188 THE AGRARIAN CRUSADE 



were seizing upon every straw to prevent fusion 

 and so to promote their own chances of success. 



In the North and West, where the Populist had 

 been fusing with the Democrats off and on for 

 several years, the combinations were arranged with 

 little difficulty. In apportioning the places on the 

 electoral tickets the strength of the respective 

 parties was roughly represented by the number of 

 places assigned to each. Usually it was under- 

 stood that all the electors, if victorious, would vote 

 for Bryan, while the Democrats would cast their 

 second place ballots for Sewall and the Populists 

 for Watson. 



In the South much more difficulty was experi- 

 enced in arranging fusion tickets, and the spectacle 

 of Populists cooperating with Republicans in state 

 elections and with Democrats in the national elec- 

 tion illustrated the truth of the adage that "poli- 

 tics makes strange bedfellows." Only in Arkan- 

 sas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, and North 

 Carolina, of the Southern States, were joint electo- 

 ral tickets finally agreed upon. In Tennessee the 

 Populists offered to support the Democratic elec- 

 tors if they would all promise to vote for Watson, a 

 proposal which was naturally declined. In Florida 

 the chairman of the state committee of the People's 



