Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-23
EXPLANATION THAT DOES NOT
EXPLAIN.

1t has taken the Townley papers and the organizers
and managers of the Townley schemes four or i've
months to bring themselves to the point Of making any
mention Of the United Stores enterprise. The project
was apparently worked on the theory that the less said
about the thing in public the better. But the publica-
ton Of the articles of Incorporation Of the new corpora.
ton. subscribers pledge card. ana other features Of the
plan, together with comment on the enterprise. which
have appeared from time 10 time in papers which are
Independent Of the Townley control have at length
brought forth a statement from J.. NJ. Brinton, ,tular
manager OF the store enterprise, which is published in
the Nonpartisan leader, and which the editor of that
paper hnds to be a frank and satisfactory explanation of
the whole matter.
It would take some ingenuity to extract any inf6r-
NATION from that statement other than that which u
perfectly apparent to everyone. The substance of the
long statement is that under the plan there are now five
stores in operation, and that they are doing quite well:
OF the manner in which the subscriber is to ret value
for the 500 which he subsctibes there Is not a word.
nor is any information given of the disposition Of the
SO per cent or more of the subscription money which the
managers Of the corporation are not required 10 devote
to any purpose connected with the operation Of the
stores.
The greater part of the article is devoted to attacks
on those who have had the presumption to suggest that
the stores scheme may be another device for getting
money away from the farmer without giving him any
thing in return for it. Special attention is given to the
Grand Forks Herald and the Fargo Forum, which,
papers are described in the manner common to speakers
and writer's in the employ Of Mr.. Townley.
The Forum is quite capable Of taking care Of itself.
So far as this paper is concerned, let it be granted for
the purpose OF the discussion that The Herald is all that
its most unsparins critics have said. Just what has
that to DO with the wisdom Or unwisdom of 2 man in.
vesting 500 in the United Stores scheme?
When the statement is made that the s,henr;h.~e
$loo payment does not purchase for him a dollars
worth of interest in any property. does not give him
even the most fragmentary control over any business,
and does not invest him with the right to participate in
any profits, that statement is true or false. Which is it.
Mr.. Brinton's only reply is that The Herald is crooked.
Very we'll. Let it so at that. But how about the orig
inal statements? what do the records show? Mr.. Brin-
ton has nothing to say.
1t has been stated that Mr.. Townley or his official
representatives are at liberty to take more than half of
all the money collected on these store contracts and
spend it according to their own judgment for purposes
entirely foreign to the store business. Mr.. Brinton says
that The Herald is frantic and sensational. All right
Let it be so. But, to resume the inquiry where it was
interrupted, can that money be SO used, or can it. not
Mr.. Brinton does not say.
Has there been collected $3.50, 900. Of which less
than half need be devoted to the store business? Mr..
Brinton suggests that The Herald is stepped in corrup-
ton. But he does not say anything about that money.
1t happens that on that point We have the sworn testi:
mony of Mr.: Townley, who has declared under oath
that the sum named has been corlected, ana that only
a minor fraction need be devoted to the stores.
SO it might be possible to go on. Mr.. Brinton can
not give a satisfactory answer to questions in a plain
matter of business by talking about something else.
On one point we wish to set Mr.. I3rinton right. sHe
would have his readers believe that The Herald has
sought to create the impression that the stores plan is
illegal. We have not sought to do anything Of the sort.
On the contrary, we have no doubt that the plan is
strictly legal. Mr.. Townley has seen to that. If the thing
were illegal it might be possible to get some of his
money back. But care has doubtless been taken to
make the plan air tight and bomb proof, so that when
i man pays in his hundred dollars he may as we'll for
get it. The scheme is so thoroughly legal that ne can't
get any of it back.
The German program OF peace without annexations
loes not appear to include peace without occupation.
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