THE STORY OF THE NONPARTISAN LEAGUE 



could adjust matters between your members and the 

 outside, but they consider outsiders proper subjects 

 to be fleeced. That is the way you are transacting 

 your business and that is what you got your organiza- 

 tion to do, and it is a shame upon the state of Minne- 

 sota that you are permitted, under any law, to carry 

 on such a nefarious scheme to maintain their charter. 



Q. Was the Board of Arbitrators explained to you? 



A. I read the Articles of Incorporation and the 

 rules of the Chamber of Commerce, and in one of the 

 rules it said the members will not be required to in- 

 criminate themselves in case there is a hearing, which, 

 of course, is the right we are entitled to. When we 

 are in court we take that right, but for you people to 

 prescribe that you shall have the right to refuse to 

 answer questions shows in itself that you are trying to 

 shield rascals. 1 



Neither the officers of the Chamber nor 

 their astute counsel seemed to have any pat 

 answer to this outburst, which sounds still in 

 the testimony with the note of rugged honesty. 

 But that did not save the Farmers' Exchange, 

 which was beaten down and ruined for this 

 only reason that it purposed to distribute 

 among the producers some part of the profits 

 then being seized by persons having no part 

 in either production or distribution, but en- 

 dowed by reason of those profits with abnor- 

 mal and illegitimate power. 



1 Testimony before Minnesota House Committee, pp. 753-754. 



