Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-01-14

have been proven disloyal, seditious
| and un-American." How can he sep
; arate the two? After all the vicious
assaults and the false arrest of Mr..
Lindbergh two years ago, did not
$1,000 of the rank and file vote for
him? Who are the leaders of the
Nonpartisan League? In the first in
stance we have the town delegates,
one elected by the caucus in each
township. There are perhaps a thou
sand such in Minnesota. How many
of these will Mr.. Henke dare name as
being disloyal?
Then there are about sixty county
delegates elected by the League in
Minnesota two vars ago. Have they
arrived to an eminence in the Lea
CUES Councils where you dare call
them disloyal, Mr.. Henke? Then
there is a big bunch Of senators and
representatives in the Legislature,
real leaders selected by the League
and elected by the people. Are any
of them disloyal, Mr.. Henke? Then
there are two Members of Congress
from Minnesota endorsed by the Lea
que Will Mr. Henke dare name
either and charge that they are dis
loyal?
If the rank and file are loyal and
the men they have elected to public
office are loyal, where are you at, Mr..
Henke, with your wholesale accusa-
/ ho ic
when you cannot hide behind a few
prosecutions trumped up against a
few (and mighty few at that) of the
paid organizers of the League. The
loyal American citizenship of Mime
sofa have taken the full measure of
you and others of your ilk and will
presently dispose of any further
chances for you to feed at the public
crib while you are slandering the peo-
pie Of the state.
But how about ToWnley and Social
ism? Townley's great prominence in
the League has been achieved not by
dictatorial attitude but by the ser
vice he has and is rendering it. He
started the organization as means OF
fighting the special interests that had
North Dakota by the throat and the
lucd Splcdu 1lhc VIII lIc Ll1G
people everywhere who were sick and
tired of the subserviency of their pub
lie servants to the special interests
ToWnley is naturally interested to see
the organization extended and is de-
voting his whole time to that work
II he did one-hundreth part of what
is credited to him in the hostile press
here there and everywhere in the
northwest he would be overwhelmed
with the details. He himself is very
modest. There is not an authorized
photo to be had of him. The delega
ton to the legislature seldom if ever
saw him at their deliberations. We
have it from delegates to the state
and national conferences that they
never saw ToWnley during their DELHI
erations. No one believes for mo-
ment that he ever would have been ar
: rested and convicted of sedition ex
cept for the fact that the political or
ganization he started threatens the
supremacy of the time-serving politi
clans who controlled the judicial ma
chinery that did the job. It is the enc
mics of the League who in their fran
tic efforts to stop it's growth give
Townley the role of car and great
poobah.
Townley was once a member of the
Socialist party. That's probably
where he got the idea of a political
movement financed by dues paid by
the people themselves. The fact was
eagerly seized upon by the enemies
of the League as evidence that the
League was controlled by the Social
list party. That is not the truth.
Mr. Henke, now produce your proof
that the Nonpartisan League has al
any time or anywhere endorsed the
Socialist party or their St. Louis plat
form. Point out one demand the or
ganized farmers have authorized that
is not in full accord with true Amer
lean ideals. If you cannot do that
then stand convicted again of being
a slandering falsifer.
Mr.. Henke seems to doubt whether
or not there is bonafde farmers
movement" back Of the Nonpartisa1
League. Probably it would aid hin
if he investigated what became of his
former newspaper, The Dassel An
Choir. Was that purchased by the
farmers money or did Townley buy
it? What power was invoked to re
strain Mr.. Henke from appropriating
, the name and good will of the Anchor
after another party had bought it ir
good faith?
c0 Nh EhRTuER