The Portland daily press., 1879-08-27
The Maine Canvass.
How Mr.. Smalley Looks at 1t.

The following extracts from letter of Mr..
E. V. Smalley to the Tribune will be found of
great interest to Maine readers Mr.. Smalley
is one of the best-informed and most trust
worthy correspondents in the country, and his
opinions are of value:
WHERE VOTES WERE LOST LAST YEAR.
When the Republicans found last Fall that
they were beaten for want of clear majority
over both the opposing parties they did thing
that showed the efficiency of their organiZa-
ton and the coolness and Judgment of their
leaders. They said, 1--WE must see where our
weak points are, and we must prepare at once
for next years fight" So they went to work
and took an accurate census Of all the voters
in the State, and ascertained how every man
had voted. In the warmth and zeal of cam
vasS it is not uncommon for State Committees
to get tolerably full and accurate lists showing
the political status of voters; but venture to
say that in no State was this work ever before
done by any party after an election. The Maine
Republicans did it with such thoroughness that
they got as accurate results as a United States
Census could give. They found that II 900 of
their former voters had remained at home Q
give the round numbers, the Central Commit
tee has the exact figures down to a mani, and
1900 had deserted to the GreenbackerS. Yet
their total vote was rather above the average
of other years when there had been no Presi-
Dental election. 1t was considerably larger
IMAM Ill lOl T. Wnc0 IUty lilC ctelO py ~
handsome majority. Neither was the stay-at-
home vote heavy for an ordinary year. The
trouble was that while 1000 Republicans re-
manned away from the polls, the opposition
vote was all got out, and $4,000 Republicans
were coaxed away from their old allegiance by
the active propaganda of solt-money theories.
In full possession of the facts of the situation,
the Republicans determined to spare no efforts
this year to regain the ascendancy which they
had held continuously for twenty-three years
TO Tbau rli
er than usual, and laid out canvass which for
thoroughness has never had an equal in Maine
With good deal of experience in observing
close State campaigns, Ihave never seen any
thing to compare with it, except i'll New Hamp-
shire for intelligent, persistent, indefatigable
work both in organization and in bringing the
issues of the day before the people by speeches
and documents. But New Hampshire is lit
tie State, very easily handled, while Maine is
territorially almost as large as Ohio, and very
sparsely settled i'll two-thirds OF its area. lt
takes much more work here than in the other
New England States to carry on an active can
vass.
This year the Republicans find themselves
confronted by an open and shameless coalitlon
between the Democrats and Greenbackers.
Tbara was not even a pretence on the part OF
the leaders of those parties OF pulling apart In
farmers phrase, they joined teams, uniting on
county and legislative tickets, and only keep
ing two State tickets in the field as trick,
The Republicans found no Democrats to fight.
Except the county nominating conventions,
only one Democratic meeting has been held in
the entire State. Everywhere the Greenback-
ers are pushed to the front to take the hard
knocks, while the Democrats skulk in the rear.
In this state of things the Republicans saw
that they must direct their chief efforts to conf
batting the theories and statements OF the
Greenbackers. They must win back large
share of their 1900 deserters if they would
succeed. As to their stay-at-homes, they couia