The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-06-11
THE LEAvENWORTH ECHO

the bank in the method of loaning
state funds.
In order to give a proper under
standing of the organization and op-
Grafton of the Nonpartisan League in
North Dakota, it is necessary to re
fer back number of years in the po-
ltical history Of the state.
In 1912 the socialist party in
North Dakota cast Approximately
5000 votes and the national orpani-
cation undertook a propaganda cam
paign among the North Dakota far
mers. Thousands of copies of the So
cialist national organ, "Tho Appeal to
Reason published at Girard. Kan
sas, were circulated throughout the
farming districts Of the state. The
farmers were engaged in a contro-
versy with the elevator and mill peo-
pie over the grading of grain. The
socialists took up this question and
were able to widen the breach be
tween the farmers and the mill oper-
ators.
1t was about this time that A. c.
Townley was engaged in his flax ven
ture near Beach, n D. This project
is best summed up briefly in the
public records of judgments against
ToWnley and his brother, aggregat-
ing a grand total of $406, 093.54. Fol-
lowing his flax failure, Townley en-
gagged actively in politics His mem
bership registration blank in the So
cialist party was issued at Beach. n.
d., April II, 1916, on which date he
made affidavit under oath that he
was then 33 years of age and a So
cialist. And it was this same yea
that he started the Nonpartisan
League with the membership Of tie
socialist party in North Dakota as its
nucleus.
The bait offered to the farmer to
secure his membership in the League
was the pledge to establish state
owned terminal elevator. All other
socialistic projects were held in abey-
ance until after the Nonpartisan
League had secured complete control
of the state government.
Townley and his organizers talked
and preached state-owned grain elo-
vators and flour mills until they had
the farmers of North Dakota think
ing only in terms of state ownership
of those utilities.
Every candidate for the Legislature
who received the Nonpartisan League
endorsement was first required to
give a written pledge agreeing to
support the legislative program of
the Nonpartisan League Commit
tee" This pledge was required and
given without any knowledge on tho
part of the person signing it as to thu
nature of the measures he would be
required to vote for when the legis-
lature convened.
The Nonpartisan League "commi'-
tee, composed Of A. C. Townlev.
Walter Thomas Mills. socialist
speaker and former associate editor
of the Appeal to Reason" and vii
liam Lemke, an attorney of Fargo.
appeared at Bismarck with a number
Of bills and called the Nonpartisan
League members Of the legislature in
to secret caucus. At this caucus It
developed that the Townley program
persisted Of single tax, the state bank
act, the elevator and flour mill act.
the state home owners and builders
bill, the absent voters law. the state
investigating committee act, the
state sheriff act and a number Of
other socialistic measures, a great
many of which had never been heard
of before by the members of the eau
Gus. The majority of these bills
were presented by Mills, who. by the
way, is the same Walter Thomas
Mills now organizing the Nonparti-
san League in the State of Washing
ton.
As an illustration of the Townlev
control it may be said that the Sc
cret caucus approved every legisla-
tive scheme submitted by the "com-
mittee" and forced these bills thru
the Legislature.
In building up his political mach
inc in North Dakota, TownIey has
collected approximately S4,OOO,00O
from the farmers of the state and
has also found time to extend his on
erations into the states of Minnesota
Wisconsin, Montana and Washington
HE Is now campaigning Minnesota
by airplane for the Nonpartisan
League ticket.
A further idea of the socialistic
tendencies Of the Nonpartisan League
may be gained by examining the
source from which League organizers
are obtained In the "Appeal to
Daacpnf :