Association, and those who took part in them carried on the work in their local chapters, particularly among young people and children.

Ilmonen had mentioned the "road of stimulating competition" which the presence of more than one league of temperance societies brought about, but it must be admitted that friction soon became the dominating fact in their mutual relations. To eradicate this friction, the Brotherhood Association tried to get all the leagues to join in one association, and succeeded to the point where initial joint talks were held in DeKalb, Illinois, in January 1908. All the delegates present were unanimous on the need for joining together but remained in disagreement on how and on what terms it was to be effected. There was lengthy discussion of trivial issues, such as what the name of the new organization should be, indicating that this `peace meeting' was to be nothing but a gesture and that the basic issue was to be quietly buried.

Since the pattern of organizations remained unchanged, the most powerful one, the Brotherhood Association, began to intensify its work with a grouping of regional leagues. The first to be formed was the Copper Country league of Upper Michigan, and then came the Minnesota Temperance League, for which the Eveleth temperance society took the initiative. This league was formed at a meeting held in January 1907, with the following local societies and their delegates present: Aurora, with J. Hannula and John Salin; Biwabik, Antti Kojonen; Chisholm, Oscar Pohjanen and J. Saari; Duluth, J. W. Lilius and J. Mattson; Ely, F. Nikkola and John Palmgard; Eveleth, J. F. Isotalo, Maria Järvinen, John Kangas, V. Kyllönen, Maria Lampi, Frank Mattson and K. F. Tuomi; Hibbing, Hilma Luoma, Jaakko Rajala and Kusti Saari; Sparta, J. Hattunen and C. Kykyri; Tower, John Korpela; and Virginia, Johan Haaro, Toivo Huttu and August Junnulainen. Practically speaking, all the temperance societies in Minnesota and a few in Wisconsin eventually joined this league which, according to Ilmonen, had in 1908 a total membership of 1,648. Other regional leagues in other parts of the country subsequently came into existence, following the same pattern.

The Minnesota temperance league did not come into being until the Finnish-American temperance movement as a whole had reached its maturity, and this was a great help in its subsequent smooth development. When a slackening of interest became apparent during the first World War (in 1916 only four societies sent delegates to the annual meeting) speedy steps were taken to revive the program. In the first place, fixed dues to the league

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