Just over a century ago, North Dakota politics were swept by a progressive-radical-populist alliance of farmers, workers and small businesses calling themselves the Nonpartisan League. Farmers, in particular, were tired of being squeezed mercilessly by the big out-of-state bankers and grain monopolies. The NPL won both houses of the Legislature in 1918 and pushed through an ambitious program that included a graduated state income tax, a Workmen’s Compensation Fund, a publicly owned grain mill — and a state bank. The bank gave farmers, ranchers and small businesses new access to affordable lines of credit.
Today, the Bank of North Dakota still provides agricultural and business loans in partnership with a
→ Continue reading at Crosscut
