Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-10-11
Editors Notc:-The following
-aaAn AZ ono of Avn nlaHrha cod

Editors Notc:-The following
article A. one of FIVE purchased
by The Herald from j. w. Brin-
ton & Co, tho entire series to be
published in The Herald. An
nounccmcnt of the series has al
ready been made. together with
the statement that Whatever
statements + contained In the
articles r the statements OF tho
writer's, and not of The Herald.
This paper docs not vOuch for
II portion of any of the articles.
and docs not intend to particf-
pate In any way in the quarrel
which has broken out among the
members of the inner council of
tho N~onpartisan League. Mr..
Brinton was for n long time a.
c. TOwnlcy's private secretary
and personal representative. Mr..
Waters. who is to contribute
some of the articles was bank
the Frazier administration. and
was promoted from that position
to be manager Of the Bank of
North Dakota. The statements
which they make arc made by
men who. until a very short time
ago, werc the friends and associ.
ates Of Mr.. TOWTley and all the
other members of the league ad-'
m~inistratiOn. II these men r
not what they should be, that
fact was necessarily known to Mr..
TOwnlcy, Governor Frazier and
Others Of the league Organization
during the long companionship
which existed. and the reader Is
invited to keep that fact in view
In the perus2l of the articles.
When Townley, the boss politician
that he must have n cews.
PAPER organization to support him
and repel his political opponents, hi
was forced to follow a program o.
deception . For Townley did not pro,
pose to have the members of tn.
league own the Official" paper of tn,
organization. He had perfected tn,
organization. He had made himself
president" and his salaried attorney
William Lemke, vice president. on tn,
executive committee of three. 1t wa.
his organization and he was to be it
perpetual president" He never in
tended that the Official paper Of tn,
organization should get into the hand
ut the league members so that the.
could criticize his acts as president.
That might endanger his power. HI
must have control of the organiza
TONS paper so that criticism OF Bos
Townley and his attorney could b,
Gbolished-and only praise of tn
president and Lemke printed. H,
did not build the organization TO
others. He built it for A. C.. Townle,
and for A. c. Townley's benefit. II,
had become a real boss politician, AM
he now moved with the instinct an,
err mi 0f a Nouy v-~L NNo--.-,
leader.
So when Townley, the boss politi
clan. established the "Nonpartisal
Leader at Fargo, North Dakota, IL
1915. he formed an indie
pendent company Or co-partnershil
with Edward Wood, Of Deering
North Dakota, and Albert Fox. o
Minneapolis, two Townley employees
These men acted as trustees TO
Townley. This was necessary. Town
ley a failed at Beach, North Da
kota. He had several hundred thou
dollars Of debt recorded agains
MIN IN that county. He could no
establish q paper in his own name
His creditors would seize it. So Pro
moters Townley became the employee
OF Boss Townleys employees. Crown
ley sWore in his bankruptcy proceed
tngs that Wood and Fox owned tn,
Nonpartisan Publishing an,
that he was employed by them +,
manage it. Fox and Wood swore the,
didn't know anything about the pub
|!ishing. business and were hired b,
,Townley as organizers for tn,
league. In fact, Townley owned it
he now had the ''otficial" paper q
organization. He controlled i,
he could now praise himself at will
|nenounce his enemies or read out O
organization anyone if he so de
As a boss politician he ha,
proved his ability and cunning =,
keep control Of his organization.
but Iownley, the promoter, as "
related in the preceding article, ha,
htner a aside from political
re wanted control of the funds to us
nor any purpose he might wish. r
personally owning the "ofic;al'
OF his organization he not onl
controlled its policy. but through II
ownership, could levy an assessmen
on every member enrolled as "s,Ih
to the paper. And con
.roiiinE me organization he could Sc
;.ne price OF not only the paper bu
Inc membership dues as well. and SO
L..at lne subscription" was paid GU
3 Inc IlIst money received by tn
80 Is. mus. as we already STATED
compulsory and the publish;nr cona
IpanySs income automatic. '
Boss Townley's position r.s
ecnre 1t was his organizatio,
was his paper. He raised Tho Ia.-
sanes the subscription price ~ ~
paper arbitrarily and repeatedly II