The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, July 29, 1918, Page 5

AT THE STATE CONVENTION OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE OF IDAHO ‘See the other half of the picture on the preceding page. T et et e e A M O SIS AT U L How Rioters of Boisé Barred Townley Power Trust Lawyer, a Merchant and a Bootlegger Raised a Mob and Bluffed a Cowardly Mayor—No Respect for Farmers AGENT of the Idaho Power fact that Hawley is chairman and McDevitt vice company, the power trust in chairman, decided that they could not bar Mr. Idaho, and a hardware merchant . Townley. of Boise, assisted and, abetted Then Sweet, who is also a member of the Ada by a clothier of Boise who was County Council of Defense and president of the recently convicted for boot- self-constituted Ada County Defense league, at the legging, formed a trio of “rep- suggestion of Hawley, the power trust agent, is- resentative” citizens of Boise, gued a defi to the legally constituted defense boards, capital of the Gem state, which ' and declared “that Townley would not speak in dECIded that A..C. Townley, president of the Na- Boige.” This following a hearing before the county tional Nonpartisan league, should not speak in . defense council at which McDevitt, a convicted im- Boise July 4 at the mass convention of organized - porter of whisky into dry territory, had openly * farmers and labor. ; told the members of the defense council that he This trio of “paytriots” openly advocated mob personally would see that Townley did not speak . rule in Boise, and in fact did create a mob of 500 jp Boise. 3 persons, who blindly followed their leadership. =5 This trio, Jesse Hawley, attorney for the power = THE RIFFRAFF trust; W. N. Sweet, a hardware dealer, and J:}lllln WAS WITH THEM . A McDewtt a clothler, openly ‘declared that “this -Swei ; weet called a massmeeting of those who would is° war tlme, and the Constitution does nof gov- favor mob violence. - About 500 gathered, the riff- raff of the community. They assembled in Colum- ern us.” And all this‘occurred after the state council of bia hall and marched to the city hall, where they “called the mayor out and told him Townley could defense of Idaho and the Ada County Council of Defense had decided not to interfere with the pro- s 5 gram of the farmers in their conventlon, despite not talls. "The mayor. caved like a dlshrag_. _“That pressure brought to bear by the emissaries of the ‘settles it,” he said, and sneaked back to his den. predatory interests. No courage, no pride, no Americanism. No red But Sweet, as president of a so-called Ada defense - blood there. Just a little weak-kneed politician, league, took the law in his own hands, aided and who hunted a hole to hide in when a mob formally abetted by Hawley and McDevitt. . notified him that they would rule his city for ‘the 5 time bemg He let ’em. . GANGST\ERS WHO DEFIED This is the resolution these “patriotic” cltlzens, LAW AND ORDER e led by agents of the predatory trust, adopted: ‘THEY THREATENED MOB RULE AND VIQ- - _“Resolved, that it is the sense of the executive LENCE IF TOWNLEY ATTEMPTED TO SPEAK committee of the Idaho Defense league of Ada IN BOISE, AND THE MAYOR OF BOISE, S. H. county that the president take such action as . HAYES, WAS INDUCED TO BACK THEM UP, = ! him appears necessary to prevent A. C. BEHIND LAW AND ORDER. speaking elsewhere in Ada county.” As a result of this desperate attempt to create Karl Payne, an attorney in Boise, was one of class hatred and mob violence in Boise, on the = the ringleaders. fn Fourth of July, the organized farmers and laborers' Because of the growing excitement caused by decided 'that they would show the people of Idaho these “paytriots” to create a riot, the League dele- that THEY HAD RESPECT FOR THE LAWS OF THE STATE AND RATHER THAN HAVE AN OPEN RUPTURE DID NOT HAVE MR. TOWN- LEY ADDRESS THEM. : So the farmers and organized labor showed their patrietism, their love for their country, their loy- alty to the flag, by accepting the insult in quiet- ness, and by changing their plans. WHOSE HANDS ARE CLEAN? 4 ¢ 1t was a disgraceful episode “from start to finish. The ‘state council of defense investigated the loy- alty of Mr. Townley. They found nothing to pre- vent_him from addressing the farmers of Idaho. The Ada County Defensg oéuncil m spxte of _the county ‘sheriff, the governor, the United States district attomey and the United States marshal’s office demanding = protection for themselves, the farmers and their ofiicers and speakers. This delegation met representatives, Hawley, where they had gone to throw the fear of the lord into the gheriff. The two committees met. It was at this meeting that the defense league showed its hand. . - “By God, Townley pomhvely will not be allowed _to speak in Boise,”' Payne ‘exclaimed. - “Do. you mean to say’ that the constitutxonal PAGE FI V'E ., they said. gates sent a delegation to the hfiice of the Ada ° Payne, Sweet-and others, at the sheriff’s office, - rights of free speech and assemblage will be abridged by you in Boise?” he was asked. “These are war times,” was the reply. The Constitution, Payne intimated, was only a scrap of paper between friends, where the farm- ers were concerned. “Mr. Hawley,” another farmer asked, “upon what legal grounds do you base the assumption Townley should not be permitted to speak in Boise?” -Hawley suddenly became stone deaf. Again the question was asked. Again there was a deep and painful silence. Hawley was too clever an attorney to answer. He® permltted Payne to do the verbal work. The farmers’ committee told the mob agitators that they did not want mob violence, although there - were thousands of farmers in Boise then willing to take a hand if it came to an open rupture. "The advocates of mob rule and strong-arm meth- ods were informed that the farmers were deter- minéd to keep the name of Idaho free from stains such as had been thrown against the states of South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and Washing- ton, despite all efforts of the power trust gang to cause trouble. “We do not believe in the abrogation of laws,” they told the defense league men. An agreement between the law-abiding and the law-breakers was finally reached. The gang agreed to let Mr. Townley attend the farmers’ meeting if he would not speak. WELCOMED TO NAMPA When word reached Nam}fa; 20 miles west of Boise, that there was an effort on the part of po- litical enemies of the League to create a disturb- ance in Boise, a cordial invitation was extended to the farmers to adjourn their mass convention and rallies to that place. * “Qur arms are big enough to go around you-all,” “The city of Nampa’s latchstring is always out to you and your leaders. Come and we will see that you are not interfered with.” When this was presented to the convention pan- demonium reigned in the great hall. Farmers shouted: . “Let’s go to Nampa We're for Nampa. Nampa is for the farmers.” The convention, however, decided to stay in Boise. The day following the Fourth, word was received . in Boise to the effect that the supreme court. of Minnesota had quashed charges against Townley. . This threw a panic in the circles of those business men who had been enticed into open demonstration against the farmers upon whom they rely for theu' ~ trade’ and business. SN R B