The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-06-19
THE DEMAeoGUr IN po1Ir1os.

ert the influence nor attain the position
he did few years ago. People now ex-
anime men and Subjects more critically,
and are inclined to take things more at
their real value. Blind partisanship is
on the wane, and the voters of the coun-
| try are much more given than formerly
to a careful examination of each subject
as it comes up instead Of supporting or
opposing measure because of the party
that originated 1t. This habit on the part
OF the masses of doing little OF their
own thinking has had the effect of max
ing the demagogue much less conspic-
uous figure in politics than he was for
merly.
The man that now mounts the rostrum
and commences by proclaiming his love
for the people, and his untiring devotion
to their interest; who is emphatic in tell
ing them how many sacrifices he is will
ing to make for their good, and steps
from the rostrum to the ground, remark
ing that his love for the peopleis 80 great
tnat he wants to stand on level with
them, and have talk about the matters
he has spent sleepless nights working
out in his mind for their good; is still a
character in politics, but he has lost his
influence, and people regard him as a
relic of the age when it was the custom
to indorse all that your party did. and
condemn every act of your opponents
without any regard to the merits of the
acts themselves.
What people now want who listen to
political orators is tull explanations OF
the views, platforms and records of the
two parties and the candidates they pre-
sent. They fully understand how much
PGovernor Allen and General Hayes love
the dear people and how devoted they
are to all that concerns the interest of
the citizens Of the great State OF Ohio,
but they demand bill of particulars.
They want to know how the platforms of
the two parties are construed ON the va
rious subjects they touch. They know
that times are hard, business dull, and
work slack. and they want to know how
it is proposed to make these things bet
ter. They know that taxes are high,
that much money has been unnecessarily
spent Under one pretense and another
that has not benefited them, and they
would like to know what the parties that
are now asking their votes propose to
do about this in the future.
When orators persist in talking about
national affairs their hearers would like
to learn about the expenses OF running
the Government. How much money has
been collected each year and what has
been done with it. How successful the
Government has been in securing the
services of honest men, and how much
it has lost by dishonest ones. They
would like to be told what the party the
orator represents proposes to do on the
currency, the tariff, the National Bank
and other questions, and how such ac-
tion will affect their interest. In brief,
the demagogue of the past is not the po.
litical speaker to whom the people now
care to listen. They know how much con-
fdence can be placed in his smooth talk,
and are neither entertained nor infu-
enced by it. He who would either please
his audience and create favorable i'm
pressien for himself or advance the in
terests Of his party mnst now de. more
than proclaim his own devotion to the
public good, and then prate on in the
vein that he thinks wiu pandermost sue
oessfuiiy to the passions and prejudices
Of the people. Snch men are merely tol-
Grated, and if applauded at the time,
when their hearers 60 home and think
over what has been said they doTso with
feeling OF disgust for both the SPEAKER
and the cause he advocated. .