The canvassing machinery has progressed very well since it began three weeks ago. Then, students were told to play down the war, to rather talk about domestic programs. But this tended to confuse voters, since McCarthy's speeches have dealt almost entirely with the war. His other statements are all connected with Vietnam and its costs in terms of lives, money, resources, priorities, and national spirit.

The post-canvassing meeting and parties have the air of a large European youth hostel. The canvassers exchange stories of their day's experiences in much the same way that kids travelling in Europe trade hitch hiking stories. There's always a man who was drunk when the canvasser called, or a quiet, elderly women who looked like she was straight out of "Arsenic and Old lace."

One woman, confronted by a canvasser, said that she didn't have to go to the polls because she had already sent in her pledge card--a promise of support that Johnson backers solicited from New Hampshire Democrats earlier in the campaign.

Many canvassers have found the last few weekends an invaluable experience in dealing with people. Voters have listened surprisingly enough, to what they have to say. They have found that it is possible to talk with even the most vehement Johnson supporters and still come away encouraged.

But many have been disappointed A solid half of all the cards are marked "NA" by canvassers--"not available." Some of these people have received literature in the mail and some have been reached by phone, but to many canvassers the large number of "NA"s means that their work is largely insignificant. And the voting lists from which the names and addresses have been drawn have often been unreliable. Voters have moved, houses have been torn down, people have changed party affiliation. It is not unusual for a volunteer to come back with 40 cards, 25 of which are marked. "NA," ten "moved," and the remaining five leaning toward Johnson or undecided. One canvasser said that he had been given 25 cards all at the same address, and when he got there he found that the address was a trailer camp with over 75 vehicles in it. After going from trailer to trailer and being told that "Mr. Jones had that space next door four years ago," he gave up, and marked all 25 cards "NA."

STILL, the spirit of the volunteers and of the campaign continues to get stronger. The students feel that their work is having an impact, and that, just possbily, it may lead to a strong McCarthy showing in New Hampshire.

The Senator himself is pleased with the canvassers' enthusiasm and support. For the past two weekends, those working throughout the state have gathered together on Saturday night for a massive mixer-type party. And at both occasions Senator McCarthy was there to offer them encouragement, congratulations, and gratitude. He signed autographs, shook hands, smiled a lot, and made it all seem worthwhile. He says his army of students is something "America has never seen before" and that his campaign could never have progressed so quickly without their help.

The response in New Hampshire has been encouraging. The vigor and enthusiasm that the student canvassers have brought to the Granite State has not been ignored by the voters. They have been surprised and usually fairly receptive to the volunteers. And this, of course, helps the Senator. As the McCarthy coordinator in Nashua told the canvassers this past Saturday night, "The people in Nashua like you, and if the people in Nashua like you, they like Senator McCarthy."

Whether or not McCarthy does well in Tuseday's primary, he has succeeded in bringing a large number of young people back into politics. He has shown the canvassers that there are sincere, intelligent men in positions of importance who think as they do, who feel repugnance toward the war and what they feel it has done to America