¹ This is indicated by the growing number of recent writers, as, Solon Justus Buck, “The Agrarian Crusade,” 1920, “The Granger Movement,” 1913; Fred E. Haynes, “Third Party Movements since the Civil War, with Special Reference to Iowa,” 1916, “James Baird Weaver,” 1919, “Social Politics in the United States,” 1924; Alex Mathews Arnett, “The Populist Movement in Georgia,” 1922; Hicks, John D., “Origin and Early History of the Farmeis' Alliance in Minnesota,” Mississippi Valley Historical Review, IX, pp. 203–226Google Scholar; “The Political Career of Ignatius Donnelly,” Ibid., VIII, pp. 80–132; Hallie Farmer, “The Economic Background of Frontier Populism,” Ibid., X, pp. 406–427; Nixon, Herman Clarence, “The Economic Basis of the Populist Movement in Iowa,” Iowa Journal of History and Politics, XXI, pp. 373–396Google Scholar; Stewart, Ernest D., “The Populist Party in Indiana,” Indiana Magazine of History, XIV, pp. 332–367Google Scholar; XV, pp. 53–74; White, Melvin J., “Populism in Louisiana during the Nineties,” Mississippi Valley Historical Review, V, pp. 3–19.Google Scholar

² Smith, Goldwin, “The Brewing of the Storm,” Forum XXII, November, 1896, pp. 436–446.Google Scholar The author was a very conservative writer who felt that adequate military forces were necessary as protection from the danger.

³ Tracy, F. B., “Is the Populist Party Socialistic?” Forum XVI, October, 1893, pp. 240–250.Google Scholar Mr. Tracy was an editorial writer of the Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Bee, a Republican paper.

⁴ James R. Hollowell, defeated Republican candidate for Member of Congress, 1890. Successful candidate was “sockless” Jerry Simpson, obviously the speaker in this quotation. Ingalls was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for senator, defeated by W. A. Peffer.

⁵ “The Kansas Bandit, or the Fall of Ingalls,” quoted by Connelley, William Elsey, in Ingalls of Kansas, 1909, pp. 207–208.Google Scholar

⁶ Solon Justus Buck, Works referred to note 1.

⁷ Paxson, Frederic L., Recent American History, 1921, p. 168.Google Scholar

⁸ Hallie Farmer, article cited, note 1.

⁹ Baker, O. E., “The Agriculture of the Great Plains Region,” Annals of the Association of American Geographers, XIII, pp. 110–167.Google Scholar See pp. 110–112.

¹⁰ Various phases of the influence of rainfall have been discussed. The following may be interesting in this connection. E. Brüchner, “The Settlement of the United States as Controlled by Climate and Climatic Oscillations,” in the Memorial Volume of the Transcontinental Excursion of 1912 of the American Geographic Society of New York, 1915, pp. 125–139; Clayton, H. Helm, “The Influence of Rainfall on Commerce and Politics,” Pop. Sci. Mo. LX, 1901, pp. 158–165Google Scholar; Moore, Henry Ludwell, “Generating Cycles of Products and Prices,” Quart. Jour. of Econ., XXXV, 1921, pp. 215–237CrossRefGoogle Scholar, “Generating Cycles Reflected in a Century of Prices,” Ibid., pp. 503–526, “Origin of the Eight Year Generating Cycle,” Ibid., XXXVI, 1921, pp. 1–29; Henry, Alfred Judson, “Secular Variation of Precipitation in the United States,” Bulletin of the American Geographic Society, XLVI, 1914, pp. 192–201CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Ellsworth Huntington, “Civilization and Climate,” 1915, and “The Climatic Factor as Illustrated in Arid America,” 1914.

¹¹ The Annals of the Association of American Geographers contains the following articles treating of this region. C. F. Marbut, “Soils of the Great Plains,” XIII, No. 2, pp. 41–66; J. B. Kincer, “Climate of the Great Plains as a Factor in their Utilization,” XIII, No. 2, pp. 67–80; H. L. Shantz, “The Natural Vegetation of the Great Plains,” XIII, No. 2, pp. 81–107; E. O. Baker, “The Agriculture of the Great Plains Region,” XIII, No. 3, pp. 110–167. They form a survey of the region in question and are very essential to the analysis attempted in this paper. See also E. H. Barbour, “Nebraska Geographical Survey,” I, 1903. There is some divergence between the latter and the former on the color of the soil but not as to other significant facts.

¹² For the purpose of the present discussion the most convenient collection of statistics on precipitation in Nebraska is that prepared by G. A. Loveland, of the United States Weather Bureau, stationed in Nebraska from 1888 to 1924, in the Nebraska Blue Book, 1922, pp. 380–386. The divisions of the state are smaller and permit a closer analysis than is possible with the federal statistics. Records of individual stations and of the state, as divided into three sections, may be found in “Summaries of Climatological Data by Sections,” I, United States Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau, Bulletin W, Washington, 1912. See also, Alfred Judson Henry, “Climatology of the United States,” United States Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau, Bulletin Q, 1906; “Rainfall in the United States,” United States Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau, Bulletin D, 1897; Willis L. Moore, “Some Climatic Features of the Arid Regions,” United States Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau, 1896; Joseph Allen Warren, “An Agricultural Survey of Nebraska,” Annual Report of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture, 1909, pp. 280–286; O. E. Baker, op. cit., pp. 116, 120–123; and Robert DeC. Ward, “Climates of the United States,” (now being printed). See note 13 for earlier discussions.

¹³ Samuel Aughey, “Sketches of the Physical Geography and Geology of Nebraska,” 1880, pp. 34–52, deals with rainfall and moisture. The author, professor of natural sciences, University of Nebraska, stated, “If the last two years only were taken into account, even there (North Platte) and almost to the west line of the state the rainfall would be estimated at thirty inches, … there will be that amount of rainfall over western Nebraska in the near future,” (p. 35). Evidence and experiments were cited in support of this and the reasons for it set forth at some length. Maps were published showing the increase during the decade 1869–1879. The same author, in collaboration with Professor C. D. Wilber of the University of Nebraska, published the same views in “Agriculture Beyond the 100th Meridian,” 1880. “The State of Nebraska and Its Resources,” issued by the state in 1879, stated, “The rainfall is ample” (p. 10) and gave figures for Plattsmouth in the eastern and wettest portion of the state as illustration. That such views were used in advertising may be seen by a pamphlet, “Statistics and Information Concerning the State of Nebraska,” (see p. 12) published by the Missouri Pacific Railroad after 1891, when sufficient reason existed for doubting their validity. See also, Loveland, George A., “Climatic Conditions,” in the Morton, J. SterlingIllustrated History of Nebraska, Vol. I, pp. 12–17.Google Scholar Even the official federal documents as late as 1890 gave some encouragement to this view. “The Climate of Nebraska, Particularly in Reference to the Temperature and Rainfall and their influence upon the Agricultural Interests of the State,” Washington, 1890. United States Documents No. 2687, p. 9. It stated that it was a mooted question whether the rainfall was increasing or not.

¹⁴ H. W. Foght, “The Trail of the Loup, Being a History of the Loup River Region with some chapters of the State,” 1906, p. 223.

¹⁵ Fourteenth Census of the United States, XIV, Report on Real Estate Mortgages, 1895.

¹⁶ Libby, Orin G., “A Study of the Greenback Movement, 1876–1884,” Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy, XII, Part II, pp. 530–543.Google Scholar This election is treated as the culmination of the Greenback movement in Nebraska. This is an error. The Greenback movement, which made very little impression on Nebraska, cast its largest vote in 1878, and in the Anti-Monopoly Party of 1882 the element of Greenbackism was practically negligible.

¹⁷ The most convenient collection of election statistics is found in the Nebraska Blue Book, 1918, pp. 437–506. Unfortunately many errors characterize this publication, but the election returns are generally quite accurate. The returns for the even-numbered years are published in the journals of the state legislature and are preferable. For the other elections the Blue Book is the most available.

¹⁸ The Farmers' Alliance, official organ of the farmers' movement, gave much attention to the drouth. The Nebraska State Journal, conservative republican paper, in common with many other papers refused to consider the drouth as more than politics, but in its issue of August 17, 1890 it gave a crop report covering much of the state. It was beginning to recognize the severity of the drouth.

¹⁹ A brief survey of Kansas and South Dakota seems to substantiate the conclusion reached in regard to Nebraska. The situation in South Dakota appears to have been very similar. In Kansas the Independent vote was more wide-spread than in Nebraska or South Dakota. The area where the Independent vote was the largest percentage of the total corresponds with similar areas in Nebraska and South Dakota.