The representative., 1900-12-13
tiOm.
IJo- l.

The Democracy and the Recent Elec-
Hon. j. H. Hill, of McFall, Mo-, in
forwarding some subscriptions. writes:
Our vote was distressingly small in the
state as well as everywhere else. There
Is one consolation about it, however
Fusion is dead; so is the Democratic
party, along with Mr.. Bryan-The Ken
tucky Tribune.
During the struggle against fusion,
Populists have contended-first, that
fusion could not be successful as the
people, who must vote for reform be-
fore it could win, have no faith in tho
Democratic party, and would not sup
port 1t; second, that defeat would leave
reformers in the slough of despair, the
conservatives regaining control of the
Democratic party and leaving reform
ers in worse shape than before the
organization of the Peoples party;
third, that if by accident Bryan should
be elected he could do nothing, as the
Democratic partisans would desert him
when put to the test, and leave him
powerless.
The election has demonstrated the
correctness of our position on each
point. The overwhelming victory of
the Republican party showed that
Organism need never hope for success.
The election of 1896 left hope for the
radical Democrats; that of 1900 leaves
none. Conditions can never be more
favorable for Bryanite success than
they were this year, yet their defeat
was crushing. Bryans Tammany friends
artfully led him through a slaughter
house into an open grave"
No sooner had the election been held
than the conservatives began to show
their hands and clamor for reorganiza-
ton. Extreme Bryanites, like Cotton
Bale Jones, w. J. Stone of Missouri,
Senator Vest, John R. Mclean William
r. Hearst and the Nebraskan's strong
est supporters, rushed into print to ad-
wise throwing the Populist elements Of
the alleged new Democracy" "over the
transOm. That this will be done; in
fact, that this is alrea iy been uUne, car
not be denied. In all OF - important
states the Democratic machinery is now
in the hands of the conservatives. In
New York Tammany rules supreme; in
Maryland German dictates the party
IN Toh D MnT g
rupt machine has possession of the par
ty; in Indiana, Taggart, gold bug, is
boss; in Illinois, Carter Harrisan, the
antithesis of the brainy and valiant
Stone; in Texas, Joseph Sayers' con-
servatives; in Georgia, Hoax" Smith
and Flem Du Bignion; in North Caro-
lima, the Simmons Southern Railway
combine; in Alabama, Senator Morgan,
and in Kentucky Oily Jeems McCreary
and the Palmer -Buckner- -Courier-JOur-
nal combine are in possession of the
party machinery. These are the men
who hold the reins of Democracy today;
these are the men who declare as one
man that Populism in the Democratic
party must co. Thus have they proven
our second contention-that after the
defeat of the unfortunate Populistic-
Democratic mesalliance, the gold and
corporation elements would rule. I'm
der their leadership ex-Populists will
find themselves politically damned, un-
less they go back, as Adlai Stevenson
did, from Greenbackism to the ultra
conservatism of a yellow-dog partisan.
That our third contention would have
proven true can be easily seen from the
recent action of these Democratic
leaders who supported Bryan, but who
are now showing their hands in the
clamor for reorganization"
And while all this Democratic clamor
against Populism is going on, the
fusion worm is beginning to turn. Geo.
F. Washburn, treasurer of the fusion
ist committee, has gilven out to the
press a manifesto favoring a new party
He declares that two fusion campaigns
have taught him that we can not
tles;' we can not longer intrust new
ideas to old leaders" Kansas fusion-
lists have publicly announced their en-
tire enforcement from the Democracy,
while Senator Pettigrew came out for
new party the day after the political
cyclone hit him. The American Non
conformist long one of the staunchest
fusion papers in the nation, has desert
ed fusion and kmphatically serves no
tice upon the pie brigade that it is done,
and done forever! Senator Buffers
paper, the Caucasion, long ago took the
same position.
Thus it is that today there is a great
element in American politics figurative-
ly in the position of Congressman Cobb
when, in his bewilderment. he inquired:
mir. Speaker, where am l at?'
That there is an opportunity for
great reform party no one can now dis
pute. The people are ready for it,
but the elements which must compose
it are scattered and bewildercd. 1t
will take superlative wisdom to gather
them into one body and organize them
for effective action