AGRARIAN PARTIES AND THEIR POLICIES 177 



measured by its span of years or its numerical 

 strength. A survey of the platform demands of this 

 agrarian party, radical as they appeared when first 

 advocated, reveals the fact that most of them have 

 become a part of our national and state policies. 

 Aside from the influence exerted by the Populist 

 on national politics, the state organizations of this 

 party exerted considerable influence on legislation 

 in many of the states, especially in the Middle West 

 and in the South. Since 1892 the farmer has be- 

 come a predominant factor in party politics. His 

 interests and wishes have been taken into account in 

 the formulation of platform demands and in legisla- 

 tive programs of the national and state governments. 

 Whatever political heresies may have been advo- 

 cated by the Populist Party, there is no denying the 

 fact that it has liberalized the thinking of the Amer- 

 ican people and promoted social justice by means of 

 much remedial legislation. 



The Nonpartisan League 



Since the disappearance of the Populist Party in 

 1908 there has not been another separate agrarian 

 party until the appearance of the Nonpartisan 

 League in 1915. In fact, the Nonpartisan League 

 has not become national and has not participated in 

 national politics in the same way and to the same 

 extent as the Populist Party did. The absorption of 

 the Populist Party by the Democratic Party under 

 the leadership of William J. Bryan had the effect of 



