Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-30
THE INDIANA CAMPAIGN.
A Poll of the state shows it to be Safe
for the Democracy.

A Poll of the state SHOWS u 70 DC SaA0
for the Democracy.
A few days ago, says an Indianapolis
special to the New York World. Oct. q,
I stated that 1 was credibly informed
that the second Republican poll OF the
State showed q Democratic majority Of
over 5000. To-day I had this information
confirmed from another source, and IL Is
inferentiaIly eorroborated by the known
result Of the first Republican poll, which
was completed shortly before Blaine
entered the State. That poll indl-
Gated 3 Democratic majority OF 0,444.
Inasmuch as the Democratic poll, Wnicn
was very carefully made, showed DEM
oeratic majority of :. 200, each of these re-
suits must be accepted as very strong
proof of the approximate correctness OF
the other, they having been arrived at oy
entirely different sets Of canvassers whose
interests were antagOnistic. In order
that this statement may not mislead, II IS
prOper to say that in the estimates Of botn
parties there are about "a, 600 votes, which,
being in a measure uncertain. are divided
as each Of the statisticians deem fair. 1t
is not at all probable that in arriving at
its conclusions Mr.. News committee
claimed for the Republican party any less
than its fair share.
I have much more faith in the poll of
Indiana than I mad in the party polls OF
Ohio, for the reason that the Indiana vote
is very largely an agricultural and village
vote. and it is prOverbial that In the coun-
try the numb and political predictions
of the voters Of each precinct are known
of All men, Farmer Smith can tell you
how Farmer Brown has voted at every
election for the past ten years, and how
he Is going to vote at the next election.
Cohbler Jones can tell you how three
fourtbs of the men in his hamlet will throw
their influence and their ballots, and If
there be any man in the town or township
who makes a secret of his politics that
yery fact is construed to his detriment
and he is watched as trader. There are
only six. or seven communities n the State
which aspire to the title Of cities, and In
1iauapolis, with its 1900 or $1,000, is the
only enc in which the work of canvassing
is in any large measure uncertain. Even
here the work is much facilitated by that
provision OF law which limits precincts 10
the number of 80 voters and requires the
Legislature TO divide them up when that
number is exceeded. The consequence is
that Indiana. with only two-thirds OfOhio's
population. has almost exactly the same
number Of election precincts, and the
diminutve size Of the precincts enables
each subcommittee TO keep thoroughly
acquainted with the names and even the
faces Of all who have a right TO vote.
That class Of voters who are working to
day in this shop ard tomorrow in yonder
factory are constantly shifting, and pos
sessing no responsibility to bind them to
either political party is very small indeed
in tais State as compared with any other
state in the North. If then in Ohio one
Of the State Committee secured a poll
which proved to be within less
than LOCO Of the total vote sub
sequently cast, and the other committee
came within 5000 OF the correct figure, it
is not unreasonable to suppose that the
polls Of this State, under such infinitely
more favorable auspices, are a pretty &C
curate index. l think they are accepted
as such by both committees, and l believe
that Mr.. John C. New and Col. W. W.
Dudley are well satisfied that in order to
win victory next week their organiza-
tons must overcome by some argument
other than skyTOckets and tOm-tOms the
5000 Democratic majority whose exist
enCe is established by their own canvass.