The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1920-10-21
IS A, {, T0WLEY HONEST?

story as true. We don't like his rec
ord, and we don't know whether his
story is true or not. But we don't
think it likely that he is a much diff
ferent man today from what he was
when Townley was using him as the
head Of the Consumers Store enter
prise. Townley has vouched for his
character many times, though we have
not. And we note that Townley has
made no reply to his charges.
1t will not do to cry traitor, "sold
out to big business, and ali that
kind of thing, whenever a man leaves
Townley's camp. What the voters OF
the state want is arguments and facts.
The man who uses abuse instead is
usually trying to cover up something
And both officials and farmers have
been leaving the League constantly, as
is we'll known. If you don't believe
lit, look at the constantly decreasing
Frazier vote at each election. 1t is
an old saying that where there is so
much smoke there must be some fire.
But though we don't know the truth
about private deals between Townley
and Brnton, there are some things
we do know We know that the Sisal
Trust has always been conducted as
"a private money-making proposition,
not as anything in the interest of the
North Dakota public And we know
that it borrowed $8OOO.OO twice in
1919, on its notes endorsed by the
National Nonpartisan League, by A.
C. Townley, president? Why should
Townley use Farmers trust money,
gathered for political purposes, to boil
ster up private enterprise?
We know that Townley started a
string of Consumers Store Co. stores,
and that the farmers who Joined the
movement paid 500 for the privilege
Of trading at them, but never owned
a cent Of stock in them or had par
ticle of voice in their management.
We know that the program of the
Nonpartisan League, after four years.
is not yet in force except to very
small degree. We have indeed a
state bank, but it has made few loans
on the masses Of applications that it
has received, and many of these to
owners Of large tracts of land, some
of them not even residents of n,
state. We have one small State own
ed mill. We have home building
association, but no homes built by IL.
We haven't terminal elevator. How
long is it going to take to put this
program into force. Must it con-
tinue to be postponed to ten thousand
dollar salaries and sisal, trusts?
Or would the farmers Of this state
rather go ahead with the actual things
they want, and abandon the creation
Of vast systems of theory?
If A. C. Townley were a private in
dividua in fact as in name, his per-
sonal character would be Of no i'm
portance. But, under the actual work
ing of the League and the czar-liie
caucus system, he is actually today,
the ruler of North Dakota. For all
practical purposes, the people have
chosen him as trustees of their in
terests. They have right to re-
quire of him an accounting of his adj
ministration Of the trust.
Many years ago, the state Of North
Dakota passed laws that made manu-
facturers Of groceries and drugs label
their products to show just what they
contained, and how much. These
laws have raised the quality Of all
groceries and drugs sold in North Da-
kota. Manufacturers kicked and
some withdrew from the state. But
they have seen the light and come
back. The only one who seriously
disputes the benefit Of these laws to-
day is the patent medicine mantle
man who does not tell you what his
medicine contains, but vows it will
cure every ill that flesh is heir to,
from backache, consumption and dis
eased livers to pips in hens. The
patent medicine man is afraid of just
one thing, or let US say two things
investigation in a chemists
laboratory, and publicity Of the re-
suits. 1t strikes us that Townley is
patent medicine man.