THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



out, although of basic importance to the 

 farmer, existed solely on arbitrary rulings 

 made by the Minneapolis Chamber of Com- 

 merce; the farmer had neither share nor in- 

 fluence in the making of them. It was, Take 

 it or leave it; heads I win, tails you lose; these 

 are the rates. In 1916 the wheat crop of North 

 Dakota suffered from drought, with the result 

 that much of the grain came shriveled to mar- 

 ket. Thereupon the Chamber established a 

 new set of grades to meet what was pretended 

 to be a new condition. The shriveled wheat, 

 the dealers declared, was unfit to be ground 

 into flour; nothing could be done with it better 

 than to feed it to live stock, and even at that 

 grave doubt must be entertained as to whether 

 the pigs could eat it. However, the dealers 

 would do the best they could with it, and they 

 made out the following grades: 



No. 1 Northern to weigh not less than 57 pounds to 



the bushel. 

 No. 2 Northern to weigh not less than 56 pounds to 



the bushel. 

 No. 3 Northern to weigh not less than 54 pounds to 



the bushel. 

 No. 4 Northern, 53 pounds. 

 No. 4, 52 pounds. 



No. 4 Feed Spring, 49 to 51 pounds. 

 A Feed, 47 to 48 pounds. 

 B Feed, 45 to 46 pounds. 

 C Feed, 43 to 44 pounds. 

 D Feed, 35 to 42 pounds. 



82 



