The Monte Vista journal. (Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, Colo.) 1888-1921, 1920-10-09
A. c. Townley, Dreamer, Promoter
And Boss Politician
ARTICLE II
Towneys Newspaper Organization and Store. Company
J. w. 0RlNTON Tsvslsy's Secretary
Psssssai Representative
Ca,ys~s-d Al Rrta. R..r,-d
Copyrighted. Al Rxhs. Rs~',-d

] matter how large the membership
grew he was secure In his ''prcsi-
d.ncy." No League member could
/ talk to another unless h. praised
/ him. II criticism was directed nj
him by members u must come thru
outside publications. and. Ia tina;
event, the member who showed
such disrcspcct OF the president"
was promptly branded u traitor"
and read out OF the organization by
the "of1ciar publication" OF the
League. his publishing company
having established official" papers
In each state where his League OPP
Grated. and moved the nrst paper.
now the National Nonpartisan
Leader" to st. Paui-and later to
Minneapolis.
Thus We saw many members. ON.
ployees and state ofhcials elected BY
the League discarded. Thcy dared
to criticisc Townley. the promoter.
and Townley. the political boss. gave
orders to his editors to attack and
d,scrcdit them. No member OF tn.
League. no official OF the League and
no public Official elected by the
League. has been able to get any
criticism. OF any kind. published In
the Official" paper-in Townley's
papers. And here let me record,
they never will. The columns OF
the ''ofhcial" papers are only open
to those who praise the king" II
an employee on the numerous of
fcial' papers OF Boss Townley
breaks this unwritten law they are
promptly discharged. Or II an In
dependent paper Is established In .,
local field by League members and
II should perchance disagree with
the president. or his attorney,
that paper is Immediately attacked
and discredited and Townley's of
fcial' papers In large headlines de-
clare II has sold out to the enemy"
And thus the Nonpartisan League.
so-called farmers organization. is
dominated by one man. safe from
criticism from within his organize
ton. absolute master OF all Its, pol
icies and actions because OF his own
ership OF all of It's Official" papers.
while his salaried attorney sits with
him on the executive committee"
keeping his Official" papers "of,c
ial' and the subscriptions flowing
into their treasury.
No such organization for power
was ever created within an organi-
cation in the history OF the United
States President Gompers, OF the
American Federation OF Labor.
must always combat men in that Or
ganization who disagree with his
policy or policies: they can use the
official paper OF the different branch
es OF that federation to criticise, sug-
gest or condemn any action taken or
proposed. This is true OF all other
organizations. unions. declarations.
societies and associations, political
or otherwise. In the United States.
excepting privately owned CORPORA
tons or concerns. Members control
the anairs of their organization
and the official publications.
But In the Nonpartisan League,
Townley. the political boss. has Diff
ferent ideas. He Is typical of the
boss politician. He says the rank
and file shall not control my organi-
cation. The boss shall dictate. In
the Nonpartisan League the "presi-
dent" dominates the members and
the organization instead of the mem.
bers dominating the president "
The "ofiicial" papers direct the
members instead OF the members
directing the policy Of the paper.
The boss politician wants no criti-
cism. He will not tolerate II, and
Townley wants no advice from tho