Year: 1868

The canvass in Maine is becoming very ener-
getic. The visit of Mr.. Pendleton to that
State has excited the democracy, and his
speeches have apparently not been without
very considerable effect upon the republicans


themselves as well as upon the middle guam


tity of votes-that balancing weight of all


political contests, that ''stands upon the full


swell of the tide, and neither way inclines,"


until good and sufficient reason is shown. One
Of the good points in the conduct of the can
vass in Maine is that the democratic orators
discuss things that Maine can feel rather than
things she can only think about. They bring


the contest home 10 her; they talk about


ships. As the tanner in the story was well


satisfied that for building good forts there was


nothing like leather, so men in Maine can un-
derstand that ships are the most astonishing
source Of wealth, greatness and glory to


nation, especially ships built in Maine, and on


which the carpenters, caulkers, riggers and


other hard listed fellows get first rate wages.


Therefore, when democratic orators point to
the fact that all the ships that ought to be


built in Maine are now built across the border
| in the neighboring British colonies and point
out that the cause lies in radical legislation


when, moreover, the people reflect that they
have in their communities now one shipowner


where they had forty before the years of radi-
cal domination, they find uncomfortable facts
| in their way, and begin to see reason for the
| reconsideration of all the arguments that in
| cline them to the radical side of our divisions.
Such has been the effect of this sort of demo-


cratic campaigning that 1t seems quite poss ible
Maine may change her vote, and not only put


her republican majorities out of sight, but give


q very respectable figure in favor of the de-


mocracy. That she will do this is the more
credible because the canvass makes evident


such clear reasons for it. Maine feels that the


contest between parties is no longer one of


abstract political principles. So long as politi-
| cal division was merely the inclination of
| opinion, this way or that, Maine naturally in
| clined to the party that did the loudest shout
| ing In favor of freedom, even though it was
only freedom for niggers. Republicanism has
a way of talking about spelling books and
newspapers, and claiming for itself all the
virtue there is in the world, that catches the
fancy of the Down East people; and with their
sympathies thus wrought upon through a
tender point they do not always examine
whether the claims are just or whether re-
publicans are fonder of spelling books than the
men of other parties. 1t was because she was
caught ND in this canting camor Of the republi-
can party, because she had large faith that
the principles Of that party were identical with
her peculiar prejudices, that Maine went with
the radicals with an intensity scarcely less than
that of Massachusetts, But she has felt the
burden of it, and now that she knows the
tangible results of radical triumph now that
her attention is called in her own case to what
radicalsm has done, and she feels the result OF
radical rule rather than listens to the utter
ances of radical doctrine; now, in short, that
she finds radical laws bearing heavy on some
others than 'brutal shareholders" she turns
favoring face toward the democracy.


II was In just this series of facts that the re-
action against radicalism began. People felt
the thing coming home; they felt that they
were burning down the house to roast chest
nuts for the radical fanatics. So long as 1t


was broad, distinct fight on legitimate points


between the North and South the people


would not let the North go down but when 1t


ceased to be that when the politicians wanted


to wage against the South second war, in


which the people had no interest, and when,


in order to carry on that war, they crushed


the North itself with taxation, people rose and