Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-08-06
TOWNLEY SAYS
TIMES CHANGED
NOnpartiSan League Organizer in
North Dakota Urges Debt Mora.
forum for Farmer.
BY HENRY G. TEIGAN

BY HENRY G. TEIGAN
Every political reformer these day:
is advocating a moratorium of some
sort. President Hoover wants a mora
torium on the German Preparations
payments in order to save German
government and perhaps world cap
| italsim.
Senator G. P. Nye, of North Dakota
a few days ago said that moratorium
on farmers debts was essential. A
C. Townley, former head of the Non
partisan League, is also advocating
a moratorium.
The Townley scheme of mora
forum is more logical than that ad,
vocated by politicians of the Nye type
Townley wants Congress to enact leg
islation which will place mOrator-
ium on interest payments and mort
gage foreclosures of all sorts for
period of five years or so.
Speaking at Glencoe last Friday
evening to an audience of several hun
dred people, Mr.. Townley discussed
1.-The Real Cause of Hard Times
Starvation in the Midst of Plenty.
He concluded his address with adj
vocacy of a moratorium as the rem
edy.
Re.organizing Mp League.
Townley is recognizing the Non
partisan League which he founded at
Bismarck, N. D., in February 1915.
THE League" he said, lis out this
time to fight a battle to the finish at
the next election. We are going to
put Nonpartisan League candidates
supporting the moratorium plan),
and we have many good men, in Con-
gress."
Townley called the nation a patient
that is Every sick near death, in
fact, because of the little handful of
men, approximately 10000 million
aires, comprising 100 of one per cent
OF the national population, having a
wealth of about $3.50, OOO,O 100000, who
are collecting interest on all the earn
ings of the people, besides foreclosing
on everything the people own"
To illustrate how conditions have
grown worse during the past few
years, Mr.. Townley illustrated the
situation by showing how the farm
er's wheat which in bygone days could
be ground into flour upon the payment
Of one-eighth toll, now costs approx
mately seven-eighths in toll when the
farmers price for wheat is compared
to the price he pays for flour.
The Changed Condition.
Fifty years ago our fathers pro
vided flour for their families by haul
ing wheat to the mill house." said
Mr.. Townley. Here the miller ground
the wheat and took one-eighth for
grinding. The farmer brought back
seven-eighths. If wheat was fifty
cents bushel the farmer paid fifty
cents, the value of bushel of wheat
for 527a lbs. of flour, bran and
shorts, about 80 pounds of flour and
the rest bran and shorts. People in
the towns and cities got their flour al
about the same price. The price the
farmer paid fixed the price for all the
people. The miller paid all his ex.
penses out of his e-eighth-labol
costs, upkeep and profit.
when the city worker paid one dol.
lar for flour about 81 cents went tt
the farmer who raised the wheat be.
cause the miller always gave the
farmer seven-eighths. Most of the
remaining 1914 cents out of the dol
lar the city worker paid when to pay
the labor cost of milling, Transports
tion and distribution. Only very
small part of this workers dollar was
profit or interest-perhaps one cent
All the rest of the dollar went into
the hands of the workers-store, rail.
to the farmers-S7 cents. So the work.
ers-mill workers, transportation
workers, store workers and farm
workers-received for their labor Of
furnishing the flour, all but a cent
or two of the dollar the city worker
or consumer, paid for the flour. The
farmer had most of this dollar to use
to buy clothing and other manufac-
tures-and mill and store workers had
the balance for their use. Very lit
tle-a few cents at the most-went
to the miller for profit or interest
All this consumers dollar paid fol
flour and other food coming into the
hands of the farmer and other work
ers, gave the country people their buy
ing power"
Farmer Gets IS Cents.
Mr.. Townley then went on to show
what the situation is like at the pres
ent time. He said:
"Out of the dollar the city worker
pays now for flour, about IS cents