The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1919-05-16
Il Signed; 5 Appeared.

27 Signed; 5 Appeared.
Twenty-seven men signed an un.
authorized call for a great mass meet.
ing of League members to be held
mere. One of the signers is J. E.
Kelley, present chairman of the Demo.
cratic state central committee. Three
slgners are not members. of the
League, which they said they sought
to reform. Many Of them are self.
seeking politicians.
One man was hired to travel from
one end of the state to the other. to
advertise the meeting. Handbills
were circulated throughout the state,
to advertise the meeting. Every Nom
partisan league member and friends
OF the movement" were urged to at
tend. A huge auditorium in Sioux
Falls was rented for the meeting,
which the anti-League newspapers of
the state said would be one of the
largest and biggest things in the state.
When the time for the meeting
came, only five persons appeared at
the auditorium. Not even the men
who had signed the call came. Only
four OF them appeared They were
II. P. Lee, a dissatisfied League organ.
fzer; J. S. Wood, Dell Rapids, S. D.;
Fl. G.. Solem, Baltic; and Mr.. Kelley,
H. G. Solem, prominent in political
circles, was instrumental in circulating
the unauthorized call, although he did
not sign it. He was one of the lead
ers Of the revolt, which failed. Many
of those who had signed the call said
that they had been misled into sign
ing it; that they understood it was
authorized by the state manager, o. s.
Evans, and that they remained away
when they learned that Evans had
not signed it.
Regulars Hold Meeting.
Evans, however, called meeting for
Sioux Falls, simultaneous with the un.
authorized meeting. The regular
League organization meeting was at
A. o. u. w. hall here, while the 'in.
surrectionists" had planned their meet.
ing at the huge Sioux Falls auditorium.
When only five persons came to the
meeting at the audi.
forum, it was abandoned. State Man.
ager Evans then invited the five to
the regular League meeting at A. o.
u. W. hall. They attended this meet.
ing, at which sixty farmers were gath.
cred Their demands were heard by
the farmers and three of the five con.
stituted a committee to draw I'D these
into the form of resolution
for introduction.
Demand State Autonomy.
These demands were that e the
League in South Dakota be given an
entirely independent from
the national organization, that this or.
ganization appoint its own executive,
that its solicitors, managers and execu-
tiyes be appointed by the state or |
ganiZation and that such men be re-
sponsible only to the state organiza-
ton. Funds collected in South Da.
hOId WSIS " NC Kept III that state,
under the conditions of the demands. |
and the state organization was to make
such contributions to the national or.
CARNATIONS as it saw fit
After the demands of the five men
we're heard, A. L. Putnam, prominent [
aFmer, and the farmer candidate for
in South Dakota,
presented resolution expressing com.
,lete confidence in the present man
lgement of the Nonpartisan league:
approval of the action of the executive
committee in session at st. Paul this
month; approval of the reelection of
\. c. Townley as president; approval
f the audit OF the books of the asso-
iation and complete satisfaction with
he accounting of the funds of the
league. Chairman Kelley, of the
Democratic state central committee.
ad introduced the reform resolu-
lon.
Both resolutions were then submit
"a to the vote of the farmers present.
he Kelley reform" resolution got
My five votes. There were no votes
gainst the adoption OF the Putnam
ssolution and the long planned League
revolt" went up in thin smoke.