BEGINNINGS OF THE NORTHWEST 



the flour, stuck out from the city on both 

 sides like the fingers of gigantic hands. All 

 the world looked to Minneapolis for flour 

 and had never known anywhere the develop- 

 ment of any industry to the like solid pro- 

 portions in the like space of time. But the 

 wealth the Minneapolis milling interests gath- 

 ered so fast spelled, of course, power, and, 

 as always happens, the new power that lay 

 in additional wealth meant more wealth to 

 gain more power to gain more wealth. And 

 as the milling industry overshadowed all 

 others in Minneapolis, it was inevitable, also, 

 that the milling industry should dominate 

 the great banks of the city, which in turn 

 dominated the small banks of the country, 

 which in turn swayed so portentous a power 

 over the farmer and tradesman. If the long 

 freight trains gathering in wheat and carry- 

 ing forth flour were the fingers of the giant, 

 the mind that moved and commanded all sat 

 in the Chamber of Commerce and the banks 

 were its agents and servitors. For the same 

 men that owned the milling interests owned 

 controlling shares in the banks or dominated 

 the directorates thereof. 



The natural concern of the milling inter- 

 ests was to keep down the price of wheat. 



There was also developed in the Western 

 country at about the same time a third power 

 even greater than these. Hereafter men will 



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