appeared the names of the three
new commissioners: Jones McNish for the first district, Lyman Derrick
for the second, and James Darrell for the third.

Nominated in the Democratic State convention in the fall of the
preceding year, Lyman, backed by the coteries of San Francisco bosses
in the pay of his father's political committee of ranchers, had been
elected together with Darrell, the candidate of the Pueblo and Mojave
road, and McNish, the avowed candidate of the Pacific and Southwestern.
Darrell was rabidly against the P. and S. W., McNish rabidly for it.
Lyman was supposed to be the conservative member of the board, the
ranchers' candidate, it was true, and faithful to their interests, but
a calm man, deliberative, swayed by no such violent emotions as his
colleagues.

Osterman's dexterity had at last succeeded in entangling Magnus
inextricably in the new politics. The famous League, organised in
the heat of passion the night of Annixter's barn dance, had been
consolidated all through the winter months. Its executive committee, of
which Magnus was chairman, had been, through Osterman's manipulation,
merged into the old committee composed of Broderson, Annixter, and
himself. 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. At once the proposition had
a great success. Lyman seemed made for the place. While allied by every
tie of blood to the ranching interests, he had never been identified
with them. He was city-bred. The Railroad would not be over-suspicious
of him. He was a good lawyer, a good business