The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-06-04
Nonpartisan Leader Is Called
Z by Farmer While Playing !
Bemidji Citizens ..g s.. ,ss.lf
MADE TO BREACH.
city AND COUNTRY
Insinuations Form Bulk of Tall
+ Made by Followers of
: y, Mp. League

|. Before a scrowd OF approximately
800 farmers and others interested in
"a "once over" of the leader OF the
Non-partisan league, A. c. Townley
endeavored to create wide breach
between the farmers present and the
people Of the city, at the non-partisan
meeting yesterday north of the W. N.
Weber residence at Lamoure. :
Arriving at the scene Of the meet
ing shortly before 4 o'clock after
landing from his aeroplane on the
Bardwell farm northwest of the city,
Townley had his say and then left.
After waiting for five hours for his
arrival, many still wonder whether
or not it was worth the waiting. $$'s45 ss
His line of attack was directed
mainly upon the town folk, the trusts,
the. 'prune peddlers an dthe newspa-
.pers. He endeavored to create a
chasm between the farmers and the
people of Bemidji by stating that the
local merchants were not paying what
they should for farm products and
strongly %infering that the business
men were opposing the farmer at, ev-
cry turn.
Right at this point he was inter
rupted by p. A. Webster, fromerly
connected with Hamel & Webster
and a farmer for the past rs years,
ION the ground that he was absolutely
unfair to the business men of this
city in making such an accusation,
He told mr. Webster to shut up
and was extremely nasty" and sar-
castle in his attemps, nevertheless
Mr.. Webster cotinued his side OF
the argument, which he presented in
d. clean, air. minded and gentlemanly
manner. u ~ =. $s,It445y - vi l.. >rt IL (
az, are 4ou - exclaimed townIey
,andE:what do you KNOW I'll bet yoyg
are not farmer. Let me see your
hands. Put up your hands. and III
tell yous.what you are" ..Whereupon
Mr.. Webster put up his hands and
advised the speaker that he had been
a, farmer for 1.-The. past rs years. Mr..
Webster was loudly applouded, which
brought a sneering expression from
the face of TOwnley.
2 He urged the farmers to. vote for
Shipstead and the rest Of his ticket,
but admitted he did not name the
He did not say who nam
ed the ticket, but inferred that the
men were picked by the farmers.
=. Other speakers OF the day we're w.
N. Weber, the non-partisan candidate
for the state legislature. and o. M.
Thomason, former editor of the Minot
Iconoclast. ihomason in introducing
Captain Mallon, the non-partisan can
didate for lieutenant-governor of
Minnesota, made reference to Louis
L. Collins as being the candidate of
the steel trusts and milling trusts, in
fact it vas insinuated that every
candidate who was not endorsed by
the league must be a candidate for
the trusts. Later in pointing out
just what Captain Mallon accomp-
lished in the recent war, he appar-
emily insinuated that Collins was one
of the fighters who wore spurs on
his boots to keep his feet from slip
ping off the DESK, but a corporal
such as was Collins is very seldom
seen with spurs on his boots" Cap
tain Mallon then spoke briefly to the
audience and rightfully gave the en-
listed men Of the war the credit for
the tasks accomplished. He laid no