The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1920-08-05
FARMER CREEL
SCORES LEAGUE
LEADERSHIP
Says Citizens of State of WASH
ington Can Run Their Own
Affairs Without Townley
FARMERS HAVE BEEN MISLED
Speaker Declares That There is No
4 Legislation People Cannot Get
III They Want IL.

That the farmers and other folks
of the state OF Washington are COM
petept to. manage their own affairs
without handing over thousands Of
dollars to Townley's organization Of
socialistic carpetbaggers for advice
on methods Of sound, government,
which they are incapable Of giving,
was the declaration Of H. b. Creel,
Kitsap county farmer, who spoke in
the Princess theater Tuesday evening.
Mr.. Creel was given close attention
and hearty applause by an audience
Of more than 200 farmers; business
and professional men and women.
Mr.. Creel said in substance he
came before his audience as a citizen
of the state of Washington to talk
things that concerned each and every
citizen Of the state Of Washington,
and that every citizen of the state is
just as vitality interested in good gov
ernment as any other citizen, regard
less of his walk in life. There are but
two possible forms of government,
government by a minority and govern
ment by majority. The mind Of
man has been unable to conceive of
any other. One hundred and forty
years ago our forefathers got togeth-
er and declared for government by
the majority and proclaimed it by
saying, "We, the people of the United
States, do ordain." For one hundred
and forty years the people Of the
United States have continued to or
dain and have proven to the world
that we have the best government
upon the face of the earth.
Now comes an organization which
proposes to make radical change in
our form of government. One peculiar
thing about this organization is that
they work the word "liar" overtime.
Everyone who doesn't agree with them
is liar. Now there may be honest
differences of opinions without any
one being a liar. Our nation has
grown great upon differences Of opin-
ions honestly held and openly discuss
ed. If we are to continue to have
free government any proposition to-
change that government must stand
upon its own merits and face honest
criticism. This the non-partisan
league refuses to do because it is
conceived in secrecy, obscures its real
purposes and admonishes its member
ship to refuse to read or to believe
anything and all things voiced or writ
ten in opposition to it.
In the first place the non-partisan
league requires that before we can get
any benefit from it we must take out
our memberships at S18 each. Now
then, if the state of Washington needs
the non-partisan league each voter
should bear his part of getting it. In
other words, the price which the vot-
ers Of this state are asked to pay for
the nof-partisan league is $7,200, 1900
or two-thirds of the entire cost Of our
state government. What do we get
when we have paid that amount? Are
we relieved from any responsibility?
Indeed not. Our responsibility as
citizens still remains and we have
paid our s7,200,000 for A. c. Town
ley's advice. Whatever else we get
we have got get for ourselves. The
United States can hire a president for
$4,000 a year and ! don't know of
anybody who is worth $7,200,000 as
an advisor for the state of Washing
ton.
What does the league propose to
give us? Legislation? There is no
Legislation which the citizens Of this
state want that they cannot get with
out the aid of Mr.. Townley or any Of
his imported carpetbaggers. Six per
cent of the voters can sign a petition
and write into the statutes Of this
state any legislation which the major
ity of the voters want. If a majority
doesn't. want it, then we shouldn't
have it, for ours is government by
the majority. If public official goes
wrong majority of the voters of this
state can oust him. IL majority
doesn't want him .ousted he shouldn't
Continued on Page Five)