Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-24

1t must be some consolation for New Haven in
its defeat on the capitol question to find its
cause supported by the best minds of the state,
as the papers of that city say it was. We have
not read any of the speeches on this great sub
ject, our time being otherwise fully occupied
but, from the praise bestowed upon them, we
infer that they are well worth reading by any
one who has the time to spare The Connect
cut legislature is undoubtedly, if we may trust
the opinion of the New Haven Palladium, the
best school of oratory in this country if not in
the world. We do not learn that the speakers
in the interest of Hartford displayed
remarkable power, but the oratoy on
the other side was wonderful. Not to
| speak OF the New Haven members, who, we
are told, abundantly satisfied their constituents,
which must imply that they were no way in
ferior TO the members from other towns, there
was Terrence of Derby, who made compact,
logical argument" whose irony was cour-
teous, but most effective" Scranton, who STRUCK
sledge-hammer blows, yet all in good nature
and with the best effect" and Tibbets of New
London, who made a mastery speech, as fine
in its rhetoric as in its logic" But the great
orator of the occasion was undoubtedly Mr..
Waller of New London, whose speech, the Pal
ladum says, was zone of the finest efforts of the
kind we ever listened to-" His denunciatio rs
were "almost terrific, and his plea for New Hat
ven was most touching" One of the gems
of this brilliant Grafton has been preserved, aud
we are assured that it is equal to the best turn
that John Randolph ever gave TO an opponent"
Here it is: "That old gentleman who thus jeers
at the plghted faith of our ancestors, would
turn our monuments into smoke stacks and our
grave yards INTO beer gardens" That is GER
| tainly a good thing, quite equal to John Ran
doph's best, but we are almost ashamed to con-
TESS that, without the Paladiums assurance to
the contrary, we might have been betrayed into
expressing the ridiculous opinion that some of
Randolph's retorts were more singing.
Mr.. Waller, we are glad to know, sis truly
in all respects an orator of the highest order"
A speech which ELECTS such praise must be
really worth reading at some sacrifice OF minor
demands upon ones time, for except Mr.. Wal
Ter, we are not sure that there is now living in
the United States any man who can be truly
described as "in all respects an orator of the
the report of his speech in the newspapers and
read it carefully, but were dissuaded by the
statement that the sketches of it, (Which must
necessarily be short, do not do anything like
justice TO this eloquent young gentleman"
This is great pity; a masterpiece of eloquence
like that ought not to be lost to the world
by the incompetence of a reporter or the
ordinary exgenoies OF daily journal.
Connecticut should have an official short
hand reporter for Mr.. Waller, and she would
have more reason for an official report of de-
bates than congress has for the Globe, since the
latter body has not at present single orator, in
all respects of the highest order. The Connecti.
cut legislature, however, must be a singularly
obtuse and impassive assembly or else shame
essly yenal, for here was the highest order of
oratory, and abundance of it, employed in
good cause, opposed by some feeble and sophis-
teal speakers, yet the latter carried their point
by handsome majority. Oratory evidently
goes for little in that assembly, perhaps because
the supply is too abundant.