Omaha daily bee., 1921-01-09
N.P.League
EVacuates
Nebraska
Flying Squadron of Organic
ers Quietly Withdraws From
Hall County and Moves
On to Kansas.
Mystery in Departure

Lincoln. Jan. 8-(Spccial.) KAN
sas, and not Nebraska. has been
chosen as the new field Of opera
tions for the Nonpartisan league. The
flying squadron of SO organizers
that drove in their enclosed auto
mobiles from Minnesota and North
Dakota have passed on through Ne
braska and concentrated in league
headquarters at Salina, Kan. Today
not single nonpartisan organizer is
found in this state. ,..-.
Why Nebraska was abandoned
by the crew of field workers is
a mystery for which many explana
tions are offered. Early in Decem-
Der the league showed great signs of
activity. A. c. Townley turned over
affairs in North Dakota. Montana
and Minnesota to his lieutenants
and established headquarters in Hall
county, Nebraska. The entire second
floor of hotel in Grand Island was
Aai-ed for the use of the league work.
ers.
Entire Personnel Departs.
Politicians began to shiver and
suddenly developed an unusual in
terest in the agricultural question.
Then, within two weeks of its COM
ing, the entire personnel departed.
The invasion that seemed so real
faded out in night. Inquiries at
the garage where their automobiles
had been kept disclosed that Town
ley and his entire force had swarmed
over the state line into Kansas.
Little is now heard Of the Nom
partisan league in Nebraska. At the
farmers meeting held here this week,
this organization was not mentioned.
Inquiry showed that among the at
.endants were several members of
the league, but none of them. even
those high in the councils of the Or
ganization, could assign any accept.
able reason for the abandonment of
the membership drive.
Heavy Storm Blamed.
One farmer who is on the Nom
partisan executive committee for the
state explained that the heavy storm
that struck Nebraska just before
Christmas made it impossible for
the organizers to drive about the
country. Others declare that the
leacuers left Grand Island before the
storm, and point out that snow also
falls in sKansas and that the roads
are no better there.
Cshers beiievs that tie success ct
sthr Nebraska Farm Bureau fedora
! ton had much to do with the change |
of policy. According to the findings |
OF 4 staff correspondent of the Kan
sas City Star, bunch of Nebraska
farmers, led by two-hsted rancher
from Rawlins county, Kansas, show
ed the leaguers that there was moth
inr for them in Nebraska for the
next two years. According to the
report as published in the Star, this
is what happened:
Townley is Shown.
"Townley was shown in Hall
county. The occasion was the farm
bureau drive which happened to start
the same week Townley and his so
organizers arrived in Grand Island.
Townley was nowhere in evidence
when the farm bureau solicitors,
headed by Lon Crawford, took the
field. Crawford is the Rawllns
county farmer who has been employ
ed BY the Nebraska Farm Bureau
federation to direct its membership
campaign
Both sides set TO work enrolling
farmers in the respective organiza-
tions. At the end of the week the
farm bureau had 900 members. How
many the league had won is not
tTurn to Page Two. Column Two1