190 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



his letter to the governor announcing the intention of his com- 

 pany to conform to the provisions of the law, reiterated the 

 charge that it would prevent any further development of the 

 railroads of the state. He added that the company faced 

 the alternative of either cutting down its service or transacting 

 business at a loss, but announced that the latter course would 

 be followed for the time being in the hope that the laws would 

 be repealed at the coming session of the legislature. 1 The 

 threatened policy of retaliation seems to have been attempted 

 in some cases, especially by cutting down the number of local 

 trains, 2 but it was perfectly clear, as the Nation pointed out, 

 that there was nothing to prevent legislation to regulate the 

 service of railroads as well as the rates. 3 Consequently the 

 railroads directed most of their energies toward securing con- 

 trol of the next legislature, which was to meet in January, 



1875- 



Meanwhile the officers of the state grange were taking the 

 lead on the other side, in the endeavor to preserve the Potter 

 law or at least the principle of state control of rates. In July 

 the executive committee issued an address 4 on the subject which 

 was prepared by its chairman, J. H. Osborn, who was also chair- 

 man of the state railroad commission. This paper warned the 

 Patrons of the efforts which were being made to repeal the law 

 and exhorted them to see that only honest men who could be 

 relied upon to support the farmers' interests be nominated and 

 elected to the legislature. This was followed in October by an 

 address from the master of the state grange, John Cochrane, 5 

 which pointed out the essential features of the Potter law and 

 called upon the Patrons to demand of their representatives not 

 merely the retention of these features but additional legisla- 

 tion to prevent the manipulation of railroad accounts. This 



1 Railroad Commission, Reports, 1874, division iii. 79. 



2 Lea, Granger Movement in Wisconsin (Ms.), 32, referring to " country papers "; 

 F. L. Holmes, in Wisconsin in Three Centuries, iv. 119. 



8 Nation, xix. 199-201 (September 24, 1873). 



4 Wisconsin State Grange, Proceedings, iii. appendix 6-12 (1875); Maynard, 

 Patrons of Husbandry in Wisconsin (Ms.), 57. 



6 Wisconsin State Grange, Proceedings, iii. appendix, 1-6 (1875). 



