The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-10-31
Boston, Oct. %, 1879.
225,OOO

John O. Adams (Democratic). ............. 10000
225,oOo
''You never can tell until after election who
is going to be elected" That is the old way
of saying it, but believe it has come to that
pass now that you can't always tell after cleo
ton. That will not be the case in this State,
however. The man who gets the largest num-
ber of votes will be Governor. Certainly not
he who gets the smallest number as in Maine.
Now, estimating the vote before election is
unsafe, but I'm going to do it; in fact, have
done it. My estimate you will read above.
1t is made certainly without partisan bias
You will find that give Long only 5000 over
Butler against 10000 last year. I estimate
that nearly 10000 Democrats who voted for
Talbot last year will vote for Adams this year.
Then the total vote will be some %, 900 less
than last year. Hence the change in figures
The Butler people in private consultations give
Adams from 1900 to 10000, and Butler and
Long 100000 each with the chances in favor of
their candidate of course. The Republicans
claim $4,000 plurality for Long. Their can
vass shows about IL, 900, but last year they had
about double what their canvass shew. 1
think my estimate high enough. The only
safe prediction is Longs election by some ma
jority.
The contest is lively this week and all par
ties are doing their utmost. Maine is well
represented, particularly on the anti-Butler
side Gen. Hall is making some telling
speeches, speaking every night. Mr.. Frye,
Gov. elect Davis and one or two others are
making effective addresses. Some of the
,,Id- c1i hOtb ciI lac hoxra Iaor las
son or been advised to "ease-up" on that kind
Of capital. The PRESS made a pertinent re-
mark on Monday when it said that the cam
paign began to look like question of personal
worth between Butler and Beard, or words to
that effect Beard has been great disappoint-
ment to the Republicans. He has q vulnera-
BILE record and Butler and Simmons have
made the most of it.
Your readers will remember that when the
regular Democrats iu convention at Faneuil
Hall voted to select district delegates to the
Democratic National Convention, the Butler
wing charged "dictation'' on the part of the
leaders. They said it was undemocratic.
They wanted the delegates elected by the Con-
gressional districts in special conventions as
heretofore. The Democratic state committee
in calling the state convention gave notice
that the national delegates would be chosen
then, so that the voters could select delegates
with that end in view. Now what do the
Butler Democrats do? You know, of course
that they have the assumption to claim a right
to admission to the Democratic national con-
vention next year. Well, in Congressional
districts where the chairman of the district
committee was an anti-Butler Democrat Col.
Jonas III. French, chairman of the Butler
Democratic State Committee, called the con-
vention, naming time and place and number
of delegates. That power never rested any
where but in the chairman of the district com.
mittee on authority of the committee. Yet in
the 9th district for instance, the commi ttee
was never consulted The convention was
held on a call from tho chairman of the state
committee. wonder whether that was un-
democratic. wonder whether that was "dic-
tation" on the part of the leaders. When this
convention was held a dozen friends of a
would-be-delegate went into an ante-room and
with the would-be-delegate for chairman
elected him. as delegate.
The final change in the management OF the
Eastern Eastern railroad has come at last in
the resignation of Mr.. John Hornby, Master of
Transportation. In charge of different road
Mr.. Hornby might have succeeded better. He
was unsuccessful ana unfortunateiwithlthesE EaS-
tern. He by some means incurred the ill-will
of every employe and every patron in three
months after he took the position. The state
of affairs has remained unchanged throughout.
The effect on the road any one can readily
forecast. regret to say that he leaves amid
the rejoicing of every man connected with the
road and all the patrons. He never treated
either with that degree iof gentlemanly con-
sideration which pays in this life. George
Batchelder, Daniel Sanborn and Freight
Il -
ceSSOrS..
Commenting on my last letter to the Press,
in regard to the solid South the Traveller says
my reasoning was superficial, and adds:
'The South is in a hopeless minority today in the
Electoral College. But by keeping up its solidity,
it offers the Democracy at the North constant
temptation-and one that has always in the past
proved irresstible-to unite with it, and help to ac
complish its sectional aims, in return for being
inst as certainly after the reapportionment Of eiecto-
raj sfrenqth as does today, and only less forcibly
by reason of the few additional votes given to the
Northern and Western states. The issue between a
solid South and the nation can be closed until
the South ceases to be solid'
1 did not deny the hopelessness
OF the Southern minority of today,
taken alone. But what did say was that, af-
ter the next apportionment, the disparity be-
tween the North and South-12S electoral
yotes-would render success on the Solid
South VS. Solid North issue hopeless even with
the aid of a portion of the North. grant the
Traveller that the issues between the sections
will never be closed until the South ceases to
be solid. And hold that the South will cease
to be solid when it finds that solid South