The Republican journal., 1871-09-28
Something for the Democrats of Maine
to think of.


to think of.
1t is an undeniable fact that no means
of creating and influencing public senti-
ment in this country, bears any COMPARE
son with the press. Even the tilt which
Ben Butler, in Massachusetts. is running
against the newspapers, only serves to
strengthen our assertion, if it needs any
Strengthening. All the force of his de-
nnnciation Of newspapers and all else that
the assailed papers themselves scrupulous-
ly report all that he says. He is like
passenger in the cars who while making
his forty miles an hour condemns all
railroads as slow. So Butler is made
famous by the very instrumentalitv that
he imprecates.
The efficiency of the press as an cleo
pioneering agent is not appreciated, we
think, by the leading Democrats of Maine.
They do not pay sufficient attention to
circulating and sustaining Democratic
newspapers OF course there are many
honorable exceptions, but we speak of
the party rs a whole. The foundations
of political success must be carefully laid
long before the time Of giving it express
sion at the polls. The excitement, meet
ings, speeches, professions, etc, are but
the harvesting of that which was sown
and matured long before. 1t is folly TO
think of materially changing the opinions
of men by the demonstrations of thirty
days campaign. Men are convinced by
arguments which they take home and
carefully consider in the leisure of fire
side rest. The newspaper fills precisely
this need. 1t is silent and unobtrusive in
mans busy hours, but waits convent
emily ready to his hand, when leisure and
inclination calls for it. II comes with its
arguments, lis statistics, its reasoning,
Just at a time when the readers mind is
ready TO receive it. When one issue is
read and laid aside. another takes its
place, to 90 through the same round, and
reinforce the thoughts and suggestions
already presented. We have demonstrate
ed, for our own satisfaction, time and
again, that in three quarters of the cases
Mc pefuS@ o. a meN com1ucted Democrattc
sheet bytair mimlcd Rep~57ieans mu con-
ri2ce them Of their polHical errors. There
was never time in the history of the
Democratic party OF the State of Maine
when it had so much Of clear, convincing
and Irresistible argument with which to
90 before the people as it has to-day
The grinding cxactions of the tariff, the
crushing taxation, the hordes OF useless
otlice-hoders, the enormously increased
expenses Of every branch of the govern
mcnt the death of our great industry of
shipbuilding, the emigration of mechanics,
the general decrease of property-all tes-
tify alike to the terrible mistakes of the
dominant party.
Ii will be asked, why, then, do we not
succeed in carrying the state elections?
Our reply is that the arguments we have
to offer do not reach the people, while
the ISLANDERS and misrepresentation OF
the radical press are spread broadcast.
We have taken some pains to procure
statistics OF the circulation of the newspa-
pers OF Maine, and find that the figures
show n greater disproportion than we had
supposed. There are published within
the limits of the state 23 weekly and
daily republican papers-while there are
but weekly and one daily that are dem
ocratic. The radical papers have COM
bined daily and weekly circulation of
10000 copies. Besides these, there is
class of papers, literary, agricultural, re-
ligious, &C., professedly neutral in poll
tics, but which have been Just rs efficient,
and will continue to be, until the Demo-
Gratis succeed, as the sheets that are OPEN
ly radical. These papers have a circula-
ton of $4,000 copies. SO that we may
set down the number of papers that are
weekly published in Maine, and sent
among the people in favor Of the contin-
ued ascendency of the republican party at
NINETY EIGHT THOUSAND COPIES.
To combat these, the Democratic pa
pers circulate but NINETEEN THOU
SAND SIX HUNDRED copies weekly.
The disparity is more than five to one
Ofpapers coming from abroad, the dis
parity is quite as great. The Boston Post,
which did The Democracy such excellent
service in the late campaign, has good
circulation, but far below what it should
have. The Boston Journal, Daily Adver-
tiser and New York Tribune come into
the state in undue proportion, and exert
continued influence upon the minds of
the people who habitually read them.
We set forth these facts that the leading
Democrats of Maine may reflect upon
them, and devise some means by which
the Democratic papers may more gener-
ally reach the people. Give the Demo-
cratic press of Maine circulation of 49,
600 copies for the next year, less than one
half that OF the radical papers, and the
state will be Democratic in 1872. State
Conventions may meet and resolve, or
take departures old or new, and the
spasm ola SIX weeks campaign be begun,
but they will not avail so long as this
enormous advantage to the radicals in the
means of reaching the minds of the peo-
pie exists. The press is the great and ac-
knowledged lever by which political re-
suits are obtained, and the party that
makes the best use of it will achieve sue
cess. We commend these suggestions to
the Democrats generally, and especially
to the State Committee that is to manage
affairs in 1872.