I pinched my remote plugin cable and broke one wire. I spliced the wire and the winch still won't work. Is there a reset button or a fuse which may have shorted out? The winch is a m12000 from 1997.

LOL. I know the system you have. I believe you may have fried the toggle switch it the remote. It happens, I have been there too. It is simple to check, unplug it from the winch, use a ammeter set on diode check with sound on, check for continuity between all 4 pin sockets. then hold the switch in each position while you check continuity. The simple thing to do is to replace the switch if you don't have an ammeter.

Is the hot wire connected directly to the battery? Did you check to see if the wire is hot after you spliced it? There may be fusible link in the wiring or the wiring may be broken somewhere else. You can also try running a new hot wire from the battery to rule out a faulty winch. Trace the wire from the winch to its source of power, ie fuse box or battery