Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/138

 hopelessly demoralized and the monopoly that at one time had seemed impregnable was losing its power.

The contest was of such importance to the farmers of Iowa that the Legislature came to the aid of the Protective Association. A joint resolution was passed urging the President of the United States to instruct the Attorney-General to bring an action in the United States Courts to set aside the patents and reissues held by Washburn, Moen & Company, relating to barbed wire, as far as they were fraudulent, to restrain such persons from prosecuting actions under such patents and to take all steps and proceedings just and equitable in relation thereto. An appropriation of $5,000 was made by the General Assembly to aid the Farmers’ Protective Association in the contest. These acts of the Legislature in supporting the farmers of Iowa in their conflict for justice, enabled the Association to push the work to final victory.

The free factory began by selling direct to farmers at seven and one-half cents. As their machinery was perfected, from time to time, and expenses in other ways lessened, the price was reduced to four and one-half and five and one- half cents. This convinced all that the syndicate prices were beyond reason and it soon became impossible to maintain them. It became evident that unless the free factories could be closed or purchased that the syndicate prices would be obliged to follow the prices fixed by the farmers’ factory. With State aid for the free factory the syndicate saw that the battle was lost. Its compact with dealers was soon broken, prices fell to the farmers’ prices which left only a reasonable profit and the victory was complete. The Association had accomplished the purpose for which it was organized an the factory was closed. This far reaching victory saved to the farmers of the entire country a yearly tax the most enormous in magnitude of any that had, up to that time, ever been levied by a combination of capitalists. Among the men who organized and conducted this lengthy and