River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-10-20
SENATORIAL ORATORS.
\ Description of the Methods of some
of our Distinguished senators.

files are brought from their hooks, anc
cords of paper are used in taking notes
These notes are filed out, put in order
and then you have set speech.
David Davis, perhaps mere than an,
other senator, indulges in manuscript
preparing even a five minute speed
with great care. This is his inhexibl,
rule, and has been since he entered
public life. After he delivers hi
speeches, or rather after. he reads them
ne hands his manuscript to Mr.. Muir
ply, the senate stenographer, who
sends it to the government printing
Office. The compositors never have
any anathemas for the judges writing
which is large, distinct, and full o
character.
Edmunds never uses notes, and once
a speech is out of his mouth, he doesn't
bother his head about it. During al
the years he has been in the senate he
has not revised single speech. He
turns everything in his mind before
hand, and never rises to address the
senate without having weighed in the
scales of his great mind what he in
tends saying.
Ben Hill will speak for three hours
without scrap of paper. The only
preparation he makes is marking refer
ences or passages in this book or that
/ have seen him time and again, thun-
der away for two hours without stop
ping even for glass of water. He re-
vises his speeches, however, makes adj
ditions and corrections in clear hand
Il haf M hf.x
gives the printers little trouble with
his proof Hill has an astounding
memory, and no man in public life,
except Edmunds, has such impertur-
bility. The only man who could well
worry Hill or excite his wrath in de-
bate was the late Matt Carpenter. How
it tickled Carpenter to put some adroit
question at the Georgian and get him
confused la hard thing to do at any
time, but Carpenter often succeeded.
And it was more the result of an ire
sistible propensity for fun than any
thug else, for never was man who had
less malice than Matt Carpenter.
He had heart as big as a noun
tain. He was exceedingly particular
about his speeches when they were
upon legal questions. After he got
the proof from the foreman Of The
Record he would hack it to pieces, send
the corrected proof back, get a second,
and treat it in like manner. His writ
ing was characteristic, hard to read-a
rcllicking, harm scarum sort of a fist
and study to the printers. He used
to say: "The shortest road is the best
road when you're in a hurry" and
though he could write fine, full,
round hand, he dashed off everything
at lightning speed.
Another senator who, like Edmunds,
never revised speech, was Thurman.
Occasionally he spoke from manuscript,
but the stenographer took down every
word he said, as the old gentleman
would forget his manuscript, and DRIFT
into extemporary eloquence. Thur
man, though never a graceful speaker,
was al ways forcible. He was, beyond
all doubt, the ablest of the democrats,
and that from the time he entered the
senate.
Bayard works hard at his speeches,
and though he writes them ont and
follows his manuscript closely, he re-
vises after proof is taken. He makes
few changes, however. but holds the
proof very often until 2 o'clock In the
morning, as he spends his evening gen.
orally in social circles. He is good
penman, writing a medium run
ming hand.
Lamar is great reviser, cuts proof
into tatters, writes horrible hand, and
tries the soul of a printer. Occasion
ally he goes down to the government
printing office to look after his speech
es, which, when published, are vastly
different from the stenographer's re-
port of them.
Senator Conkling seldom made cor
rection of his utterances in the senate
chamber. He is perhaps the best ex-
temporaneous speaker in the United
States, and even his remarks in running
debate are splendid induces of great
ability. During the extra session oil
the Forty sixth congress he delivered q
speech upon the army appropriation
bill without note, papers, book, or ref
erence of any kind. When the vice
president announced, "the senator from
New York" up rose the stately form oil
Roscoe Conkling. Never before or since
had senator such an audience. He
spoke for four hours. Before the adj
journment of the senate $50, 900 copies
of his speech had been subscribed for
Every printing establishment in Wash
ington sent to the senator its lowest es.
innate. In very short time, Oyster,
one of the best living typos, and fore
man of The Congressional Record, had
the proof of the great speech ready.
He took it up to Wormley's about
O'Clock in the morning, and asked for
Senator Conkling. "Hs is not up yet,
said the private secretary; "the senator
breakfasts about II; however, as you
are in hurry, and want to see after
the speech shall call him." ''Tell Mr.
Oyster to come in-ah! how do you do,
Mr.. OYSTER" and Lord Chesterfield was
never more polite than vas Conkling in
his nightshirt. After rubbing his eyes
he looked at the proof, made a few
changes, and struck out the ''Hon." be-
fore Roscoe Conkling." You will new
er find it prefxed to his name in any
speech intended for general distribution
After he received the speech he wrote
his thanks, very kindly, to Foreman
Oyster, as follows:
UNITED STATES SENATE CHAMBER, May l. 1879
Ny Dear Sir: beg you to receive my thanks
for the bound speech, and for your kindness
throughout. / am glad to have made your ac-
quantance, and trust may know you better in
future Cordially yours,
L. W. OYSTER, Esq. Roscoe CoSKLING-
Of all the senators Conkling writes
the best hand-large, easy, graceful,
and legible. His signature, however,
would be study to any one not &C
quainted with it.
The present secretary of state, when
a member of the senate, used to look
carefully after his speeches, which, for
the most part, were made from "head-
ings." Probably there never was in
the United States senate a man who
needed less preparation than James G..
Blaine. He is infallible in history and
impregnable in debate. His memory
of facts and faces is absolutely wonder
full. He can begin with William the
Conqueror and give you the name of
every sovereign of England down to
Victoria, with the dates of their reigns
Now and then the senator would give
his personal attention to the printing of
speech. One morning Oyster found
him busy cutting up copy" for the
printers. "Hello, Oyster, Pm ahead of
you. See, I'm dividing copy" "Yes,
Senator I see voll're ahead of mo. hut