The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-05

defitial campaign of 1892 Is a case in point. I have very vivid recollection that in 1892, when Cleveland was our nom- inee for President, the democracy Of Idaho and other western states received instructions from the Cleveland campaign managers and the national democratic committee to haul down the names CT the democratic presidential electors and to substitute therefor the names of the Weaver electors, who was running on the populist ticket.
 Let me reiterate: The completeness and highest significance of the presidential campaign in 1892 which placed the democ- racy in complete control of the federal government was largely due to fusion with the populists. In 1868 Oregon gave three electoral votes to Seymour. In 1880 Hancock receiy ed five from California and three from Nevada. Otherwise no demo- cratic candidates slice the war hac se- cured a single electoral vote from any of the states north and west of Indiana until the election of 1892. In that election MT. Cleveland secured 50 electoral votes from the northwest, while 22 more were divert ed from the republican to the populist column.
 The political revolution of 1892 began in 1890 It became evident in the elections of that year that sentiment in the north west was in revolt against the courses and policies upon which the republican party had entered, notably against Me- Kinleyism and the political alliance with trusts, monopoles and other forms of the money power.
 In a. straight vote between republican, ism and democracy in 1892 the democrats captured the 35 electoral votes of the two great states of Illinois and Wisconsin, together with five from Michigan one from North Dakota and eight from Call fornia.
 In the fusion states the Weaver electors swept all before them, resulting in the transfer of 22 electoral votes from the republicans to the populists. These changes were so great that MT. Cleveland could have been elected even if New York. New Jersey, Connecticut and ln- diana had gone republican. The changes thus made would have thrown the elce- ton to Cleveland. even if every southern state had been carried by the populists. The election of Cleveland would have been assured in the same way had the solid south voted for Weaver and New York. New Jersey and Connecticut for Harrison.
 1,at the democratic- c-populistic- Cleveland fusion In 1892 accomplished even more than this. The policy pursued in the west by the Cleveland campaign man. agers gave to the democracy the control of the Senate, which the republicans had packed, as they supposed for many years, by the admission of these new states Illinois, North Dakota, Califor- mia, Wyoming and Kansas each sent democrat to the Senate chamber, while a populist from Nebraska and another populist from Kansas took the places of republicans.
 Thus, when Cleveland was inaugurated, the prospects for long regime of demo cratic ascendency were very bright. But the two years of Cleveland's plutocratic administration shattered the party, and in the Congressional elections of 1894 the big democratic majority in the House of Representatives was reversed into large republican majority, and they have since held undisputed con ol of every department of the governw l.
 And then the colonel mplains be-