The Portland daily press., 1879-09-06
Be Confident, but Cautious

The shadow of coming defeat has almost
started panic in the ranks of the Democrat
ic-Greenback combination in Maine. The
nomination of a new Greenback candidate for
Governor is only one of the many signs that
the fusionists are quarrelling with one another
and are breaking up. The Republicans are so
elated by the accessions they are receiving daily
that they are claiming a majority OF 10000 over
all for their candidate, if the present demoral-
iZation continues. This is glorious news but
5000 majority will be enough to bury the
Greenback party and settle the fate OF the
Democratic party for this year and next
". Y. Tribune.
1t does look as though the stampede had
begun. From many parts OF the State re-
ports of breaks in the fusion ranks come
pouring in. Greenbackers who believe that
resumption if maintained will settle the
financial question and who now see that it
has been followed by constantly increasing
prosperity, and revival of business instead of
the ruin predicted by their leaders and
prophets, are returning to the Republican
party. Hard-money Democrats who see the
dishonor which the leaders of the organiza
ton in this State are striving to bring upon
their old party, reluctantly sunder party ties
and cast in their lot this year with the Re-
publicans believing that Republican vic
tory in Maine will be the strongest support
that can now be given to the maintenance
and perfection of a sound currency system.
Business men who have not hitherto voted
the Republican ticket, are preparing to do
so this Fall in the belief that only by a Re-
publican triumph can business be secured
against recurrence of disturbance in prices,
unsettlement of values and risk in trade.
All these men loathe and hate the shameless
and corrupt coalition seeking to gain full
control of this State and are determined to
rebuke its leaders. These accessions of
course inspire us with confidence.
But there is such thing as being over
confident, and into that error we must avoid
falling; the words of the Tribune are very
encouraging, but they must not lead us to
believe that victory is already won, and so
induce us to rest on our arms. We must
take no chances We must work with as
much zeal and vigor as though the signs
were unpropitious. We have to fight an en-
emy, desperate, unscrupulous and willy. We
have to fight against the money which has
been poured into this State so lavishly to aid
the fusion leaders.
We should not permit ourselves to trust
too much to the great dislike of fusion and
its furtherers entertained by so many DEM
ocrats and Greenbackers. Many of them
may vote with us, some of them certainly
will. But in very many cases these men
will content themselves with absence from
the polls or step up and vote the fusion
ticket under protest and with disgust. Old
party ties and sentimental considerations
will prove too strong for many to resist
What we must count on to secure Republl-
can victory is full Republican vote. Every
Republican must be at the polls, and must
work from now to Monday night for the
success of the ticket The greater the vic
tory the greater the effect will be elsewhere,
the greater the support given to resumption,
the sooner the disturbing currency question
will be taken out of politics, the surer VIII
be the foundation upon which healthy
trade and reyiving industries are building
Remember that these are the objects you are
striving to further, and put into the fight
all the work there is in you.