Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-10-12
Indiana Campaign Organization.

L
The national chairman called con-
ferences of all the state chairmen in
the western country. He told them
what he wanted. He wanted each state
organized, as Indiana had been organ
lied, and as Nebraska had been
in part organized on the Indiana mod
| ell. Indiana, it is we'll known, is the state
of the American union where the art
of political organization is carried to
its greatest perfection. Both parties
| follow the same method; they have
! peer driven to it by the desperate
character of the warfare waged n up
on the other during the past. The In
diana organization is well-nigh perfect
in its ramifications. 1t extends down
to the voting precinct. In every cleo
ton district of the western states men
are to be secured who will not simply ac-
! cept a title from the party ~organiza.-
ton. but who will actually work. BY
| work is meant travel about and visit
all the voters in the precinct, find Out
who are all right, who all wrong, who
doubtful, and what influences are likely
to affect those who are in the third
class, what questions disturb them,
| whether they are usually democrats or
republicans, and so on. Then, as stated
i times, all these voters are to be can
vassed and listed. In Indiana they take
what they call the siSty-day poll. ~
month later comes the t~hirty-day poll.
Usually a final poll Is taken about a
week before election. Unless the state
is unusually close, each campaign man
ager knows pretty accurately by his
later polls whether he is going to win
or lose. If the margin either a Is
slender, he redoubles his efforts.
Fifty Thousand POLL Takers.
Under Chairman Hitcncock's direc-
tons efforts are being made to spread
this Indiana system all owe the west.
1t is not easy. 1t is the largest scheme
of organization ever attempted in pol
itics. 1t involves twenty state chair
men, 1900 county chairmen, 10000 pre-
cinct committeeman, $4,000 poll takers,
5000, 900 voters. But the work is going
forward. 1t has been going ON for
weeks-going on while casual observ-
ers Thought nothing was being done,
that the republican management was
mastery inactive. Note the multiply
ing, radhating circles of energy. Ihe
national chairman rouses the entbu-
siasm of the state chafrmen. They go
home and call together all their coun-
ty calairmen. After a good talk, these
in turn go home and summon al the
precinct committeeman. It is not al
ways easy to get the results wanted.
In thousands of precincts the men who
first undertake to take the poll funk
TOUT. Some one else must be secured
to replace them. In many precincts this
must be done the second, the third,
sometimes the fourth, time. But in the
end the system wins. And while the
I critics are writing letters to Roosevelt
and Taft telling them that Hitchcock
is a failure, the chairman is going over
his reports from states, counties, dis
ftricts. He has everything tabulated.
He knows where the weak spots are
and why they are weak, n what is
best to be done to strengthen them.
The great extended card-index is in
operation. Bryan makes the speeches
and creates the noise. But the system
is working silently, insidiously, unfver-
sally, perhaps successfully.
(From "The Management of the TAFT
Campaign by Walter Wellman, in
the American Review of Reviews for
October.)