The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-11-07
COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY MADE.
OF NORTH DAKOTA SITUATION

could wreck the Nonpartisan league"
Referring once more to Mr.. Hills
story in the New York Sun" we are
there told that for some time before
the Fargo bank blew up there had
been signs that Townley and his Nom
partisan league were losing their grip.
he main reason appears to have been
that the farmers were not realizing
upon the promises that had been
made. AS Mr.. Hill pictures the situ-
alton:
They had paid into the treasury
of the league more than $2,50O,OOO
solely for the right to call themselves
members. When they asked, as some
times they say, for information as to
where this cash was going, they were
told to mind their own business. When
they wanted to know just how they
were benefiting from the big chain al
stores established by Townley all over
the state, to the establishment of
which every member paid $lOO and
which took in at least $l,OOOOOO in
cash, they were soothed by more
promises, more hopes.
But this was getting a bit thread
bare and all over the state demands
were arising for better accounting.
And when the Nonpartisan league be-
gan to dicker frankly with the leaders
OF the l. w. w. there was disgust
and disappointment manifested by the
real American elements of the league"
Townley the League.
In everything that has been written
and said about the Nonpartisan league
the name of A. c. Townley occurs so
often that one has no difficulty in be-
lleving Mr.. Hills statement that
The National Nonpartisan league is
SO much Arthur Clarence Townley and
Iownley is so much the league that
any discussion of the latter should be
built upon a story of the former 1t
appears further, however, that while
he has been much in the papers in con-
nection with the league, biographical
information relating to Mr.. Townley
is not particular plentiful He is said
to be 50 years old and registered five
years ago in North Dakota as a So
cialist. Men out in North Dakota
who know him well told me that he is
a dreamer" says Mr.. Hill. He is
further said to be man with a burn
ing ambition to do things on a huge
scale. His only trouble seems to be
that he is inclined to build grandly
upon foundations of shifting sand"
Some illustrations of this tendency are
given:
In 1911 he interested men of means
in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth in
project to break and plant thrice,
sections OF virgin land near CHEYENNE
Wells, Wyoming. The capitalists
furnished all the cash, machinery. seed
and equipment of every sort that the
big job called for, and Townley re-
ceived full authority to carry out the
project according to his own ideas.
With every facility at his command
tor winning fortune by employing
the known and proved methods OF
wheat growing, he evolved a scheme
to beat the experience of every farmer
IN the northwest. In planting the seed
ne closed every other hole in the drills
and planted the rows twelve inches
apart instead of the usual manner of
rows SIX inches apart. He put this
scneme into effect upon twelve sec
tons OF the land. Upon the thirteenth
sections he planted in the approved
way, the rows being six inches apart.
Fine Farming Methods.
when the wheat began to grow, so
did the weeds, and the weeds had so
much room in Townleys twelve inch
rows that they choked the wheat to
death all over the twelve sections. and
the crop was not worth harvesting. On
the one section that had been seeded
IN the approved manner the hackers
OF the project harvested twelve BUSH
els to the acre, yield sufficient to
have assured a fine profit upon the
entire acreage of Townley hadn't tried
to beat the game. The hackers are