he greatest
beneficiaries of these attacks?"

"The elevator interests, of course!" was Chipman's answer to his own
question. He began to make progress in his investigations and before
long he became very much interested in an office which happened to be
located in the Merchant's Bank Building, Winnipeg. Here a certain
bright newspaper man with some farming experience had taken to business
as a "Financial Agent"--telephone, stenographer and all the rest of the
equipment.

So sure was Chipman that he was on the right track in following this
clue that finally he shut the door of his private office and wrote up
the whole story of the "deal" which he expected to have been made
between certain elevator men and this clever editorial writer who knew
so much about money that he had opened up a Financial Agency. With the
whole "exposure" ready for publication and the photograph of the
"suspect" handy in a drawer of the desk, Chipman asked the "Financial
Agent" to call at the _Guide_ office.

"Thought you might like to look over that copy before we use it,"
explained the editor casually when his visitor's pipe was going well.
He handed the write-up across his desk. "I want to be fair and there
might be something----"

There decidedly was!--a number of things, in fact! Not the least of
them was the utter surprise of the pseudo Financial Agent. He did not
attempt to deny the truth of the statements made for publication.

According to the story which he told the editor of the _Guide_, it had
been the original intention to have these "letters to the press" signed
by leading elevator men themselves; but when it was decided to hire an
expert press agent to mould public opinion in such a way as to offset
the "onesidedness" of the farmers' movement, none of the elevator men
cared to assume the publicity. The name, "Observer," would do just as
well. A committee was organized to direct and supervise the work of
the press agent and the chairman of this committee conducted the
negotiations with the newspaper man who was to undertake the
preparation of the "letters" and other material.

By the terms of his contract the press agent was to be paid in equal
monthly instalments at the rate of $4,000 per year, with a contract for
two years. For this he was to write letters which would turn public
opinion against this Grain Growers' Grain Company, which was getting so
much of the farmers' grain, and minimize the growth of sentiment i