How Did Politicians Determine Public Opinion Before the Advent of Scientific

How did politicians determine public opinion before the advent of scientific polling?

A) by counting the number of people who attended their campaign rallies
B) by the number of people who volunteered for the campaign, which was a good proxy for public opinion
C) haphazardly through information supplied by editorials, pamphleteers, and local leaders
D) through the number of small dollar campaign contributions