THE STORY OF THE XONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



domination of the corporations had gone on 

 for some years, and with such success that 

 they no longer had a firm hold upon any 

 government or legal machinery there. The 

 harassed North Dakota grain-growers, there- 

 fore, were driven to a most unusual step. 

 They went to the legislature of Wisconsin for 

 relief through the Wisconsin port of Superior, 

 and they obtained a law by which the Wiscon- 

 sin Grain and Warehouse Commission was 

 made to consist of three persons, one from 

 Wisconsin, one from New York, and one from 

 North Dakota. 



The value of this provision lay in the fact 

 that the Grain and Warehouse Commission 

 appointed all the inspectors and weighers of 

 grain in the state and could insist that grain 

 grading and weighing be fair and just; and 

 on the commission thus empowered the 

 North Dakota farmers had representation. 



Superior had a growing grain exchange and 

 a growing Lake traffic, and the North Dakota 

 farmers began to ship their grain to Superior 

 and get the benefit of honest grades. Not 

 long did the good days last. From the report 

 of the committee of North Dakota bankers 

 that I have previously mentioned I take this 

 succinct statement: 



Our shippers wore undoubtedly greatly benefited dur- 

 ing the time the Wisconsin inspection was in force, but 

 by the apparent combined efforts of the Interests ajbove 



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