The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-06-18
A. c. TOWNLE1
M. WELLES MADE FELLOW
LOOK SHEEPLSH
Called Head of Nonpartisans
While "Boss'' Was Speaking
At Worthington
From Saturdays Daily. i
CSpecial to The Free Press.1 :

Especial to The Free Press.1 ~
Worthington, Mimi, June Zone
Of the bluffs that A. C. Townley is &C.
customed to put up before his public
audiences was called here yesterday,
by A. M. Welles, publisher of The
W%orthington Globe. Mr.. Townley ar
rived here about noon in his $4,000
airplane, and about two o'clock ad-
dressed an audience Of something like
400 people, speaking from the front
steps of the Mobiles county court
house. The event had been advertis-
ed over a radius of fifty or more miles.
with faring posters, not one Of which,
however, had been seen in Worthing-
ton. About one hundred automobiles
bearing tanners, some of them Town
ley leaguers, others curiosity seekers,
came to town to hear the head of the
league.
In the audience was a sprinkling OF
townspeople, drawn by curiosity. Mr..
Townley gave one of his characters
tic harangueS, telling half truths, ap-
pealing to prejudice, tearing a breach
between the farmer and the business
men, and resorting to innuendO anC
Misrepresentation. Along toward the
end OF his speech, Mr.. Townley turn
ed his guns On the press, as usual.
He wound this up with the following
sentiment:
WeIIes Walked Forward.
Tell your editor to publish the
story of George Washington and the
cherry tree" At this the Townley
followers set up a loud and derisive
laugh and some Of them shouted:
Print it in The Globe"
Mr.. Welles, publisher of The Globe,
who was sitting on the steps a few
feet distant from Mr.. Townley, there
upon rose and advanced to where Mr..
him: MI. Townley, it will afford me
great pleasure to print the story o.
George Washington in The Globe. My
name is A. M. Welles, publisher OF
The Worthington Globe. l am glad
to meet you" Mr.. Welles then ex-
tended his hand and Mr.. Townley re-
luctantly took it, but his jaw drop
ped, he turned a little white around
the gills," and for the space of some
thirty seconds hadn't a thing to say.
Mr.. Welles then quietly returned to
his seat, where one of the candidates
on the Townley league state ticket,
bent forward and whispered in Mr..
Welles' ear: "You put one over on
him that time" Later in the day, aft
er the meeting was over, another can
didate on the Townley league ticket
who had spoken at the meeting, told
Mr.. Welles practically the same thing,
acknowledging that Mr.. Townley had
laid himself wide open.
Didn't Like Camera.
A photographer in the crowd secur-i
ed several good snap shots of Mr.
Townley while he was speaking. The;
speaker didn't like it and shouted to-,
the photographer: Have you got al
~franchise?" But the photographer
went right on plying his calling. It'd
is a we'll known fact hat A. C. Town.
ley doesn't like the camera and than
when he ees one coming he coversf
his face. He couldn't do that yester-'
day, for his followers Y puldn't stand
for his turning tail and running at the
sight OF a photographer.
The consensus of opinion is that
Mr.. Townley did not make any friends,'
here by his speech yesterday. He
called hard names and gave the ap.
pearance of a man in a corner fight
ing for his life. The size of the crowd
was disappointing. At the close of
his speech two Townley leagrers. one
an organizer, seized Mr.. Townley by
the arm and rushed him to a waiting
automobile which took him to his air.
plane. The engine Of the plane was
In a refractory mood and for a long
time refused to start, but it finally
got a going n away sailed the head
of the Townley league for another en-
gaeement.