Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-03-14
Dawson Man Tells Story Of
All Night Session Held at
the Grand Pacific Hotel in
Bismarck on the Night of
January %, Last.

January %, Last.
At the outset ! want to make it
plain that ! am not fighting the Non
partisan league am fighting the
man, Townley, and feel justified in
80 doing.
What have to tell ] am telling in
The Fargo Forum because. it is best
that the people of our state shall
know the whole truth concerning the
man who has put himself at the head
Of our organization
/ became member of the Nonpar-
tisan league back in the late summer
or early fall Of 1915. The organizer
approached me while l was working in
the field, and gave him 50.
While l didn't give the subject
much thought then, and not for some
time afterwards, I did get to think
ing about political affairs quite a bit,
and finally decided, in my own mind.
that the Nonpartisan league didn't
offer anything in the way Of politics
not already offered by the old par
ties. I didn't say much about it,
and went along with the boys on the
league proposition satisfied in my
own mind that things wouldn't be
any worse or any better politically
than they had been.
When the store organizer came to
me in October, last year, gave some
little consideration to the question,
and Thought At first that it was .
good thing. I gave him . note for
800, for which he gave me receipt
that is reproduced with this.
Organizer Used His Influence
To Get Other Farmers Signed Up.
Well, the orysniser got me to 70
around with him to zee the other
farmers ,ahd while We were going
around, my sucpicions became
aroused because Of the different stor-
les that he would tell to different
men. / was paid IS day for my
time by the organizer, and he took
me with him to call on my neighbors
because of the influence he thought
! mieht have with them. under
stand that is the usual plan adopted
by the organizers all over the state
who are working on the store propo-
sition.
The first thing that aroused my
suspicion was the organizers state
ment that the company would turn
the money back to person who
CHANGED to leave the community be-
fore the ten year period was up.
That is. if man paid 500 and
stayed in the community only five
years. only $50 Of the certificate
would be used up, and he would be
entitled to the return of $50. There
is nothing like that in the contract.
and Of course the organizers promise
isn't binding on the company.
Cot Hundred. Then Demanded
Payment Of Back League Dues.
Another thing that made me
mad was the organizers action
in getting 800 from some farm
ers and then telling them that the
800 wasn't any good unless they
paid their membership dues to
date. That meant that they had
to dig up another SIG.
In my own case ! had not paid
the membership dues. and
wasn't asked to do so. That. too,
made me suspicious. and made
me feel that I WINS simply being
used to further the store propo-
sition.
I didn't go into the learua with the
idea of building un arv wildcat prop-
osition such as this store scheme is.
couldn't see for the life of me
where the farmers were getting any
benefit out of this store proposition,
and when saw the organizer trying
to ret mon into the league by get
tin~ their 500. and then demanding
SIG more. was pretty hot under tho
collar. But ! didn't say anything.
Took s1s5c0 Out of Farmers
In the Vicinity Of Dawson.
Well. things went along after the
ooanizer left the Dawson commrn
without much stir. The farmers
around Dawson put slG,5oo into tht
store proposition and their note car.
rying 8 per cent interest. Tho stnrs
isn't scheduled to bs o,enea ti'l oc.
tober ]. 1913. SO that the conran,