The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-09-03


kota league.
Able to Swing Elections.
In Montana, which is overwhelm-
ingly agrarian, the non-partisan or
ganization is already so strong that
there is little doubt about its being
able to swing the election next fall.
The league is also strong enough to
be politically effective in the rural
districts of Minnesota, Kansas, Ne
braska, northern Wisconsin, Idaho
and Washington.
In 1917 Townley conceived the
idea of forming a National Non-par-
tisan League to bring about closer
utilization of the various state organ
izations, and to enable him and those
associated with him to consolidate
the farmer vote so that it might be-
come nationally effective in carrying
out his ambitious scheme for politi
cal control.
Through this national organization
it is intended to procure economic
legislation on national scale and
to engage in interstate commerce
through business enterprises such as
cooperative stores, equity associa-
ton, farmers cooperative insurance,
terminal elevators, cooperative live
stock exchanges, cooperative bank
ing system, etc.
Is Fundamentally Socialistic.
The panacea offered by Townley
and his associates for overcoming
the economic difficulties of the farm
ers is fundamentally socialistic and
based upon state control. In order
to carry out this scheme and ma
necessary for the farmers throughout
the country to unite so as to have the
balance of power in state and no.
tional governments, if not actual con-
troll.
The farmer legislature of North
Dakota is overwhelmingly republican
in its political complexion, but the
body of laws passed by it at the reg
ular and special sessions was strong
ly tinged with socialism.
Had it not been for the fact that
there are "a hold-over senators and
only IS senators elected by the nom
partisan league in that legislature
an act would have been passed vir-
tually reconstructing the constitu-
ton of the state along the lines of
socialism.
To the farmers and laborers of
Minnesota the leaders of the league
are now appealing with a program
fundamentally socialistic. They are
demanding that the present govern
ment of the state be turned out in
a body, and that for it shall be sub
stituted an administration and leg
islature composed exclusively of rep
resentatives of the farmers and the
wage earners.
But her again the league, through
its executive committee, Townley and
his close associates, has endorsed on
ly republican or democratic candi-
dates, and, because Minnesota nor
mally is a republican state most of
the candidates Endorsed are of that
political utilization.
How Converts Are Made.
Townley has shown himself to be
an expert reader of the psychology of
American political life. Every poll
tician asks himself two questions re-
garding the action he is asked to
take: First, "Will it help me?" sec
ond, "Will it injure me?"
Townley has seized upon this weak
ness of the American politician. To
a republican or a democrat seeking
Office he proffers the support of the
league, having in mind always the
political complexion of the district
in which the candidate will run. In
return he demands a pledge from the
aspirant to support the leagues leg
islative program.
Although nothing in the platform
of either the republican or the dem
ocratic party corresponds even ap-
proximately to the socialistic princi-
pies of the non-partisan league
Townley seldom fails to get the nee
essary pledge from any man he
wants, because he can impress him
by showing him a roster of the
leagues membership, and after one
glimpse at that nearly every candi-
date becomes the supplicant in con-
GLIDING the bargain.
The farmers in joining the nom
partisan league are promised a pro-
gram of political and economic re-
form to correct the evils of which
they complain. In some cases the
league leaders hold forth government
ownership, as in the erection of ter
minal elevators by the state of North
Dakota; in others the advantages of
cooperation are dwelt upon. The re-
suit is that farmers have Joined and
are joining the league in great num-
bers and that the league has grown
to be a mighty political power in sew
eral of the western states, with its
ambition for still wider influence