THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



He bought four horses and two plows. 

 Then he found his money was gone. He was 

 already in debt for what passed for a house 

 he had built on his land. As soon as possible, 

 therefore, he prepared to put a mortgage on 

 his 160 acres and approached the bank in 

 the skeleton of a town five miles away. He 

 had informed himseK that the legal rate of 

 interest in the state of North Dakota was 

 12 per cent., and he thought that about $800 

 at that rate would fix him so he could get his 

 seed and the rest of the machinery he needed. 

 To his disgust, he found that while the mort- 

 gage he was invited to sign up specified 12 

 per cent, truly enough, it was dated six months 

 back; also that the genial banker demanded 

 a bonus of $50 for executing the loan. This, 

 with the $48 pretended to be due for six 

 months' interest, would leave him with $702 

 cash in hand, although his mortgage obli- 

 gated him to repay $800 in five years, and 

 every six months the interest thereon. 



Vehement was the protest he made to the 

 banker. That experienced person was bland 

 but firm, and threw into his expressions a 

 certain note of menace not comforting to 

 John Evans's anxious ear. 



"You see, Mr. Evans, it isn't my money. 

 If it were I should be glad to let you have 

 it at only nominal rates. But this is money 

 sent to me by Eastern investors and they 



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