Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-03-17

How Speeches arc made and Delivered.
The following 10 an extract from a
Washington letter to the Cincinnati
Times: VI & a'f -.sft~
There are those now in Congress who
can remember the time when man was
laughed at for attempting to read writ
ten speech in that body. James Brooks,
Of New York, who, twenty FIVE years
ago, was newspaper correspondent at
this point, tells story about member
from Vermont, who was anxious to de-
liver speech, and lacked the capacity Of
either speaking extempore. or commit.
ting what he wrote to memory.
He brought his Yankee ingenuity into
play. and having written bis speech, con-
ceived plan of reading it without hold
ing the manuscript before him. He
wrote it on short, narrow slips of paper,
and placing it in his hat, put the latter
upon his desk. Every few minutes h,
would put his hand into his bat aud turn
over page. The fact that he VAS read.
ing a speech from manuscript became
known 10 the House, and some of the
Southern wags, who were focd of a joke
no matter at whose expense, walked past
where the Vermont member stood and
carelessly brushed the hat off his desk
: His condition may be imagined. He
could not proceed. There was general
laugh all through the hall, succeeded by
an unusual silence. Taking advantage
of this, the unlucky Vermonter explained
to the Speaker that he was the editor Of
a newspaper, and had not been in tho
habit of making speeches; he therefore
begged the indulgence of the House to
allow him TO read it.
If that member could turn up in the
House now, ne would have no occasion
to make apologies for reading manuscript
speeches. He might have occasion to
apologize for delivering an cxtempore
speech, for reading speeches is the rule,
while the other is the exception. .
LEAVE TO PRINT"
do not know who inaugurated the
practice of allowing members to print in
the Globe speeches or essays never de-
livered in Congress. 1t ia an abuse,
however, which calls loudly for refsrm.
l heard Speaker Blaine say few days
ago that two thirds Of the Globe is com
posed of speeches which have been in
serted in it by members who had leave
to print / suppose it is generally
known that members of Congress some
times find it more convenient to purchase
written speeches than to write them
themselves. There is story told of a
clever Bohemian, who, a few years ago,
made considerable money out of writing
speeches to order for members.
He was an INSCRIPTIONS rascal, and
would write Democratic or Republican
speeches with equal feryor and facility.
Having more orders on hand on one oc.
casion than be could fill, lie conceived
the idea of duplicating one speech to two
members. He happened to ascertain
that the parties ordering them wanted
them for the purpose of asking leave to
print and they never intended deliver
ing them in the House. This suited ex.
actly. Each member got his speech.
asked and obtained leave to print and
the one speech BY two different members
may be found at length in the pages of
the Globe which contain the debates of
the seth Congress Speaking of pur-
chasing speeches recalls an incident which
happened in the 39th Congress. II illus.
trates ut once the tnesnness Of some
Congressman, and the surprising facility
with which bohemian speech makers
adapt themselves to either side of qres-
ton. asa. s.
A certain member from the Vest, en-
gagged speech for which he proposed
paying SIS. The subject was to be 70,
construction and was to be treated from
a radical stand point. The speech was
forthcoming at the proper time. Before
parting with IL however, tie Bohemian
demanded his money. The Congress