The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-02-12
SOCIALISM UNMASKED
More Talk on the Same Lines

have been no word but that of the
utmost encouragement to those MEM
bers of the National Guard and their
fathers, mothers and sisters, Mr..
Townley used these words:
"The flower of the young manhood
of this nation IS going across the wa
ter to bleed, as we are told, for the
honor of the country, but it needs
some effort for me to believe that
these young men are going to fight
for the freedom of democracy.
''I believe\and fear they are going
to bleed for the profits of the damned
pirates who profit from our food and
our products. The government stands
most of the time crying for the younf
to come to war. I demand that the
United States shall instantly take
charge of the transportation of the
food and products of the farm before
the flower of the manhood of this ma
ton is sent across the water.
"Tens of thousands will be sacri-
feed to defend the freedom of demo-
cracy, but there is another thing. We
do not want, our young men to come
back with arms and legs and eyes
gone, to have them facing a war debt
that will keep US and them slaves for
the next twenty-five or fifty years.
"Bilfions of wealth are piled in the
laps of the already rotten rich, placed
there by your industry here at home
wealth they need not, but which is
a detriment to them and we say to our
country Come take of their wealth
as much as you want and as much as
you need
eve are told it is our duty to raise
large crops but say it is more our
duty to find out what is going to be
done with our crop than it is our duty
to grow it.
'Unless you yourselves who have
the power to put inside the peniten-
tiaries the gamblers who profit on our
crops, we are not under obligation to
raise a crop.
81 refuse to urge you farmers to
raise larger crop until you or they
will say that unless they are big
enough to control the transportation
of food and coal for the Northwest, l
cannot see possibility Of the United
States being successful in this war"
- ~ d L 7
Did these two speeches promote
loyalty and a feeling of inspired pat
riotism in the hearts of the thousands
who applauded Mr.. Townley?
Was Mr. Townley fulfilling his
highest duty as a patriotic leader n
making the statements here quoted
statements which are supported by
afidavits of prominent citizens in
each of these cities.
Mr.. Townley's agents and repre-
sentatives have not openly denied that
Mr. Townley made these statements,
but they have endeavored to befog thc
minds of people to whom they have
talked, with the statement that in all
the addresses Mr.. Townley made dur
ing the month of June, 1917, he was
accompanied by a stenographer who
made full notes of his addresses with
the exception of those most import
ant ones on that most important day,
Registration day at Devils Lake, h;5
very large meeting at Williston, and
his address to an enormous crowd at
Minot on June 7th and his memorable
meeting closing that particular tour
at Grand Forks on June 9Th.
Why was not Mr.. Townley accorl-
panied by his stenographer on those
occasions as well as for those ad
dresses he made later the same month
Was it because he found that his de-
fance of the loyal efforts of the goT-
eminent and the people were proving
unpopular and causing considerable
amount of unpleasant comment ard
it was time he was curbing his en-
thusiasm and putting a check on him
self?
At Minot speaking deliberately or
the Liberty Loan, he said:
''This is wrong, all wrong. / say
to you, that measure is anything bat
patriotic, because it takes the heart
out of those boys going across the
water to fight battles, knowing that
when they get back they must pay for
it. When they get back! Some cost
for the boys that 60 across TO fight p
Fathers and Mothers! Read!
At Grand Forks he made the asser-
ton that "a prominent citizen of that
city was the representative of big
Business and of war profteers and
declared his loyalty to be question
able. A prominent attorney in the
audience arose and asked Townley if
he did not know the man referred to
had given his son to the service of the
country. Townley, with sheer, re-
piled, eyes, know many men will
sell their sons for price" This
caused a stir in the audience and the