of it?
Mr.. Townley. In so far as that in
terferes with enlistment or draft I do
not approve of it.
Senator Weeks. Don't you think
that would have tendency to affect
the carrying out Of the selective draft
act?
Mr.. Townley. This is a part of the
book. It is a paragraph, a word or a
line. The context would have a very
material bearing upon the meaning of
the part you have read. l have not
read in the book or in the pamphlet
form or in newspaper.
Senator Weeks. Have you seen the
book? w.
Mr.. Townley. I do not know wheth-
er have seen the book or not. How
ever, Mr.. Lindbergh is not leader of
the Nonpartisan league. He is man
Endorsed for governor.
Senator Weeks. He is candidate
for governor. You usually consider
him leader? uM
Mr.. Townley. Nobody charges Mr..
Lindbergh with being disloyal.
Senator Reed. simply used his
name as an example of leader. That
is really the only thing we are con-
sidering now-what the leaders have
done and said.
Mr.. Townley. Yes, sir.
Senator Weeks. That is the only
thing this committee is interested in.
Mr.. Townley. If Mr.. Lindbergh
wrote such book he wrote it when he
had no connection with the Nonpar-
tisan league at all.
Senator Reed. You nominated him
in view Of or after he had written this
book? .--
Mr.. Townley. I presume so.
Senator Reed. I would like to ask
you if you agree with this statement
in his book:
We have been dragged into the war by the
intrigue of spectators.
Mr.. Townley. That depends on
where the spectators are. I under
stand there are some spectators in
Germany.
Senator Reed. Do you mean to say
that Germany got into this war be
cause there were spectators in Ger
many? You do not mean to say that
do you?
Mr.. Townley. Senator, to state it
in another way, the German military
powers are not industrial spectators
>or financial spectators.
Mr., Townley. never lived there
My understanding was that Germany's
idea was the acquisition of territory.
Senator Reed. You think that is
what is meant by this expression, eve
have been dragged into the war by the
intrigue of SPECTATORS :" Do yor
think that the German military power
did that?
Mr.. Townley. I think that we wen
in to protect ourselves against Ger
man military intrigue.
Senator Reed. We were no
dragped into it by the intrigue O.