The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1921-03-24
WHAT ARE THE FRUITS?

urc it is we'll to occasionally review
his record and note those things that
he has accomplished, for it is writ
ten: "Yc shall know them by their
fruits"
We are just passing through an
era of social and economic unrest,
period of political agitation which has
been greatly aggravated by the world
war. During such periods two classes
of men will be found active in an
attempt to shape public sentiment.
There are those who do not shut their
eyes to the existing evils but make
an honest attempt to correct them and
at the same time use every means in
their power to keep the wheels of in
dustry and our government machin-
cry working smoothly. If the OBJ
server watches closely he will find
these men are the authors of the con-
structivc measures and the big re-
form movements. There is a second
class of men who are very active dur
ing periods of unrest, men who make
capital out of such situation. A man
of this type always plays On class
prejudices and strives to keep ever
in front of the people all their real and
fancied wrongs. He poses as the
friend Of the man who labors by the
sweat of his brow, the friend of the
common people and blames the big
business interests and the major
political parties for all the wrongs
and ills tormenting mankind. Ere
quently these champions of the peo-
pie have no policy of their own
to offer, nothing to substitute for the
laws and institutions which they are
attempting to tear down, their criti-
cism is entirely destructive.
A. C. Townlcy, one of these self
appointed champions of the common
people, has for the last three or four
years been particularly active here in
the northwest. He and his lieutenants
made desperate effort to capture
Minnesota last fall but happily they
failed. The one state that he has
controlled is North Dakota. Eye shall
know them by their fruits"-what
have been the fruits in North Dakota?
Various and conflicting stories are
circulated concerning Mr.. Townley,
but surely there is no better way to
Judge him than by taking stock of
North Dakota, which has for the past
three years been largely under his
control. North Dakota is today
probably in worse financial condition
than any other state in the union.
The situation was summed up by
Representative johnson of South Da-
kota, who addressed congress a few
weeks ago in regard to bill asking
for an appropriation Of 100000 for
the farmers of North Dakota so that
they might have money with which
to buy their seed grain. In order to
give the bill some standing an appro-
priation of 100000 was included for
South Dakota, but Representative
johnson explained that this appropria-
ton was not needed by the people of
his state and that he was voting for
the bill only to help the people OF
North Dakota. He stated in part: ~
"Here are two states, North Dakota
and South Dakota, carved out Of one
territory, the same number of people
with exactly the same laws. Today
the state of South Dakota has Dor
rowed in the open market $50 900, 00(
at from S to 6 per cent and has loaned
it to it's farmers, and it has no Difficult
ty in selling it's bonds and taking carr
of it's citizens and attending to it!
obligations. It has had few banl
failures, and conditions are such tina
we do not come to this congress ask
ing for an appropriation from an!
source with which to buy seed whea
or to purchase anything else.
I'm North Dakota the state govern
ment is bankrupt, large numbers o
banks haye failed. and the people ar
facing disaster. Those two states Ii
side by side, and in South Dakota W
collect from the people through tn
Red Cross to help the people of tn
adjoining state of North Dakota.
"The reasons for that are clea,
and it is because in North Dakota
few years ago there was gathered to
gether great bunch of political aej
tators, who deluded the good citizen
of North Dakota, and they entered in
to a line Of experiments that have alb
solutely bankrupted the people of til
state and it's government to such a.
extent that you could not sell thei
state bonds on any market in til
world"
Representative Johnson is unques
tionably in a position to know where
of he speaks. Scores of banks nav
closed in North Dakota and, as far a
the facts can be ascertained, the stat
bank at Bismarck would have gone in