The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-11

revisiting farmers. a district Is
thoroughly covered. and the farmer
who says no the first time is FREE
quently given the opportunity ofBay
ing mo" three or four days in sue
cession, until he finally signs up.
KEYES THE TREASURER
OF STORE COMPANY.
Thomas Keyes, the treasurer of
the several Nonpartisan corpora
tons launched under the guidance of
Mr.. Townley, is treasurer of the
stores project, while, as indicated in
the previous Forum article, credent-
ials carried by store organizers are
signed by Mr.. Townley, personally.
In his bankruptcy hearing, Mr..
Townley professed ignorance Of
the stores company. Mr.. Townley
also testified that he, personally,
employed Mr.. Keyes as cashier Of
the National Nonpartisan league,
Mr.. TOWNLEY'S PAPER
FAILS TO MAKE DEFENSE.
The attitude of Mr.. Townley's
papers toward the store issue has
occasioned no little comment. Up to
the present time his daily organ
has not recognized the issue In any
manner whatsoever That same
publication also ignored entirely the
bankruptcy case in which Mr.. Town
ley laid bare the financial operations
or himself as head of the league, and
likewise, it ignored the action Of
the North Dakota Farmers Union.
Mr.. Townley's only defense of the
store plan up to the present time
has come through a signed COM
munication printed in the Nonparti-
san Leader, J. NJ. Brinton, manager
of the stores, giving himself over to
lengthy attack of the newspapers
that have seen fit tO~give to the peo-
pie OF the state the news with re-
spect to the store company's opera
tons. Mr.. Brinton insists the stores
project is q farmers enterprise"
and he labels it cooperative"
None Of the several weekly news
papers in North Dakota that are
controlled by Mr.. Townley have at
tempted to defend the store plan in
any manner whatsoever, except as
they may have attacked newspapers
that have exposed the proposition.
The attitude Of Mr.. Townley's
daily paper is particularly signifi-
cant in view of Mr.. Townley's sworn
testimony that he. himself, directs
its editorial policy.
THREE Interpretations
OLD TIME SOCIALISTS.
Further investigation Of the iden-
tity of the three men listed as in
of the $4,000 company
q million dollars worth of
notes and cash, has borne out the
previously made that
each Is a Socialist, bearing out the
well defined policy exercised by Mr..
in the selection, so far as
possible, of "red card" men, or So
cialists, for the important positions.
II. l.. Elliott, the state manager
Of the Nonpartisan league in North
Dakota, appointed by Mr.. Townley,
was formerly a Socialist candidate
for mayor of the city OF Minot. and
was defeated. He bought grain in
that section of the state for some
time. Mr.. Elliott was for a long
time identified with the Minot So
cialist local.
Charles Heck. another of the in
was in 1911 at Wilton,
N. D., where he attempted to or
ganize the Ignite coal miners He
has long been Socialist agitator,
and years ago was engaged in So
sialist work in South Dakota. Mr..
Heck is known as the assistant
state manager of the league in
North Dakota.
Norbert O'Leary, the third Social
stincorporator and who is a stenog-
'apher employed in the National
league headquarters in
81. Paul, came to Fargo about two
md a half or three years ago.