32 THE AGRARIAN CRUSADE 



organized into clubs and Granges, was naturally the 

 first State in which they took effective political ac- 

 tion. The agitation for railroad regulation, which 

 began in Illinois in the sixties, had caused the new 

 state constitution of 1870 to include mandatory 

 provisions directing the legislature to pass laws to 

 prevent extortion and unjust discrimination in rail- 

 way charges. One of the acts passed by the Legis- 

 lature of 1871 in an attempt to carry out these in- 

 structions was declared unconstitutional by the 

 state supreme court in January, 1873. This was 

 the spark to the tinder. In the following April the 

 farmers flocked to a convention at the state capital 

 and so impressed the legislators that they passed 

 more stringent and effective laws for the regulation 

 of railroads. But the politicians had a still greater 

 surprise in store for them. In the elections of 

 judges in June, the farmers retired from office the 

 judge who had declared their railroad law uncon- 

 stitutional and elected their own candidates for the 

 two vacancies in the supreme court and for many 

 of the vacancies in the circuit courts. 



Now began a vigorous campaign for the election 

 of farmers' candidates in the county elections in the 

 fall. So many political meetings were held on In- 

 dependence Day in 1873 that it was referred to as 



