THE FIRST VICTORY 



and it is from this time that one may date the 

 discovery already mentioned that the men con- 

 ducting the League were of bad character. 



One of the charges brought most industri- 

 ously against it was that its affairs were not 

 democratically directed. I observed this to 

 be urged violently by persons that had never 

 otherwise shown the least concern for democ- 

 racy and by some that habitually sneered at 

 it. Yet I can never pretend that the charge 

 was without foundation. The League was 

 managed much after the example of the great 

 corporations that it must do battle with. 

 The direction was mainly in the hands of a 

 few members; the president, who was Town- 

 ley, and an executive committee of four other 

 persons assumed the duties of leadership. 

 The natural assumption w^as that this was 

 done to gratify a lust for power. Among this 

 mortal race of ours motives are complicated 

 things, and about all we can be sure of is 

 that nobody does anything for but one reason. 

 I think it quite likely that Townley enjoyed 

 the fact that he was president of the League. 

 If the founder and builder of the thing had 

 no such sensation he would not be human. 



But the main reason went far beyond this. 

 If the League was to do anything to Uft the 

 load from the farmer's back it would have to 

 fight a long, desperate, and doubtful contest 

 with the wiKest, most resourceful, most pow- 



207 



