Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-09
THE FARCE OF FUSION

Returns from the Nebraska primary
election Of last Tuesday exhibit clearly
the ridiculous aspects of fusion under
the plan championed by the adherents
Of the Peerless Leader. The object of
the direct primary law Is first of all to
give the people a chance to name the
candidates for various Offices. 1t is
so planned that the followers Of each
party's standard may have a fair
chance to select candidates from within
their ranks, men who stand for the
principles on which the party is sup
posed to be founded, and pledged to
carry into force and effect the meas
ures championed by that party. In
this view the law is eminently appro-
pirate. But what a farce the attempted
fusion makes Of it's operation.
Two candidates for governor Of the
democratic ticket also filed applications
for similar place on the populist ticket.
In order to file the candidate must rep
resent that he is afiliated with the
party he asks for endorsement. Thus
both Mr.. Shallenberger and, Mr.. Berge
have gone before the people as anil
iating with the democratic party and
accepting its declaration of principles
promulgated at Denver, and at the
same time have represented to the vot-
ers that they affiliate with the peoples
Independent party and adhere to the
declaration of principles it put forth
at the st Louis convention. The prop
osition that no man can serve two mas
tiers holds good in politics, and either
of these aspirants for high Office is con-
victed of insincerity out of his own
mouth. He is either a democrat or he
is a populist. 1t is impossible that he
should be both, even under the touch
of the Peerless, whose magic has
coined conversation into cash and
whose spoken word has overturned
the saner counsels of a once great po-
~litical party. But the fraud of fusion
is not ended with the duplicity prac-
ticed by candidates who file for nomi'
nations by parties widely opposed.
At the primary election a majority
OF the Nebraska populists voted for the
nomination of Berge, while a plurality
of democrats voted for the nomination
of Shallenberger. Under the agree
ment between the leaders the rank and
file of the populist party is disfran.
chised. They have signihed theii
choice, but will not be permitted tt
vote for the man they selected. They
must take a candidate picked for then
by the democrats and see their choice
abandoned. No matter how welded
they may be to the principles an
nounced as the basis of their party or
ganization, they cannot cast a vote foi
a candidate who represents them, fol
such candidate is not running. The!
may vote for the candidate of a part!
that is distinctly opposed to their own
or refrain from voting. Thus thu
fraud of fusion is forced on the voter
of the minority party. No matter hov
sincere and honest they may be, thei
only usefulness is found in assisting al
opposition party torpossibly overthrow
the candidates of a third party organ
%ization. This is all the populists il
Nebraska can do this year. They hav,
a candidate for president, but canno
vote for him, and they expressed
preference for a candidate for governo
and cannot vote for him.
Yet Mr.. Bryan calmly looked OIL
while Brother-in-Law Tom laid tn.
plans that have resulted in disfran
chising the populist voters of Nebraska
and tied Tom Watson's party in thi
state to the tail of the democrati
donkey.