What was considered the "evil opposition" to farmers according to the Nonpartisan League?

The Nonpartisan League, founded in North Dakota in 1915, was an agrarian political organization that sought to address the issues faced by farmers, especially regarding economic challenges and power imbalances. The term "evil opposition" as used by the League primarily referred to "big business," which encompassed large corporations involved in industries that farmers felt exploited them, such as railroads and grain elevator companies.

The Nonpartisan League believed that these large businesses held undue power and influence over the agricultural economy, leading to practices that were detrimental to farmers' interests. The League aimed to push back against this dominance by promoting cooperatives and encouraging state intervention in the economy to protect farmers from exploitation. This focus on big business as the primary adversary highlights the League’s grassroots approach to advocating for farmers' rights and pushing for economic reforms.

Environmental regulations, while important to agricultural practices, were not viewed as the pressing issue by the Nonpartisan League. Similarly, while federal legislation played a role in the broader political landscape, it was primarily the influence of big business that the League aimed to combat directly. Thus, the identification of big business as the “evil opposition” aligns with the League’s objectives of empowering farmers and reshaping economic policies in their favor.