The Monte Vista journal. (Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colo.) 1888-1921, 1920-10-09

When Townlcy. the boss polite.
ian. realized that he must have a
newspaper organization To support
him and rcpcl hts political oppon-
cnts. he was forced to follow pro-
gram OF deception. For Townlcy
did not propose to have the mem
beers of the League own the ''offlc-
iai' paper of the organization. lie
had perfected the organization. He
had made himself president. and
his xalaricd attorney. william
Lcmkc. vice president. on the cx-
ccuttvc committee OF three. II
was his organization and ne was to-
bc its perpetual president. He
never intended that the Official
paper OF the Organization should
Eet into the hands Of the League
members 80 that they could criti-
else his acts IN president That
might endanxer his power. He must
have control OF the organizations
paper so that criticism OF Boss
Townley and his attorney could be
abolished-and only praise OF the
president" and Lcmke printed.
lie did not build the organization
for others. He built II for A. c.
Townley's benefit. He had become
real boss politician. and he now
moved with the instinct and cunninx
OF New York Tammany leader.
So when Towniey. the boss poll
tictan. established the "NonpartioAn
Leader" at Fargo, North Dakota. In
September. 1915. he formed an in
dependent company or co-partner-
ship with Edward Wood. OF DearinS,
North Dakota. and Albert Fox. OF
Minneapolis. two Townley employ
ees. These men acted as trustees
for Townley. This was necessary.
Townley had failed at Beach, North
Dakota. He had several hundred
thousand dollars Of debt recorded
against him In that county. He
could not establish a paper In his
own name. His creditors would
seize 1t. So Promoter Townley be-
came the employee OF Boss Town
ley's employees. (Townley swore in
his bankruptcy proceedings that
Wood and Fox owned the Nonparti-
san Publishing company and that
he was employed by them to man
age 1t. Fox and Wood swore they
1 tppss
publishing business and were hired
by Townley as organizers for the
League. In fact. Townley owned
it, He now had the Official" pa-
per OF the organization. He con
trolled It, He could now praise
himself at will. dcnounce his enem-
les or read out of the organization
anyone II he so desired. As a boss
politician he had proved his ability
and cunning to keep control of his
organization.
But Townley, the promoter. M we
related In the preceding article.
had other dreams aside from poIiti-
cal He wanted control OF the
funds to use for any purpose he
might wish. BY personally owning
the official" paper of his organi-
cation. he not only controlled its
policy. but through its ownership.
could levy an assessment on every
member enrolled as "subscription"
to the paper. And controlling the
organization he could set the price
OF not only the paper but the mem
bership dues as we'll. and zee that
the Subscription" was paid out of
the first money received by the
League. Thus. as we already stated.
the Subscription" or assessment
was compulsory and the publishing
company's income automatic.
Boss Townley's position was now
secure. It was his organization. II
was his paper. He raised the
League dues and the subscr,ption
price OF the paper arbitrarily and re-.
peatedly. He WIS secure from
criticism from his members. No