The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-01-27
EDITORIAL


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Why should North Dakota kick if
Townley is organizing in Kansas.
Perhaps he can skin the Kansas farm
ers out of enough dough" to pay
back part of that which he has spent
on North Dakota.
A. c. Townley is apparently as
wary of William LANCER in Kansas
as he was in North Dakota. The fol-
lowing from the Kansas City Star
explains the ide-stepping tactics
which Townley is engaged in down
there:
A. C. Townley is facing hard fight
in his efforts to carry on successiul
campaign in this county. he issued
statement last night that the meeting
to be held by him in the auditorium
of Bethany College at Lindsborg FRI
day night would be on the open forum
order and that he would welcome any
speaker that the opposition might o.
tain to debate with him. Today ne
faces situation that he apparently
did not relish. James Gale, secretary
of the eighth district of the American
Defense League, received word from
state Headquarters at Salina that Will
liam LANCER, formerly attorney gen,
eral of North Dakota, will be on hand
Friday night to see whether Townley
Is sincere in his invitation to debate.
While it was impossible to reach
the Nonpartisan League leader at
Lindsborg this morning on account
of his absence from the city, his leu-
tenants there were unwilling to state
whether or not Townley would con-
sent to meet LANCER. 1t has been
learned through information given
out by the defense league that Town.
ley in the past always has sldestep-
ped meeting LANCER on the same
platform. If he refuses to meet the
ex-attorney general Friday night, ar
rangements will be made to have a
follow-up meeting with LANCER as
chief speaker.
The organization of defense
league branch here is progressing
rapidly. A big mass meeting of: bus
mess men and other citizens of the
community, to which the farmers OF
the county have been invited, will be
held here Saturday night at the opera
house. State headquarters at Sallna
stated this morning over long dis
lance that they would make arrange
ments to have speakers and organ
izers here at that time to assist Mr..
Gale and his workers in the organl-
cation. Mcpherson is determined to
give Townley a hard fight and big
ORGANIZATION that will be able to meet
his efforts is being worked out.
Every day new Townley workers
take up their headquarters here, and
reports of their activities. in the, city
and surrounding country indicate they
are putting forth determined effort.
Some of the workers said this
morning that as soon as Townley fin-
ished with Lindsborg he planned to
hold mass meeting here. Where he
can hold this meeting is a question
which promises to give him trouble
in solving. Nonpartisan workers in
the past have made several efforts to
hold meetings here, but never have
been able to get a building for that
purpose. The opera house, picture
theaters and all public buildings have
been closed to inviting offers, and a
survey of the situation here today
indicated that if a meeting was held
it would be of the open air variety.
Recent charges of immortality at
Langdon have furnished the text
for some editorial laments over the
alleged disadvantage of the village
and small city compared with the
larger community in fostering moral
ity and the virtues in general. Such
a falacious doctrine, in view OF the
comparative records of the two class
es of communities is surprising to
say the least.
The whole course of history shows
that the most wholesome place in the
world to rear a family is the farm.
The village and small town is but a
step beyond the farm. It is close to
it and shares many of it's advantages
together with some of the benefits OF
a larges assemblage of people. The
small town may lack many artificial
sources of amusement but the farm
is still more devoid of these things.
Yet that fact does not mean that the
tendency of the farm is toward revolt
and immortality. The large cities are
the breeding places and strongholds
of vice. How many instances have
been cited in press, story, drama and
elsewhere of the clean young boy or
girl from the country or village 60
ing to the larger city and finding
there the road to ruin? But how
often does one hear of city dweller
going to the farm or the small COM
munity and being turned by his new
environment toward immoral or GRIM
inal actions? =
The whole trouble is not so much
matter of surroundings as it is OF
personal training and character. In
this pleasure-mad age enjoyment
seems to be the principal standard by
which countless persons measure and
judge life. When boy or girl goes
wrong it is usually evidence of a
weakness in the character or training
of that indicidual. Because several
girls in small village leave the path
Of rectitude and because number of
boys and men do likewise, the fact
furnished no ground for a general
condemnation Of small towns nor for
crocodile's tears over them.
The metropolis is the place that needs
The tears.