New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-08-15
wh,r M,eting. mud Speakers.

!. is all true and deserved, because we perceive
z danger to the Wing cause which does not see.n
to arrest public attention, yet which must be met
and .. orcoGe. Nc are tending tco rhuch tc
reliance on great Otatt:s and great Meetings.
These arc very well when we have them. b.! f9e
must not disable ourselves TO DO without them
Nowadays meeting is counted nothing snless 1t
is to be reckoned BY the acre, and our People are
apt to think il no grea. affair unless they have
Webster Cnoate, Seward, Granger, Si5Iey, Col
lics, Dawson, T5wler, or some elnirenuy Sistin-
gu;shed or popular speaker, toaddress them. Can
we not see to what this is tending? In the frs,
place, few speakers are worn out with the ex-
cessiye. unrerni,ted effort demanded Of them
demanded with such urgency that they can hare
ly resist We nave called or meeting and an
nounced great speake,s-if you don't come, ii
will be failure, and do harm to the cause'-and
SO they are dragged from pillar to post without
rest day or night. To say nothing ii our great
men, there are George Dawson and 10. Hoxie
who hare had more Invitations to speak than
there are days in the year, and who Though each
has pressing important business Of his OWN are
50 rarely at home that they will need an ntroduc-
ton to their families after the campaign is over.
But this is only personal evil. The public, gen.
cral mischief is still more alarming. We are in
danger Of relying too much on the excellence Of
our orators, and thinking toe little of the force Of
our arguments. Now VIC enjoy great Speech,
and viii 60 good way to hear one +; but We do not
vote the Wing ticket, nor expect others to vote it,
because our speakers are superior, but because
the Principles, the Measures the Objects of the
Wings are more benefcent than those of their op-
ponents This is what we want proved to the
whole People, SO that the unprejudiced and we'll
meaning will be attracted to the Wing side. But
this is to be effected, not by daring fights, spark
ling witticisms, startling bursts, thrilling passa-
ges magnificent perorations, but by the sober ex-
hibiton of undeniabe facts, the array of consist
ent and forciblc arguments. Some of the best
Speeches we have heard did not elicit cheer
from one end to the other, and were universally
regarded quite commonplace affairs, such as
anpJody tolerably well informed, might have
made. In that very impression lay their strength
and usefulness.
The popular passion for excitement, for great
meetings, great parades great speeches, threatens
to corrupt our speakers. They will at length be
insensibIy impelled to speak with some reference
to their fame and the vast concourse it has at
traced One will feel, without realizing it,
. Here are ten thousand people drawn together by
'lhe expectation that shall make a great speech,
: and l must not disappoint them. The good OF
9 the cause demands it. He will thus feel that a
simple and candid setting forth of The grounds OF
difference between the two parties, with plain
and honest presentment of the reasons which i'm
pei him 10 adhere to the Wing side, all in the
manner which is easy and natural TO him, is not
all that is expected. He will be nscnsibly i'm
PEELED TO attempt more than this-in which case
he will be pretty certain to accomplish less.
Worse still is the effect on our young speak
ers They hear Choate, or Slbley, or Fowler
cheered for what TO them would be
something out Of the common way-a little
stiltcd or poetc-and they jump at the conclu-
sion that they mus! strain point and piunder
Demosthenes in order TO produce the desired ef
feet. But in truth the great orators they would
initiate are effective because the manner SO en-
Wed is perfectly natural to them. Were studied.
or wrought up, or put on before looking glass, it
would be as pontlcss and ineffective az the raw.
ings of any stage-struck chimney. sweep who
murders Otheo or Richard for glory and coppers
On one of our street.corners.
How it can be with great orators We can only
infer but we know that our considerate speak
ers of inferior pretensions would far sooner ad
dress neighborhood gathering of q few hun
dreds, comfortably seated and in condition to be
attentive, with time to speak and inclination to
hear and consider than to shout themselves hoarse
before crowded, constrained uneasy, iostling,
shifting mass of ten or twenty thousand, who
could not hear consecutively if they would, and
who must naturally regard any careful and pa
.ient statement and extended argument Of the
grounds in difference between the two parties as
out of place and bore. We have no doubt that
more good has been done, with less expense of
time or money, at the little township gatherings,
Of which nothing is said abroad, than at Mass
Meetings.
What then2 Shall we not have Mass Meet
inss and eminent Orators Certainly; the former
once in each County; the latter when we can
have them. But let US not rely
upon ,hese-let us not think no meeting worth
having but Mass Meeting, no speaker worth
having but a famous Orator. The victory is not
to BE- won by endless professions, Haunting BAN
ners, immense crowds, or brilliant oratory, out
by the quiet and calm diffusion and working OF
Truth. Many pungent notices have done harm
to the Cause by irritating waye,ing, hal.con-
yinced opponent, many great and voci'erously
applaaded speeches have done still greater injury
ey few taunting or exasperating words. 1t is
good to bear in mind past errors, and profit by
them.
IL The Eceaing Post talks of IA War OF
Apologies" on the part of the advocates of the
Tariff, but does not apologize for, explain. nor