The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-04-17
BISMARCK IN DEBATE.

bismarck is by no means finished, not
even ready or natural, orator. The
knightly appearance of the Prince, his
ease of manner, and, above all, his reputa-
ton as diplomatist and statesman, would
lead us to suppose him an orator-either
one who would deliver profound and
we'll arranged speech without hesitation or
effort, or, still more, an orator Of natural
eloquence, whose words and figures would
flow from his lips as the creations of the
moment, and entrance or enkindle the
hearts of his hearers But this is NOS the
case. Occasionally he may be seen at his
desk wingng his way rapidly with his quill
over narrow strip of paper while some
member is on the platform. All know
what this means, and at a slight bow of
his head the President announces that
Prince Bismarck, Chancellor of the EN-
pire, has the floor. AS he rises there is a
general demand for silence all over the
House, with the exclamation, He is
speakingr He inclines his body toward
the Assembly, winds his thumbs around
each other, and casts an occasional glance
at the House; but he stops, hesitates,
sometimes even stammers, and corrects
himself; he seems to struggle with his
words, which ascend unwillngly to his
lips; after two or three there will be a
short pause, when one can almost hear a
suppressed swallow. He speaks without
gesture, feeling, or emphasis and often
fails in the accentuation of final syllables,
so as to weaken his thought. One wonders
if this is the man with a parliamentary
career behind him of more than quarter
of century, during which period he has
been in every legislative body of his coun-
try, meeting with bitterest opposition from
the Liberal party in his early career, parry
ing their most caustic words in kind, and
replying, with wonderful presence of mind,
10y the wittiest impromptus or the most cut
ting sarcasm. 1t is the same man, and pres
flows with more warmth, and unfolds its
peculiar attraction: series of original,
fresh, gritty, and significant expressions,
which tell more by their power than their
beauty. His speeches are collections of
sentences rather than the development of a
smooth and logical train of reasoning.
Many of them have gone into history as pro-
verbal, such as "Cataline exstences,"
Blood and iron, Austria must move its
center of gravity toward the Orient" etc.
Some months ago, after listening to long
diatribes about the evils of the recent wars,
and the burdens which they have brought
upon the people as nation, he quietly
arose and said: "After each one of the
recent wars the nation has enjoyed greater
amount of parliamentary liberty the be-
fore them" This was SO strikingly true
that it was folly to argue that they had led
to tyranny. And he closed by saying
But, nevertheless, gentlemen, the Ger
man nation has right to expect from us
that we shall prevent the return of such
catastrophe; and am convinced that the
allied Governments desire nothing so much
as to effect this purpose" With this beau
tiful admonition, simple though dignitied,
and expressed with fervor, he electrified
the audience as if he were the greatest
orator, and then sat down amid deafening
applause from all parts of the House
Thus with apparently no oratorical power,
he seldom takes the floor without confirm
ing his nation in the belief that, take him
all in all, he is statesman such as Ger
many has never before enrolled in her an
nails, and whom tho world at large may
well envy her in possessing.
iScri6ner for AprH