The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 4, 1917, Page 8

RIS o Patriotism Versus War Profits The Speech of President Townley of the Great Producers’ and Consumers’ Conference at ‘St. N accordance with its promise, the Leader publishes here the stenographic report of the im- portant part of the address of A. C. Townley, president of of the National Nonpartisan league, at the immense patriotic Producers’ and Consumers’ conference at St. Paul. Mr. Townley’'s speech was on “The Pur- poses of the Convention” and explains the purpose of the farmers and work- ers to assist the government. After being introduced Mr. Townley said: PRESIDENT TOWNLEY BEGINS HIS SPEECH We live in a democracy or a republic. In a democracy the rule of the land— the law of the land—is the will of the majority of the citizens of the country. (Applause.) In an autocracy the law of the land is the will of ONE citizen of that coun- try; and we are opposed to that kind of government. (Applause.) Democracy comes from the Greek word meaning the rule of the people. Republic is taken from the Latin word meaning rule of the people. In a democracy where the will of the ma- jority is recognized as the law of the land it is the duty of every citizen to abide by the will of the majority. (Ap- plause.) After the majority have spoken, after the majority have made a law, or when the men placed in position of authority by the ma- jority have made a law, whether in my option that law is right or wrong, as an American citizen. my first duty is to obey that law. (Ap- plause). That is what | under- stand to be the duty of an Ameri- can citizen; and | want to say to you for myself and | think | can say it for pretty nearly all the peo- ple of this nation that ! will go just as far as the majority of my fellow citizens want me to go. (Applause). Conditions sometimes may be very unsatisfactory and we may live in misery and want because the ma- jority have agreed to conditions or laws that are not working right; and we may suffer because of that. But there is only one thing that is worse than that, that can happen to an American citizen and that is this, that he be so low down in the scale of life that he will refuse to abide by the will of a majority of his fellow citizens. So I say I am going with the major- ity of the American people, wherever they want to go—BUT I AM GOING TO TALK TO THEM ON THE WAY! (Applause.) THOSE IN POWER HAVE DUTIES ALSO Just as it is my duty to abide by the will of the majority, just as it is my duty to abide by the decision of the majority, it is just so far also MY DUTY TO HELP MOLD THE DECI- SION OF THE MAJORITY SO THAT IT WILL BE RIGHT! (Applause.) But while it is the duty of every American citizen to abide by the law of the land, which is the will of the majority, it is by the same rule just as much the duty of those in author- ity to seek out the will of the ma- jority and abide by that. (Applause.) ————— i e ) e U All the Nonpartisan Leader and the Nonparti- san league ask, in connection with the great St. Paul Producers’ and Consumers’ confer- ence, is that the facts be known. The Big Business press, which sees a chance to offset the propaganda against war profiteers by questioning the loyalty of the conference, has refused to print the text of the resolutions passed, which were the only action of the dele- gates, and has refused to print the text of the speeches. The Leader is carrying the truth to the people and herewith publishes the steno- graphic report of the speech at the conference of A. C. Townley, president of the Nonparti- san league. Read it and see how ‘“un- patriotic” it is! In this national crisis, and in all times, it is my duty and it is your duty to stand by the head of this nation. (Applause.) And it is the duty of the head of the nation to seek out and stand by the will of the majority of the citizens of this nation. (Applause.) Now this, gentlemen, is what I un- derstand 'a democracy to be, notwith- standing some of the press reports that have led some very good people to believe otherwise. Men placed in power no matter how well qualified they may be, how thoroughly un- swerving in their purpose to serve the will of the majority, are not able to serve the will of the majority un- less the majority can keep themselves in touch with those in power. Today the halls of congress swarm with men who go there to represent —the will of the majority? Not al- together, Today the halls of con- government is called to support the majority of the citizens of these United States. (Mr. Townley then spoke of the de- sire of enemies of the farmers and workers to make it appear that they are unpatriotic. He read the follow- ing from the St. Paul Pioneer Press): “OFFICIAL EYE OF THE UNITED STATES ON THE MEETING OF THE NATIONAL NONPARTISANS OPEN- ING TODAY. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE MEN ARE WELCOMED “Although officials of the League protest that nothing seditious would be tolerated, patriotic citizens of St. Paul and representatives of the department of justice expect to watch the en- tire proceedings critically, prepared to act if necessary.” (The great crowd, just from a sum- mer’s hard work to feed the nation, laughed., Mr. Townley said): of the Nonpartisan League on the Opening Paul, September 18 roof, and see whether there is any injustice there. Now, gentlemen, and you repre= sentatives of the press—I don’t want you to interpret anything that I say this afternoon as criticizing or con- demning the good intentions of those in the government who are sincerely working to represent the will of the people. Any injustice that we may suffer from, we suffer from . because we have neglected to reinforce those who do serve us in the mnational congress. We have made every effort to get the representatives of the adminis- tration; especially the head of the price fixing board—or the head of the food board, here to meet these farmer delegates today. We have been charged. with being unpat- riotic, and pro-German, not because we said this meeting was going to This is the left-hand half of a panorama picture taken during the Producers’ and Consumers’ convention at St. Paul. 1% was raining when this picture was taken, but the farmers didn’t mind that. gress swarm with men who go there to represent SPECIAL PRIVILEGE. {Applause.) I refer to the paid lobbyists of those who are making a tremendous profit today. VOICE OF PEOPLE MUST RING CLEAR Today in the halls of congress, are not very many men lobbying to represent 10 million farmers in the United States. In ordinary times that might not be so bad; but today in this world crisis you are criminally negligent of your duty if you fail to keep yourself in touch with those you have sent to serve. You make it im- possible. for them to serve you if you leave them alone with those who are there to see that they do not serve you. And the purpose of this conven- tion so far from it being called to protest against the program of the PAGE EIGHT Representatives of the department of justice are very, very welcome here to- day. We are not ashamed of our particular brand of patriotism. We would suggest to the gentlemen who are doing their duty representing the department of justice by being here today, that there is a great deal be- ing said about the patriotism of the farmers of the Northwest, that may not be quite so. You know we have been charged —the farmers of the Northwest— with holding up our wheat, refusing to put ‘it on the market, because we were not satisfied with the prices, and the rules of dockage. Because we would not turn it over—because they SAID we would not turn it over, at the prices fixed and by the rules of grading—we have. been charged with being pro-German. : I am not criticizing men who are paid by the government to represent the majority of the people of these ‘United States for being here today to see whether that is so or not. That is their duty. But I read yesterday at Fargo, a little article that I clipped out of the St. Paul Daily News two or three days ago, which stated that the storage warehouses containing leather rawhides in the East, were packed to the roof. WHY NOT INVESTIGATE THESE PROFITEERS? And yesterday in the city of Fargo, I met a friend of mine who had been for fifteen years working among the farmers buying hides, who had been discharged because they had no use for more hides. Meanwhile, the American people are paying anywhere from $1 to $4 a pair more for shoes. And while we welcome here today, most fully, representatives of the department of justice, whose duty it is to take a look a the hides we wear, and by a study of what we say, learn whether we are pro-German or not —| would suggest to them that it may also be their duty to go East where our hides are piled to the be a protest against the price of wheat, but because our enemies said it was going to be a protest against the price of wheat. We have been charged with being unpatriotic, and disloyal, and PRO-GERMAN, because of the prospect that we were coming here to protest against the price of wheat, We are doing nothing of the kind. BELIEVES HOOVER IS TRYING TO DO DUTY Mr. Hoover has so far been led to believe that it is not his duty to meet us, in our program, which is not to protestt BUT TO CONTINUE AND CARRY OUT THE PROGRAM OF PRICE FIXING THAT HE HAS STARTED, before this. I do not charge Mr. Hoover, or anyone else, with wilfully neglecting an opportun= ity here today to find out what IS the will of the majority—but I CHARGE YOU with having neglect= ed to keep Mr. Hoover sufficiently posted upon what WAS THE WILL OF THE MAJORITY. I want to say that when you have an organization as strong as the organi- zation of grain buyers, who are able to keep men right at Hoover's elbow all the time, he will see things as YOU see them and not as THEY see them, then you will have Mr. Hoover at your conference, too. 1 believe that Hoover is trying to do his duty as he sees it. .HZ hgs a tremendous responsibility. And | say you criminally neglect your duty, unless you aid him ail the time to see things as th jori see them. 9 Sy Now, before I get through, I am - ing to show you the difference betwgg; the patriotism of those profiteers who make four billion dollars a year, and the patriotism of those who sweat that they may make the four billion dollars & year, If I can make that as clear to you as it is to me, and the representa- tives of the press here get it as clearly &3 we get it, and tell the rest of the people of these United States the truth sbout it, there won't be any misunder- about the patriotlsm of the ers of the Northwest from now e