Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-03-26

6OAlI6 IL dlO1C III Sllk6 uC0ls wASkAOOI 0Ny
help or suggestions from anyone. And
he intends to keep going until every
farmer in North Dakota knows what
Townley is. Then II the farmers wish
to continue giving their money to
Townley it is the farmers lookout. 1
don't think, though, that things should
go on as they have, and I've hired a
man to look after my farm, and I'm
going to give up all my time this
spring and summer to telling what I
know about Mr.. Townley and what
1 want to meet Mr.. Brinton on this
chain store scheme and discover what
has happened to my 800.
The New Friends.
II have no newly selected friends. /
have lived in North Dakota since the
seventies. My friends have known me
for almost as long as Nj. Townley has
lived. l don't have to go outside of
my own neighborhood looking for
friends. l published my story in the
Forum because there wasn't a league
paper in the state that would print a
line of it. I asked Mr.. Townley to
league papers, and I waited for weeks
to give him a chance to print tho story
in the leagues " papers, where
every league member would read it,
and he didn't do a thing-just let it
slide. He vas afraid to tell what he
really said, or to let people know what
happened in that meeting.
III there has beer any betrayal,
Mr.. Townley, who has taken several
million dollars Of our money and now
tells us that what he intends to do
business is the betrayer. I have read
a great deal about that 'Get-Rich-
Quick Wallingford' fellow, but I v
read ANY trick of his that was quite
as raw rs this. 1t isn't enough to
swindle 3. a bunch Of trusting followers
out Of their money, but they must be
'G--D-d' in the bargain.
My friends all known how ridicu-
lous your reference to hyphenated
citizenship is. Ny parents were born
in England, it is true, but they had
on earth in Ohio. Sc years g and I
have spent a lifetime trying to be
honest. and decent and make a good
citizen of these United States, and I
never before have been accused Of
failing to make good.
Driven to the Polls.
The Townley chain store agents
certainly do know their business;
their story sounded smooth to me:
I thought 1t was a chance to do some
thing for the league and for my
cause we all believe in. I was just
n Of several thousand dupes,
whom Townley called nothing but a
set Of c. Did hogs" who had
to be driven to the polls with b
elm club to make them vote" That's
what Townley thinks about me, and
that's what he thinks about every
farmer in North Dakota. He has
found US SO easy that he believes he
can rub it in" now and get away
with it For one, thank God. I don't
have to stand for it. I wouldn't stand
for it from MI. Townley any more
than I'd take it from any other cheap
shyster.
My newly selected friends may
neither admire my wisdom and great.
ness in my presence nor ridicule me
behind my back, or they may do both
Of these things. II they do it. will De
no than Townley and Brinton
and Elliott and the rest Of the chain
last several months while they have
raked in more than a million dollars
Of money. / am no great lawyer
nor a student. I don't pretend to be
able to write o to argue with men
like Arthur LeSueur and Bill I4empke,
non who have made a business Of
this sort Of thing. I'm just a COM
mon, ordinary farmer. one Of the co.
900 in North Dakota. 1 was content
good living for myself and my family,
willing to contribute something to the
league or the farmers union or any
other organization that I thought
would help the farmer and make his
lot a little easier, for God knows it
is. hard enough at times. +
Why Hos Mad. /,
The thing that makes me fighting
mad: the thing that brought out that
mo u on the road with my coat off
ready to scrap to the last ditch is to
think that Townley. in which the
farmers have had so much confidence
and who could have done so much II
he had used the N~onpartisAn league
right, should like the dirty Judas he
is sell us o for a little money. God
knows IL Townley wanted nor mon
ey the league was willing to give it
him anything within reason-before
that meeting there in Bismarck
Townley could have had the shirt of
my back. But IN American hates
to be made q monkey Of: and 1t hurts
to beat the dickens when he's made
a fool Of by the man who pretends
he is saving him from somebody else.
j.. G. Ingle sticks by his old friends,
by his old ideas Of right and wrong:
going to- stick until: everybody ne can
reach in North Deketa have their
eyes opened 70 this man Townley and
his chain store scheme, and 70 help
mo God: there's the secret and the
mystery to the whole thing---thats