The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-06-15

pathy with the farmers of North Dakota
and are openly exploiting them. Between
100000 and $3,000,000 has been collect
ed by Mr.. Townley and his associates. Alb
solutely no accounting has been given for
this money, and none will be given. When
demands are made for an accounting, the
farmers are told it ''is none of their
damned business" /" In return for their
money, the farmers are loaded up with
worthless store certificates giving them
only the right to buy for cash at Con-
sumers' store; with receipts for dues to the
league; and stock in newspapers like The
Bismarck Public Opinion. The newspaper
properties of any value which they have
bought, like The Nonpartisan Leader, are
safely held by Mr. Townley. Mere protes-
tations of friendship can't offset that rec
ord.
7.-Mr. Townley is on record over his
own signature as Socialist, and his beliefs
therefore include the public ownership of
land. If he is still a Socialist he supports
the Infamous St. Louis anti-war platform
of the Socialist party. In any event he
is actively supporting Mayor Van Lear Of
Minneapolis for reelection, and Van Lear
has refused to repudiate the Socialist plat
form, saying "it is not local issue''. Gov
ernor Frazier, of course, is merely Mr..
Townley's rubber stamp.
8.-Mr. Townley, who stated that he
"owned the Nonpartisan league" which
league nominated and elected Lynn
Frazier, deliberately tried to reach an
agreement with the barn-burning, crop
destroying, revolution plotting I. W. W.
That agreement was presented to the
farmers of North Dakota for ratification
and they had the good sense to turn it
down.
Ex-Governor Frazier deliberately vetoed
the terminal elevator bill passed in 1917
after being elected on a platform Of "turn
out the grafters who failed to pass the ter
minal elevator bill in 1915''. It is now
claimed that the bill vetoed was one plac-
ing the terminal elevator at an out of the
way point. That is lie
10.-WhiIe the Nonpartisan league
program has many meritorious features to
it, the preaching Of the league leaders has
| been wholly along the lines of "class
can easily be substantiated by quotations
| and any fair minded man who has attend
| ed Nonpartisan league meeting knows it
is true He knows that the Nonpartisan
| league leaders are of the same dangerous
| type of agitator as those who have dis
rupted the mighty Russian empire, with
| their half baked economic and political
theories.
n.-If Governor Frazier were elected
| and the Nonpartisan leaders given free
rein, they would enter upon wide open
| program of experimental legislation that
would ruin the state financially. The
Minot platform, on the contrary, calls for
entering upon these experiments one at {
time, and only after they have been ap
proved separately by vote of the people
12-The Nonpartisan league, posing a!
a democratic organization, is an absolutely
| perfect type Of an unlimited monarchy
It is no more democratic in its makeup thar
was Russia before the revolution. Mr.
TownIey owns the league and is respon
sible to nobody for his actions. He die
tates the choice of the league candidates
at secret meetings. Those candidates art
voted for blindly and as unit by league
members. It is gang rule in politics car
ried beyond any extreme that the old gang
ever dreamed of.
13.-We are opposed to Governor
Frazier and the league leaders because ot
their newspaper organs. We resent the
type of journalism they represent. W.
resent the fact that any self-respecting
man who dares oppose the league shall be
held up to abuse and ridicule. We resent
having our intelligence insulted by the
substitution Of personal abuse for argu
ment.
14-We are against Governor Frazier
because he not only countenanced but en-
couraged the use Of methods of terrorism
against little country newspapers that
dared hold opinions Of their own. Country
editors who dared oppose the league have
been openly boycotted by the league fol-
two years past. The league organs shout
for freedom Of speech, and freedom Of the
press, but like the Bolsheviki leaders
in Russia, the only freedom they
practice when in power, is the free
dom to agree with them. If boycott
is now in progress against the local league
organ, as it claims, it is merely getting q
taste Of its own medicine.
15.--We are against Governor Frazier
| because he has no record of achievement