Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-02
GAEL scHuaz AS A SPEAKER.


The people of San Francisco have had
the good fortune to hear political speech
from the Hon. Carl Schurz, and that is
treat the only drawback to which is that
it is very apt to establish standard in
possible of attainment by succeeding
speakers during the campaign We re-
gard Mr.. Schurz as the best political
reasoner in the field. His addresses are
all solidly argumentative He does not de-
pend upon the adventurous aids of rhetoric
or humor or invective. He appeals to
the thinking faculty of his hearers. He
does not pose as the headlong partisan,
insisting that the salvation of the race de-
Ponds upon the success of his faction. He
does not seek to win votes by painting the
opposition in lurid colors. He endeavors,
from first to last, TO be fair and candid, and
therefore his arguments are doubly effect.
i've. His San Francisco speech last week
was an admirable one in taste. temper and
matter. 1t was a clear and scrupulously
just estimate of the records of both the
great parties. The main thread of the
discourse has already been indicated in
his Indianapolis speech, which we re-
Gently published, but the manner
of treatment and the illustrations
were entirely new. He gave an account
OF the duties devolving upon the Presi-
dent, and proceeded to show how necessary
it is that the incumbent OF the executive
Office should be a trained Statesman, as
Garfield is, but as Hancock is not. His
defense of Garfield against Democratic at
tacks was cogent and convincing. He
demonstrated the absurdity of the suppo.
sition that man who for twenty-five years
has been in public positions affording con-
slant opportunities for the qualification of
venal predictions, and who had remained
houorably poor all that time, should have
sacrificed his reputation for the sake of
paltry three hundred dollars as charged
by the Democrats. The testimony of Mr..
Schurz on Garfeld's integrity is iadeed of
the utmost value, for no man bears
higher reputation for probity than himself, /
and his independence is too well known for
any doubt to exist that he would have
rather resigned his place in the Cabinet
than degrade himself by supporting pub
Gcly candidate of whose uprightness
he was not completely assured. The
chief value of Mr.. Schurz' speeches, how
over, is the proof they afford that it is
possible to be incisive without being coarse,
persuasive without being insincere, argu-
mentative without being bombastic, and
entertaining without the aid OF butfoonery.
his public speaking is of type which will
we trust some day be generally preferred.
1t is indeed of the highest order known to
political oratorY, and it is essentially fitted
IN the best way to appeal to the reason and
understanding of soher-minded and re.
becting men. The deep interest with |
which MIR. Schurz is everywhere listened
to proves that this kind of speaking finds
appreciation, moreover, and it is quite pos
sible even now that if politicians were not
afraid of fatiguing tie public by the aban.
donment of the old fashioned tricks of the
stump, they would discover fresh source
OF attraction in the substitution of this
method OF discoursing