198 AGRICULTURAL DISCONTENT 



candidates obtained the remaining 15 per cent. League strength was 

 largely confined to the new, sandy, and sparsely settled counties, while 

 older, more prosperous, and better-cultivated counties were still found 

 in the conservative column. Nonpartisans were successful in Montana, 

 where they nominated their candidate for governor in the Democratic 

 primary. In Wisconsin and Colorado, their candidates were nominated 

 on the Republican ticket. 36 The strength of the League in Wisconsin, as 

 expected, was due largely to the La Follette movement rather than to the 

 League itself; there the League merely consisted of La Follette Progres- 

 sives dressed in new political attire. 



In spite of the League's show of strength in the primaries, however, all 

 signs pointed to a return to power of the conservative forces in the fall 

 elections. In Minnesota, the conservative triumph was decisive. The Re- 

 publicans, despite the close call experienced in the primaries, defeated 

 Shipstead and the remainder of the League candidates for state offices, 

 and even elected their candidates to the supreme court. The conservatives 

 were assured of complete control of both houses of the legislature. It was 

 claimed that the failure of farm women to vote (the Nineteenth Amend- 

 ment had just been adopted) was largely responsible for the poor show- 

 ing made by the League. A shrewd move on the part of the Republicans 

 was their pledging support to the cooperative movement. This probably 

 played an important part in dividing the votes of the farmers. The loss of 

 Minnesota was a serious blow to the League, for it had maintained hopes 

 of capturing the solid vote of the farmers, the labor unions, the Socialists, 

 and other radical Minnesota elements. Indeed, the gubernatorial candi- 

 date of the Working People's Nonpartisan League had withdrawn for 

 the purpose of presenting a united front in support of Shipstead, and 

 from all appearances the Socialists of Minnesota delivered their votes 

 to the League. 



In Montana the League, despite its success in nominating its candidate 

 for governor on the Republican ticket, was defeated in the final election 

 by a coalition of Republicans and Democrats. The same thing happened 

 in Colorado; but in South Dakota, in a three-way race between Repub- 

 licans, Democrats, and Nonpartisans, the League finished second. Wis- 

 consin received much attention, but the success of J. J. Elaine and the re- 



36. Bruce, Non-Partisan League, pp. 213-15. 



