198 THE AGRARIAN CRUSADE 



of the official organ of the society. In North 

 Dakota, the Non-Partisan League, a farmers' or- 

 ganization avowedly political in its purposes, cap- 

 tured the Republican party a few years ago and 

 now has complete control of the state government. 

 The attempt of the League to seize the reins in 

 Minnesota has been unsuccessful as yet, but Demo- 

 cratic and Republican managers are very much 

 alarmed at its growing power. The organized 

 farmers are once more a power in Western politics. 

 It is not, however, by votes cast and elections 

 won or by the permanence of parties and organiza- 

 tions that the political results of the agrarian cru- 

 sade are to be measured. The People's Party and its 

 predecessors, with the farmers' organizations which 

 supported them, professed to put measures before 

 men and promulgated definite programs of legisla- 

 tion. Many of the proposals in these programs 

 which were ridiculed at the time have long since 

 passed beyond the stage of speculation and discus- 

 sion. Regulation of railroad charges by national and 

 state government, graduated income taxes, popular 

 election of United States Senators, a parcels post, 

 postal savings banks, and rural free delivery of mail 

 are a few of these once visionary demands which 

 have been satisfied by Federal law and cons titutional 



