n
favor of government ownership of internal and terminal elevators.
These communications he was to have published in the various papers of
Winnipeg and the West. Such was the story.

The better to conceal the wires beneath this publicity campaign and the
identity of the writer, Mr. "Observer" opened his office as a Financial
Agency and became a subscriber to the _Grain Growers' Guide_--one
paper, of course, which could not be approached for the purpose in
view. It was necessary, nevertheless, to clip and file the _Guide_
very carefully for reference; hence the subscription.

The space used by the "correspondence" was paid for at regular
advertising rates. The advertising bill each week amounted to about
$150. But one factor in the success of the plan had been
overlooked--the influence of the _Guide_. No sooner had the official
paper of the Grain Growers pointed out the situation to its readers and
suggested that papers which accepted material antagonistic to the
farmers' cause were no friends of the farmers--no sooner was this
pointed out than letters began to arrive in batches at the offices of
all the papers which were publishing the "Observer" attacks. Most of
these letters cancelled subscriptions and so fast did they begin to
come that one after another the papers refused to publish any more
"Observations," paid for or not.

For unknown reasons it was decided to call off the attempt to create
public opinion against government ownership of elevators and with the
letters aimed at the farmers' trading activities being refused
publication, the employers of "Observer" had no further work for him to
do.

As they were still paying his interesting salary each month, they
offered him $1,500 to tear up his contract, he said. But with more
than a year and a half still to run--over $6,000 coming to him--Mr.
"Observer" had a certain affection for that contract. Fifteen hundred
dollars? Pooh, pooh! He would settle for--well, say So-Much.

"You're talking through your hat!" scoffed his employers in effect.

"It's a six-thousand-dollar hat!" smiled "Observer" pleasantly.

"Well, we won't pay any such lump sum as you say," virtually declared
his employers, not so pleasantly.

"Just as you wish, gentlemen. I'll wait, then, and draw my
salary--$333.33 1/3 every month, according to contract. I know you
don't want me to sue for it; because we'd have to air the whole thing
in the courts and there would be a lot of p