Morris tribune., 1920-06-11
''TOWNLEY Is NOT OUR
KIND B. NGLE
North Dakota Farmer Visits Stevens
County With Trunkful of Evid-
ence Against Townleyism

J. B. Ingle of Dawson, North
Dakota, has been resident of that
state for 46 years. He is a member
of the Farmers Union and was a
member of the Non-Partisan League,
but now he is spending all the time
and money he can afford in fighting
Townleyism in North Dakota and
Minnesota. He spent the first part
of the week talking with farmers in
this county. The editor of The Tri-
bune acknowledges a pleasant call,
and if Townley's ears ever burned,
they certainly did while Ingle and
The Tribune editor were visiting.
We can't reproduce a hundredth
of the things Mr.. Ingle told us about
and showed us, because "old Joe"
carried trunkfull of it.
Ingle's break with Townley came
early in 1918, when Ingle became
suspicious of what was being done
with the money collected from the
farmers for the Consumers store pro-
ject. So Ingle got the officers and
board of directors of the Farmers
Union interested and they finally got
a meeting with Townley, which meet
ing lasted all night.
1--WE got to talking about the store
at Kenmare, where Mr.. Townley said
600 farmers has taken certificates"
Mr.. Ingle recounted. "Then I said
to Townley:
According to your own state
ment we only put $4,000 into the
store
"He answered Yes
Then what is to become of the
other 1000" asked him.
"Townley stepped up to us, shook
his fist under my nose and said it
was none of my damned bust
ness"
Townley is mot our kind of peo-
ple?" according to Mr.. Ingle, and
he proceeds to prove him Socialist,
and his whole Non-Partisan League
scheme as just his way of putting
socialism over on the farmer.
Mr.. Ingle says that the farmers of
North Dakota are thru with Town
ley and that he will certainly be
defeated at the coming election there,
but that Minnesota is in great dang
er.
Out of the mass Of evidence which
Mr.. Ingle permitted us to see, we re-
ceived permission to reprint these
two letters which we believe have
nsEo4A Sc
from a director of the Farmers I'm
ion who was present at the all night
session with Townley, and the other
is from the woman who boarded
Town1ey's men when he plunged on
fax. The letters follow:
Hebron, North Dakota.
Mar. 80, 1918.
Mr.. J. G.. Ing1e,
Dawson, North Dakota.
My dear Sir and Brother:
Your letter with the enclosed aft
davit came in the right time, as there
are things doing in "Townleydom"
about that autocratic harangue he
gave to us last winter. Now, Ingle,
it would be a hard matter for any
one to remember all that Townley
said that night, but if you will stop
and think at the time he asked
Shipley how much the Farmers
Union charged for Membership in the
order. Shipley said $500" Town
ley said, THAT is nothing. You have
to charge more, and then they will
stick. They have to be handled like
a bunch of cattle. Go after them,
kick them on the shins, and get them
by the coat collar and drag them up
and make them sign. Three dollars
is nothing. While you are out get
ting three new members, two Of the
old ones will drop out, and you will
never get ahead"
I am glad that you have taken
this thing up as you will remember
Townley asked the Board not to pub
fish or give to the papers what he
might say that evening and we as
Board members, could not give it
out. hope that it will be published
so that every farmer in North Dakota
will know just what kind Of So
cialistic bunch this Nonpartisan So
cialist is. Townley admitted that
night that he is Socialist, and every