THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



elude also South Dakota and Minnesota, lease 

 these Great Northern elevators, and operate 

 them as might be desired? On this the com- 

 mittee made in its report the following sig- 

 nificant and prophetic comment: 



This proposition to your committee seems to be the 

 solution of many of the problems of correcting the evils 

 and injustices now in existence in the handling of grain 

 at the head of the Lakes, and your committee will now 

 take up the matter of perfecting an organization to 

 take over one or more of the Great Northern terminal 

 elevators among the independent shipi>ers of the state. 

 By an organization of this kind the shipper can retain 

 complete control of his grain. He can obtain the 

 value of all screenings taken from his grain. The 

 Eastern miller can obtain grain in just the condition 

 he wants it, and a competitive market at the head of 

 the Lakes can be re-established. 



Your committee is of the opinion that the reforms 

 outlined will be of material benefit to the grain-growers 

 of the state and will be a stepping-stone to a better 

 system of inspection, viz., federal inspection, which 

 would do away entirely with the many conflicting in- 

 spections established in the different states. 



So the committee, full of hope and optimism, 

 went to work to organize the combination of 

 independent shippers that was to take over 

 these elevators, while many trusting persons 

 seem to have stood by awaiting tbe descent 

 of reform as if let down from the skies. It 

 did not descend. The combination of inde- 

 pendent shippers was not organized. Gen- 

 tlemen that looked into the project saw that 



