The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-05-07
SOCIALIST IS DISSECTED
SPOKE AT THE ARMORY
He Opened His Candidacy For
Congress In Blue Earth
County

ii'eu Vi peTlSneu very largely Dy Tue
loyalty or disloyalty of their own
people," declared Attorney A. R..
Allen of Fairmont, who seeks the re-
publican nomination for congress
from this district, in his address at
the Mankato Armory last evening.
Mr.. Allen devoted the chief part OF
his address to the presentation Of
pertinent facts to every American re-
garding the dangers Of socialism, the
growing trend of the bolShevist
movements and the issue whicln Min
nesota must meet squarely on these
grounds this year.
Mr.. Allen land 1t is my purpose to
show you that we have had trea-
son in our midst, here in the state
of Minnesota"
Reviewing the events preceding
Americas entrance into the war,
the struggle which this nation finally
entered and the wave Of national
feeling, which swept over the country,
MIR. Allen drew up to the time, early
in the year 1918, when A. c. Town
ley first started the active campaign
for the Nonpartisan league in Min
nesota, the Investigation which he
made of the league and OF certain
pamphlets which Joseph Gilbert, sec
rotary and manager of the league
mailed him. One of these particular
ly was a statement Of the war pro:
len read from this pamphlet those Sec
tions which advocated an ending Of
the great war on basis OF mo an
nexations, no indemnities" at a time
when Germany controlled a dominant
part of all Europe.
At another place, in the statement
of the league war principles, Town
ley explained the cause fol. which
America entered the war, declaring
that economic reasons, which were
fundamentally wrong. were the cause
for this action.
What Did Men Fight For7
"Men, what were you fighting for,
in the great struggle just ended?"
demanded Mr.. Allen. Fathers, why
did you give your sons willingly to
the fray. Mothers, why were you
in the hell and misery Of the bat
tlefeld. Was it for exploitation as
Mr.. Townley says? Was it for mar
kets' or for economic reasons as
he would have you believe?
when we entered the war ! was a
republican, as ! am now, and Wood
row Wilson was a democrat, as ne
is now, but during the time OF that
struggle the war platform Of Wood
ed States was my war platform also.
l needed no statement of war prin-
ciples to set my position clear. Neither
did any other whole hearted Ameri-
can"
Shortly after prosecution by coun-
ty Attorney Herbert Nicholas Of
Jackson and 49, had been START
ed as. Inst i 7 whifsey ior state
ments contained in the pamphlet, Mr..
Allen declared that the booklet had
disappeared and no longer circulated
among the farmers. He offered any
person who could produce copy at
the present time $25 for the pamph-
let.
In other sections of the statement
of league principles Attorney Allen
pointed out the trend of Townley's
sympathy toward socialism and to-
ward the soviet government OF Rus
STA. -s~;.
Government Is Club, Says TownIey.
1.-THE government, says the socia-
list, is a mere club which the rich
man holds over the poorer classes"
stated, Mr.. Allen" and / say to you
that Townley proclaims in plain terms
that he has no time for the United
States or any other government"
THE world is in a condition where
there is a great deal OF unrest. This
has resolved into struggle for a
free government and with this strug-
gle comes the challenge to every true
American"
Tracing back through the ages At
torney Allen pointed to the slow,
gradual growth of SOUND and stable
government, of the gradual upbuild-
ing of those institutions which Amer
leans now so fondly cherish.
Now comes this school OF social
ISM he said, with thousand differ
ent doctrines and a thousand differ
ent isms-with demand for a COM
plete change of our political and eco
nomic systems. We are confronted in
the state of Minnesota toway with
this question, shall this man who has
taught socialism, shall this man who
sympathizes with soviet Russia, shall
this man who declared the war was
fought for exploitation-shall he rule
Minnesota.
TownIey, Lenine, Trotsky.
Farther than that, we are con-
fronted with the question, shall he
and Lenine and Trotsky rule the
world ?-This is not question OF one
congressional district but it becomes
QuGSIlOu WulCu ducCtS lhO "AoAo
foundation of civilization. Minnesota
this year is the battlefield. In no 9TH
er state in the union has Townley
mustered his forces for so determined
drive. If he can shackle this great
state, if he can levy a tax on the iron
ore of the north, If he can tax the
merchants and the bankers and all
business, and bring 1t under his Will
and domination he will have master :
ed this enormous commonwealth and
have resources with which he can
endanger our entire political and eco
nomic structure.
81 myself have heard Townley say
that he would abolish all merchants.
/ myself have heard Townley declare
that he would abolish all banks. He
would abolish everything save the
socialistic doctrines in which he be-
| lieves."
Scored TownIey and Socialism.
Mr.. Allen scored Townley and So
cialism for the attitude toward the
church and their belief in free love.
| He referred to the efforts to introduce
free love literature into the Libraries
of North Dakota.
| 81 want here and now, however"
asserted Mr.. Allen, ito absolve from
all fault every farmer in the great
northwest who belonged to the league.
| I do not believe that they had any
part to do with this program. They
were simply caught in the subtle net
of Mr.. Townley."
| Turning to the question of loyalty
during the war Mr.. Allen paid high
tribute to those of German descent Ia
this country who were true to their
native land. He declared that those