River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-12-06
uKAIOKs IL THE SENATE.


Southern Journalists Estmate-Men
Who Draw and Keep Audiences To Day.
From the Augusta ga Chronicle.
When Mr. Conkling left the senate. one
of the really great orators of the republic
passed from that arena into quasi-retlre
Iuent He was most formidable debater,
because Of his eminent attainments and ex.
perience. He had no superior as an ora
tor, because of many gifts of person and
intellect. Many of his speeches were i'm
prOmptu, and it was wonderful what apt
ness there was in his selection of words,
and with what dextrous art he marshaled
his arguments. His set speeches, barring a
dramatic surrounding were models of their
kiud. 4 prodiglous memory, which Quin-
lillian calls the treasury of eloquence,
stood him in good stead, and the most in
tricate statistics were rolled as trippingly
from his tongue as the flowers of poetry or
the gladiatorial phrases Of rhetoric. His
voice was deep, resonant, full thIoated and
under perfect control. The least
whisper as we'll as the most strldent ej4cu-
lation. penetrated every nook Of the chap
ter There vas at times a monOtony Of
what NAV be called the statuesque in his de-
livery, and sometimes a stately yerbosity
that made us regret the crisp hereeness and
candor Of Z1ch.ria Chandler. But. as
Judge Davis aid, he was the best equipped
orator in public lfe," and beyond all
COMPARISON. the most remarkable Of repub-
lfcal, senator's His retirement from
the chamber left an untitled gap on that
side, and there is no one to fill his place.
Next % Mr.. COnkling IN readiness. but
not in ol0quence, is the grim Vermonter,
judge imlnds " Cs5 learning Is only
eg1aleG DY his lueegt Y. lhe 5peecneS OIL
Nj Edmund are more ike plain talk than
ANYTHING else, but they read admirably anc
are delivered without manuscript ai6s
Even Mr. Blaine. toward the lass, escorted
to written or printed slips, and ConklnG
and Edmunds were about the only repub.
leans who did not follow that plan. Nov
Mr. Eiuunds stands the solitary orator q
the republican senators an orator wlthou
elouuencc WHAT the new men may DO We
cannot ~: Int the chances are that they
will follow the fashion Of the majority.
on the democratic side the two Georgia
senators are extemp0taneous speakers
Nothing could be finner, in old days, thar
Nj Ilil's speeches, whether on the spur
OF the moment or prepared. lie was along
side Air. Cnnkllng as the great orator OF the
senate, and superior TO the New \ orkeT OF
ordinary occasions. They had deseryed9
great respect for each others intellectual
u.
many, neither transcribed the courtesy OF
debate SHARP hard blows were giyeT
and taken, bur always within parliamentary
limits leaving no sting behind. What eff
feet the wound upon Dir. Hills tongue may
hnyr upon his eloqueuce we can only con
lecture 1t will, for some time to come
lmr .ir the rOtuudity and symmetry Of his
articulation, but some Of his more recent
utteisuces have, from common report
been III no sense inferior to the splendid
exhibitions Of the past
Senator Brown has made many speeches
and none from manuscript, His series OF
addresses in the extra session last spring wer,
the most memorable of that time, excep
Hills terrible arraignment Of Malone. Ou
Of that contest the junior Georgia senator
came as the conquerng hero. The champion
Of repubHeanIsnI met MIN and were sorry
for il. Logan illustrated the state of feel
ing when, having been asked why he di1
not pitch into Joe BROWN" retorted that h
had been IN and was not going again
During that extraordinary tenu our senato
deprecated making ;" many speeches, ans
SO stated 10 Senator Butler, of South Caro-
guu. tut Bu,!er saw that he WAS Just the
Jnan to make Dawes and H0ar and HaWley
and Logan sick of the encounter, and Sc
encouraged him to keep up the hOarhound
which he did An old officer of the SEN
ate, who had been in place for % years
told the writer that of all the senators he
had known GOV Brown, in an intellectual
combat ON the chamber floor, carried away
more of his opponents euhcle."
voorhees, reads his speeches, so does
Pendletou, so does David Davis. so does
Hampton Mr.. Lamar hardly trusts him
self without manuscript, even when il
would not take i've minutes to deliver what
ne mas composed Even Vance, the won
der Of the hastings, sticks to his essay be.
fore him, and sacrifices the flavor of his or
atorical dueney. Mr.. Beck is in the same
category.
The rising orator Of the senate is Georg,
Vest, of Missouri, He is a genius. Hi
tlure is as short and unheroic as that o.
T. imuud kean was said TO be. But, like
the famous tragedian, he has that within
which more than makes amend for some
defects Of person. Mr.. Vest may be fairly
rl5Ssed as one Of the few consumate ora
tors Of the senate. He has nearly ever.
endowment for usefulness and brillancy
as a speaker. and no man is more admired
for his orltOry and feared for his power OF
rGtUrt.