The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-03-22
R ESIG,N A ION
OF LEAGUERS
TO B E ASKED
Western Delegates Prepared To
Ask Liederbach, Levang, Kali
dor to Quit Committee
IN SENATORIAL RACE
c. A. johnson May Be Candidate
Friends of Judge Chris
tians0n Reply


The political campaign will get away
to running start in North Dakota to-
morrow when the Nonpartisan league
poW-WoW is held in Fargo. Two hun
dred and seven delegates will partiol
pate in the convention to tbe held. A. A.
Liederbach, state chairman, will call
the gathering to order.
What will happen after the start is
conjecture. A new element of uncer.
tainty has arisen by reason of A. C.
ToWnley's declaration that he will not
push his balance of power" plan be-
fore the convention. There have been
reports that Townley would drop any
effort to dominate the convention.
One Of the first fights expected in
the convention, on the floor or off, is
from William Lemke, seeking vindica-
tion Of himself and others who have
been subjected to scathing criticism
in the Courier-News. Lemke has paved
the way by writing a letter in answer
to that of P. l.. Arrhus, manager Of the
Courier-News, in which he asserts thai
the ,Courier-News is being used noO BY
the Liederbtch faction for the purpose
of destroying the league.
Prelimnaries in Fight.
TIL e announcement of ToWnley
leaves a clean-cut fight for control of
the organization between the Lieder-
bach faction and the anti-Liederbach
adherents. One of the first demands
that will be made, it is known, is
demand that the state committee, or al
least the majority Of it, composed Of
Liederbach, Kaldor and Levang, re-
sign and permit the convention to
name temporary successors. The
three men were elected by the league
membership and their terms will not
end before the end of the campaign
unless they resign
The selection Of state ticket and
the naming Of candidates will not
come, If at all, before leaguers settle
the state committee row and the con-
troll of the Courier,News.
No candidates are ayowedly in the
field seeking league endorsement as
yet, unless it is A. ]. Gronna, who
wants to be United States sent0r.
In Senatorial Race. 4s5s
A third definite entrant in the sena-
torial race has appeared in C. A. John
son, of Minot. His brother, DR.. ]. A.
Johnson, formerly practitioner Of
Bottineau. Is authority for the state
ment that his brother, C. A. Johnson,
will be a candidate. Mr.. Johnson was
twice a candidate of the republican
party for governor, formerly owned
the Minot Daily News and was one
time law partner of Governor Nestos.
He is now in Florida. His brother says
his formal entry will be made soon.
The letter of Ormsby McHarg, in
the Fargo Forum, devoted to showing
Gronna and McCumber are "unavail-
able" as candidates and endeavoring
to prove Judge Christianson is barred
by constitutional limitation, is taken
as tacit admission that McHarg
would not object to himself being NAM
ed for the honor, another jamestown
man who has had senatorial aspira.
:tions or candidate selected by Fargo
men.
Friends of Judge Christianson say
that there is no bar to his candidacy,
that the constitutional limitation would
apply only to a state office, and that
if he chooses to bit "a candidate he may
do so with legal and moral right.
TownIey Statement
The full statement of A. c. Townley
regarding his balance of power plan
issued yesterday in Minneapolis,
follows: t
81 have talked to a large number
Of farmer meetings and individual
farmers, and find that where ! have
full opportunity to explain the bal
ance Of power idea and it is under
stood, there is practically unanimous
sentiment for dt. A great many who
will he delegates to the Minnesota
and North Dakota conventions of the
Nonpartisan league understand the
plan and are for it. II the conven-
tions desire to take it up for discus
sion these farmer delegates are in
position to lay the matter before the
conventions for Intelligent action.
will not urge it at the conventions.
I have concluded to take this course
for several reasons.
sIn the first place the balance OF
power plan can not succeed unless the
farmers and workers and their organ
izations are unanimously back Of it.
It would have an adverse effect on our
campaign if even small minority wa:
not convinced of its merits and went
into the campaign feeling that wrong
tactics were being pursued. ! do not
want the plan adopted under such con
ditions. l am still convinced that II
holds out better chance for success
than any other plan, providing we
could have a unanimous agreement up
on it, But as that seems Impossible
without more time than we have fo1
it's discussion between now and the
conventions, will not urge the pla1
further at this time. ! am firmly con
vinced that the farmer-labor polltlca
movement will eventually come 10 y
For Purpose Of Discussion.
what 1 have said to date, as l an
nounced at the outset, has been mere
ly for the purpose of having my pro
posal freely and thoroughly discussed
by farmers and workers, and | nav
never had any intention OF lnslstnl