The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-01-24

II was in 1890 that Mr.. Cannon began
to figure as a political farmer. The AL
lance made no showing in California in
that year in which 1t cut such a Distress
ing swath among the Republican ma
~jorities OF the Northwest. II always
takes from two TO ten years for political
fashions to reach the Pacific coast. But
the farmers of California were thinking,
and Mr.. Cannon was helping them to do
il. In July, 1890, the Ventura County
Alliance elected him President, and the
State Convention which followed unani-
mously put him at the head OF the State
organization. Later he played a brief
engagement on a larger stage as tempo
rary Chairman OF the National Conven-
tion Of industrial bodies, by which the
Peoples party was created.
For the next year Mr.. Cannon was
quietly and industriously at work pre-
pairing asurprise party for the politicians.
He organized Sub-Alliances throughout
California until the old line statesmen
suddenly wok up to the fact that their
power had been undermined precisely
where they thought themselves trong-
est. 1t was in the solid Republican
counties like Los Angeles and the solid
Democratic ones like Colusa-counties in
which campaigns before had always
ended with the nominations and nobody
had thought it worth while to bother
with the elections-that the farmers took
particular delight in smashing things.
The Republican Legislature OF 1890, COM
monty called-for short, and not by any
means because the number expressed its
limit-"th Legislature OF a Thousand
Scandals devoted itself with conscien-
tious industry to tire construction of a
gerrymander warranted 10 be burglar,
fire, and cyclone proof. The master
stroke OF this work Of political art was
the Sixth Congressional district. 1t con-
sisted OF six counties, squirming along
the coast for over 300 miles like n dis
contented a~ngleworm. Every county in
it, according to all previous experience.
was safely Republican, and the aggregate
Republican majority was about 5000.
Marion Cannon was put forward by the
Populists TO back the centre OF the Re-
publican rush line at this point. The
Democrats backed him.
The fusion candidate went into the
campaign TO win. He spoke eighty-six
times. The normal Republican majority
was braced up by entertainments of money.
II is said that the Republican candidate
spent $4,000 and his friends 500, 900. The
Southern Pacific Railroad exerted all its
power on the same side. So did every
large daily and most ofthe weekly papers
in the district. When the votes were
II was found that Cannon had
carried every county in the district and
was elected by about $500 majority. 1t
the same time the district, which had
been cut 10 send a solid Republican dele
to the Legislature, elected eleven
Republican and four Democrats and Pop
ulists TO the Assembly and two Republic
cans and two Democrats TO the Senate.
Mr.. Cannon goes in for temperance,
but is not n church member. although
his wife and daughters are Methodists.
He is an enthusiastic advocate OF Govern
ment ownership Of railroads, telegraphs,
telephones, express lines and pretty
much everything else the public can lay
It's hands on. The Nicaragua Canal is
one OF his hobbies, but he believes that IL
be constructed, owned, and oper-
ated by the Government. One OF the
TO which he will devote himself
especial assiduity i'm Congress il the
foreclosure ofthe mortgages on the Cen.
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