Willmar tribune., 1921-06-22
BR RAkDS / ANGER
Char RGES ! FALSE
A. c. Townley In Heated Debate
Denounces. LANCER As Traitor
70 Peoples Cause

sstne farmers in the county had q
parade the other evening. twas much
similar to the kind held when League
members are on their way to a Lea
que picnic and speaking program.
That: was some years ago. Monday
evening there was a procession OF
Ford cars which sped into Willmar
and on to the Park Auditorium to
hear the Langer-Townley r. debate.
These cars contained farmers ever
loyal Ito the League cause and with
unwavering faith in it's leaders. 1t
was refreshing sight to see these
country folks occupy fully two thirds
of the seating space in the Auditorium
sparing enough seats for the small
handful who came out to hear the
League "shown up" And then the ap-
plause which these farmers, wives
and sons and daughters made. 1t was
deafening.
The personnel of the debate was
Arthur C. Townley, who needs no in
PRODUCTION except that "he is any
thing but human" and William Lam
ger, former Attorney-General of North
Dakota, who was elected on the Non
Partisan platform and program and
was soon. ousted from the OrganiZa-
ton for traitorous activities. It was
q. situation where a man who has
!; been branded betrayer of his cause
and party seeks to destroy that peo-
ple's organization thru misrepresent-
alton. and vilMfication of it's leaders,
in. particular Mr.. Townley himself.
The audience was prepared to hear
just that sort of argument on the part
of Mr.. LANCER. And Townley, cool
and collected, courteously agreed that
the League was not "infalible" and
had "made many mistakes" "One
very serious mistep was when the
League put LANCER into the Attorney
Generals CHAIR" said Townley.
Each of the speakers was allotted
fifty minutes for his constructive
speech. LANCER was also given an
additional fifteen minutes for his re-
buttal while Townley used part of his
fifty minutes for refutation. Townley
had therefore to cut his time for the
constructive speech to answer some
of Langer's base charges. LANCER
had plenty of time and every oppor-
tunity he desired to present his side
of the issue.
The debate question was stated as
follows: "Resolved, that the Non-Par-
tisan League program as managed by
it's leaders has been a detriment to
the state of North Dakota" LANCER
proceeded to cast as many slurs ana
heap as much abuse as he was cap
able of upon the character and name
of Mr.. Townley but this line OF argu-
ment fell in shallow soil in the audi
ence. It was apparent that when the
speaker resorted to such unprlnclpled
maneuvers instead of polite and
civil discussion of the question that
his personal aim was to defame Town
ley and his associates and avoid the
clash over the League program it
self. Such "debater" needs no ar
gument, no logic and no fact in order
to make wild accusations against the
personal character of an opponent in
a political debate Of this kind. And
thru it all that opponent smiles at his
efforts and the audience can see the
transparency of his charges.
Langer's main charge was the Lea
que was despotically controlled. A
triumvirate similar to the one which
existed in the days of Augustus Gao
sar of Rome had autocratic sway over
the thousands of farmers in the Lea
que. A. C. Townley, F. B. Wood and
William Lelnpke composed that trio