The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1922-02-10
NEW PARTY NOW
IN FIELD SINCE
LEACUERS MEET
Non-Partisans Fuse with
Liberals to Form "Pro-
gressive Party" at juno
ton City Tuesday.

NhMfA.-What remains OF the
Non-Partisan League in Idaho will be
fused with the committee of 48 UNI
der the banner Progressive Party
as result of meeting here Tuesday
afternoon of League leaders and men,
bers and delegation representing the
Committee of 48 of Idaho. The fusion
party planned to enter the fall cam
paign and place full ticekt in the
field.
Ray McKaig of BOISE, state manager
of the Non-Partisan League, opened
the meeting, which was attended by
about $50 farmers, mostly from Nam
pa and vicinity. He stated the pur-
pose of the meeting was to act on an
invitation to the Non-Partisan League
extended by the committee of 48
through it leaders in Idaho to affiliate
with that body. Town1ey, he said.
had no desire to dictate as to what
members of the Non-P Partisan League
in Idaho should do on this proposition.
McKaig declared that he could
vouch for Frank Johnesse of Boise,
chairman of the committee of 48 in
'doho. because Johnesse was one, of
the men who insisted on permitting
Townley to speak in Boise. Johnesse,
he said, knocked down five Boise law
yers by actual count on the night that
Townley spoke in front of the state
capitol.
Johnesse then made short talk in
support of the Committee of 48 and
its program. Already IL states have
been organized by the forty-eighters.
he said, and five United States Sena-
tors and ID Congressman are paying
dues into the organization Campaigns
will be conducted in 20 states at the
fall elections, he said. A national
convention of the new organization
will be held in the spring, after the
two old parties have held their con-
ventions.
The next speaker was Dow Dunning,
former state senator from Owyhee
county, who declared that he was one
of the first men in the state to join
the Non-Partisan League and that he
was still Nom Partisan, though he
had affiliated with the Committee of
48. He lauded A. C. Town1ey of
North Dakota as "a grand old man
who has made splendid fight" He
also paid tribute to Ray McKaig as
the leader of mobile fight" referring
to the last election in this state.
/ Moses Alexander of Boise, former
governor of Idaho. was elected by the
Democratic machine, Dunning said
H criticized Alexander for having ad-
vocated direct legislation for 20 years,
and then ignoring it when he was elect
ed governor. The organization OF the
Committee of 4S was the creates,
movement of the age" ne said.
Ray McKaig closed the speech max
ing with long criticism of the two
old parties, either of which he said is
as bad as the other He lauded
Townley and read a poem in which
the Non-Partisan League presiden,
was referred to as god" He elias.
sified Townley as martyr and ex.
pressed regret that Townley could not
be present at the meeting.
Some weeks ago, McKaig said, lead
ers of the Democratic party of Idaho
came to him and attempted to make
a deal to absorb the Nom Partisan
League into the Democratic party
McKaig intimated that he repulsed tn,
advance in no uncertain terms, declar,
ling that the leaguerers had not re.
ceived fair treatment at the hands O
the Democrats and that so far as he
McKaig, was concerned, there would
never again be any agreement between
the Democrats and the League.
"They put Art Townley In JAIL bu
| his spirit has been all over the West,
declared McKaig. "They couldn'
Jail that He only told the truth whel
he said that wealth ought to be con
scripted to win the war"
McKaig then ased his hearers il the,
did not think wealth should have bee
conscripted to win the war and re
ceived unanimous vote in assent t
his question. ;!
Trips throughout the state had con
WINGED him, McKaig said, that ther
was a strong sentiment in Idaho fo
new third party. He advocated al
} filiation on the part of Nom Partisa
League members with the Committe
OF 46.