THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



ing is in wheat on the Chicago market. Esti- 

 mates made some years ago indicate that 90,- 

 000,000,000 bushels of grain sales were made 

 annually in Chicago," and in another place 

 he says: "A very rough estimate places 

 the money received from the people by ex- 

 changes (grain) and bucket-shop appendages in 

 America alone at upward of $200,000,000 

 annually." ^ 



It is apparent, therefore, at a glance that 

 the speculative interest in the grain market 

 incalculably outweighs the interest in the 

 actual marketing of actual grain. If the 

 business and function of the Minneapolis 

 Chamber of Commerce were to provide a 

 means whereby the buyers and sellers of 

 grain might come together, we should see a 

 totally different condition. The pretense of 

 the Chamber is that it exists for this pur- 

 pose, but it is a pretense that will bear no 

 examination. Three hundred million bushels 

 of wheat are received at Minneapolis an- 

 nually. The commission for handling this is 

 one cent a bushel. The total produce of this 

 divided among the hundreds of firms and in- 

 dividuals operating on and about the Chamber 

 would make but poor pickings. From no such 

 sources could be built the great fortunes and 

 imposing palaces of the grain kings of the 

 Northwest. That is obvious; and the philos- 



1 p. 250. 



160 



