No one, it was said, could be elected or appointed to an important office who was not acceptable to the railroad interests.

This state of affairs produced a revulsion among the common people; thousands of whom decided that they would vote against the Republican party, which was then,--as it had been for many years,--in control of the State Government because of its having allowed such a state of affairs to be brought about.
Edward Rosewater, editor and proprietor of the Omaha _Bee_, the most influential Republican paper in the State, took sides against the railroad interests.

The result was that Nebraska, for the first time, elected a Democratic governor.
But many of the Republicans who acted with the Democrats on that occasion could not see their way clear to remain in that party, though some of them were not willing to return to the ranks of the Republicans.
So they decided to cast their lot with the Populist party, which in the meantime had made its appearance upon the field of political activity.
While the Democratic party remained the minority party in the State, it was seldom that the Republicans could poll more votes than the Democrats and Populists combined, and since, under the then leadership of the Democratic party in the State, that party and the Populist stood practically for the same things, it was not difficult to bring about fusion of the two parties against the Republicans.

This gave the Fusionists control of the State Government for a number of years.
In the meantime a brilliant, eloquent and talented young man had come upon the stage of political activity.

This man was William J.Bryan.