Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-12-26
HF4ss%EEretN&sr3H
TnlMTa1A
lUW GNLL0
FOR REFERENDUM
ON HIS ELECTION
With Not Accept Presidency Of
NonpartIsan League Unless
Members Approve.
CONVENTION IS HELD
Delegates From Farmers Assembled
at St. Paul Adopt Permanent Arti-
cies Of Association, Giving
Absolute Control Of Or
ganszafion TO Its
Members.

Absolute Control of Orr
%sanEzation TO It's
Members.
A. G. Townley viii not be president
of the National Nonpartisan league
for another four years unless the ma
jority OF the members Of the organ.
ization approve by a direct referendum
in which every member of the League
in the United States votes.
lie SO declared himself at a CON
yention of the national executive com,
mittee OF the League, held in st. Paul
recently. There were 45 delegates
present from Is states. These were
authorized to select q president and
they unanimously selected A. G.. Town
ley. In q speech before the onver
ton, he refused the honor, unless he
gets a majority approval from the
members of the League.
This election will be held in the
very near future, under the direction
of a committee which the convention
selected. This Independent committee
viii canvass every vote cast and
every member will have equal voice
in the election. Every member will
! be given a ballot on which he will
approve OF disapprove of the continu.
ance of Townley on the national com
mittee.
Members Must Vote.
If his continuance on this committee
is not approved, it will automatically
mean that he is not to be continued
as president Of the League. This ar
rangement is made to conform with
the new articles of association, which
the convention adopted.
Under these new articles of ascot.
alton, the League will be under the
most democratic management of any
organization OF its kind in the United
States.
Give Members Control.
The articles provide for the govern
ment of the League in each state by
a state. committee which shall be elect
ed by League members in referendlTls
Of townships, and precincts. The
chairman of each state committee
shall be a member of the national
committee, making the national com.
mittee consist Of as many members
as there are states in which there is
a League organization.
The national executive committee
Of three is to be chosen with the ap-
proyal of the national committee and
members of the national executive
committee are to select their chair
man. who will be the president Of the
League.
Audit League Books.
Auditing OF the books and accounts
of the League also occupied the atten-
ton of the delegates. An Independent
firm of auditors is to be employed and
it will be accountable only to tho
farmers. 1t will make a thorough
audit of the books of the League, as
is the annual custom.
Several resolutions We're adopted
by the convention. One expresses the
League convention as being in sym
pathy with the move of the Chicago
Federation of Labor in entering poll
\ tics, making a declaration for slabor's
fourteen points and recommending
these points to the Illinois Federation
of Labor ana the farmers of Illinois,
as vet u~norganized, for adoption.
Deeiare Against Waste.
These fourteen points declare for
public ownership and operation of the
railways, steamships, dockyards, grain
elevators, terminal markets, tele.
graphs, telephones and other public
utilities. They further demand 1the
elimination of Wastefnl methods and
J parasitic middlemen and all profiteer
ing in the creation and distribution Of
industry and agriculture in order that
the actual producers may enjoy the
fruits Of their toll
Demands for the liquidation OF the
81 national debt and for the complete
restoration at the earliest possible mo
meTt of free speech, free assemblage
aud free press, were made by the Chi
, cago Federation of Labor and ap
proved by the League convention,
Delegates generally expressed them
selves greatly pleased at the demo
cratic provisions OF the new articles D
association. Under them, the entire
control of the affairs oil The League
rests Witf,@the members, yet there i.
no loopbole lett open whereby traitor.
or enemies of the League can gaii
|, sufficient strength to block the Leagu,
{ program in the interests OF the bi;
concerns that are fighting the League
Corpse; Causes Trouble
q Although the big dailies q the Twill
Cities and ssseWnurein the Northwes
insist that the Nonpartisan Leaguei
dead and that all that remains to b,