Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-07-31
Mr.. Binin, wiiiTnke the stump


------------------------
Mr.. Blaine wiiiTnke the stump"
The announcement is made that
Blaine will TAX the stump. and "speak"
in all the doubtful States. While this
would be emnently characteristic OF Mr..
Blaine, it would certainly be q very fool
ish and dangerous experiment, unless, as
Is probably the cas-, Mr. Blaine consid-
ers that his chances for election are
hopeless without some powerful counter
netting influence, and has determined to
risk everything and make one supreme
effort TO roll back the tide and achieve
success by the force of his own personal
exertions. Mr.. Blaine is gifted and
powerful public speaker, and like all
men who excel in any particular thing,
very likely greatly over estimates the
effects Of oratory in political campaign
like the present. We have no doubt
that Sullivan, the slogger. thinks that
his profession is one of the most impor-
tant and highly regarded in existence,
and that people everywhere would extol
and favor him in any desired way, If re-
quired, on account of his abilities in
"the manly art" On the same princi-
pie II may be supposed that Mr.. Blaine
believes that he mas only to open his
mouth and "speak" to produce great
changes in public sentiment In his be-
half. 1t is probable, however, as above
suggested, that MIR. Blaine regards the
exigency M perilous, or he would not
risk the experiment, much faith as he
may have in its efficacy. Every presi
Dental nspirant who has tried speaking
in his own interest, heretofore, has
failed, and Mr.. Blaine will prove no ex-
ception. Stephen A. Douglas and sever
oil other presidential candidates in the
past, under like pressure. endeavored to
snatch victory from the jaws of defeat,
in the same way; but the result in every
case was that instead of bettering the
conditions of such candidates, as far AZ
the experiment had any appreciable
effect il seemed to iniure them and add
TO the burden of their defeat. And it
will hardly be claimed that even Blaine
with all his magnetism, OF which we
heard so much at the beginning of the
campaign, and of which we now hear so
little, is the superior OF "tho Little Giant
OF Illinois" in oratory and debate.
The truth is that oratory and "elo-
guence" amount to very little these
days. The railroad, the telegraph, the
telephone and the daily newspaper,
have relegated the "orator' back to the
days when there were not even post
offices in existence; and when as with
ou native Indians, all information had
% be communicated by messengers, her.
Ids and word OF mouth. In olden
OF vast influence. He could project his
thoughts upon the attention OF others,
aud could often accomplish his designs
by the moulding OF public opinion. But
now this is all changed. Nobody gets
an opinion from public speaker.
Through the public press, the people,
who are now generally educated and in
telligent, learn the facts in regard TO oc
currences as soon Us the orators do, and
are as fully informed OF them and their
relations as the orators are: and, as a
result, if there be any matter at issue,
the people have read all the evidence
and decided the case-have formed
fixed opinion, long before the orator has
ever had a chance to be heard. In the
expressive slang of the day, talk Is
cheap" Besides this, the people have
generally come to understand what those
of old appear not to have thoroughly
known, that those who can talk the
most and make the best speech, do not
necessarily know the most, Somebody
has expressed the idea that speech-mak.
ers are to be looked upon in the light of
Interpreters, who render into ordinary
language, easily unde 'ood, the
Thoughts evolved by the deep minds of
the real thinkers. Napoleon could not
make aspeech, neither could Washing
ton, yet both had great capacity for
civil government, rs well as for war
Locke, the philosopher, could not make
a speech; neither can Herbert Spencer,
who is probably the thinker OF the pres.
ent day whose ideas have attracted more
attention in regard to social problems
than any other mans. So of hundreds
of others that might be mentioned,
As to Mr.. Blaine, he has been in pub.
lie life for quarter OF century, and
what leading thought in the science of
government has he advanced
In fact, what has he ever
done but talk, talk: We admit
he is good talker, but "the barking
dog never bites What has he done
That is what we want to know. That
is what the people want to know.
Those who talk the most generally do
the least. The only original idea we
ever knew of his evolving was that reve-
nues raised from whisky by the United |
States Government should be ap- |
porIloned among the States according to |
population We doubt if there are
hundred men in the land who agree
with Mr.. Blaine in this cumbrous, in
equitable system OF double.handling and
unjust distribution of the public money,
in manner that would deludge the
nation with fraud and corruption. So
that Mr.. Blaine, ii he goes on the
stump this Fall, will have an herculean
task before him, taking the affirmative,
as he must, to prove to the people that
he is great and wise and good; that he
has the only correct information and
opinions on political topics, and that he
should be elected President in prefer.
ence to all other men. We do not be.
lieye he will accomplish it.
In addition to all the foregoing diff
culties, as the exponent and embodiment
of the Republican party, he will find
himself in the predicament of the lawyer
we once heard of, who acted as his own
attorney in a case before jury. In
making his argument before the jury he
referred to his own testimony in eulo.
CYSTIC terms. Contrast, he said, my
..-.....az.5-.,-