THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



thus compelled the fanner to pay in effect 

 two commissions. To support this charge a 

 certain list of cars was shown that had been 

 started to the Equity and re-routed to Cham- 

 ber of Commerce firms. The explanation was 

 that in some instances these firms, for their 

 own purposes, had bought the wheat at the 

 Equity prices, and in other cases the thing 

 happened because changing market conditions 

 after the wheat had been shipped justified a 

 change in the original destination. But the 

 point to be made here is the exceeding bitter- 

 ness with which these charges, essentially 

 trivial, were urged. It is a fact easily verified 

 by reference to the newspapers that the 

 managers of the Equity were assailed as if 

 they had committed some form of loathsome 

 crime, and the Northwest was flooded with 

 circulars, pamphlets, and clippings from the 

 press, informing the grain-growers that the 

 Equity was a swindling concern, and any farm- 

 er that shipped to it must be prepared for dou- 

 ble commissions, vexatious delays, and prob- 

 able loss. 



It was against such odds that the Equity, 

 existing not for gain, but to secure bare jus- 

 tice and uphold basic rights, mu^t fight every 

 instant for its life. 



At the same time other states, and even 

 Canada, were furnishing convincing examples 

 of the tremendous power that the farmers 



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