The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-03-28

ILOuLlCSu. E1G was IOICIDly The secret, behind the -scene Inaneuvers which preceded his fall have all the elements of story book drama--a young, beauteous red-headed woman, great public power, big money, and clashing personal and political ambitions.
 The eruption had its start early last winter, when Clements can- celled Q radio broadcast that Dr. Francis F. Townsend, originator of the old.age pension formula, was scheduled to make.
 Townsend and his intl1nates placed responsibility for this rebuff at the doorstep of Mrs. Thelma Clements, the 2S-year old, red headed exstenographer whom Clements married in 1884. They accused Mrs. Clements of having secret designs to shelve Townsend, and of high. handed meddling in the affairs of the organization.
 This rift between the two part rers continued to widen as Cle- ments, and his wife, pushed them selves increasingly to the fore in the control of the organization.
 Townsend, finally, could stand no more of this. He packed his bags and flew back to California. Packed Board
 There he conferred with his ate torney, Sheridan Downey, Q mili- tant follower of the ex-Socialist Upton Sinclair and the candidate for lieutenant governor on the EPIC ticket in 1884. Out of the conferences with Downey came 8 secret meeting in the Muehlbach hotel in Kansas City on March 9th.
 Present at this gathering were Townsend, Downey, Judge Conner Smith of Oklahoma, the third member of the Townsend board, and 8 number of state leaders. Clements was not present in per- son, but was represented by his attorney.
 After extended discussion it was decided to increase the size of the board. by adding two members. Elected to these places were Dr. N. J. Wright, of Cleveland, manager of the Ohio area, and Gilmore Young, a henchman of E. l.. Margette, manager of the California area and one of the most powerful officials in the Townsend move- ment.
 None of this leaked out to the millions of oldsters who paid regular dues to the organization.
 Among insiders, however, two reasons were whispered as re- sponsible for the enlarging of the board: CD a larger board would make @ better impression upon Congressional Investigators; (2) more directors were needed to out-vote Clements and bring about his buster. Washington COnfab
 From Kansas City the group adjourned to Washington, where on March 18th Q second secret session was held with the new board members present. Clements, this time, attended personally.
 The meeting convened just as word was received from the National Surety company of New York that 1t was with drawing its bond from the Townsend organization.
 This session was stormy and bitter. Clements resignation as treasurer of the organization was demanded. He refused to quit.
 In the end, two more new members were placed on the board-Frank Arbuckle, an ex- State senator of California, and Thomas Wallace, head of the Townsendites' radio division.
 Ousted
 Arbuckle, a close friend of Dr. Townsend, lost no time in exer- cising his new powers. He or- dered Mrs. Clements to stay away from national headquarters and to refrain from any meddling in the orgsnizatior's affairs. At the same time her husband was in- formed that if he did not resign as treasurer he would be removed. From March 18th to 18th, Cle- ments made strenuous efforts to conciliate the resignation- -demand- ing board members. He was un- successful. He was told he would have to go.
 Dr. Townsend then came fOr- ward with an offer of S25,00O cash to buy out Clements half interest In the Townsend Week. ly, the private property of the two men. Clements accepted the proposition and the same day submitted his resignatoin as na- tlOnal secretary and treasurer, effective April 1st.
 It was not made public, how ever, until March 24th, five days later.
 NOTE - Clements has told friends that the sale of his in- terest in the Weekly to pr. Townsend represented only "one- third of his holdings in the or- ganization."
 Merry-G -GO-ROund
 Representative Othn Wearin, xo,,u0 Tnuua fIav,onnrnf alwaUs an-