Promptly thereat he had resigned the chairmanship of this committee, thus leaving Magnus at its head.

Precisely as Osterman had planned, Magnus was now one of them.

The new committee accordingly had two objects in view: to resist the attempted grabbing of their lands by the Railroad, and to push forward their own secret scheme of electing a board of railroad commissioners who should regulate wheat rates so as to favour the ranchers of the San Joaquin.

The land cases were promptly taken to the courts and the new grading--fixing the price of the lands at twenty and thirty dollars an acre instead of two--bitterly and stubbornly fought.

But delays occurred, the process of the law was interminable, and in the intervals the committee addressed itself to the work of seating the "Ranchers' Commission," as the projected Board of Commissioners came to be called.
It was Harran who first suggested that his brother, Lyman, be put forward as the candidate for this district.