The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-06-25
SAVING THE COUNTRY.
THE sTuMPER's POWER fo That END
oratorical Methods andSHe -They AIRS
utilized in Political Campaigns
A High Order of Ability
Necessary.
george c, Matthews, in the Qurren.,l ,

This is the summer for saving The coun!'
try 1t Is the quadrennial period when
great men are made small and small men
greati when party records are hung out
Cor airing; when the candidates. great
grandparents .get.-llin- -into-no end of
trouble; when the grinding of axes is
heard in the land and the voice OF the ora
tor aover is still. And, speaking of orators,
calls TO mind the fact that the day OF the
orator has not passed. It's sometimes as
serted that the writer and the newspaper
have superseded tine public speaker. This
is not true. The orator is,in as great de.
mand.as he ever was, but his functions
have changed. .Intimes Of great political
excitement the oratorical resources of the
country are best developed, the ratio OF the
development depending entirely upon the
magnitude OF the issue. People nova.
days sit at the feet Of the great orators for
cntertaimnent rather than FOR instruction.
Tto newspaper anticipates the orator and
thepeeple seek the printing press rather
chan the stump for in orlnaton. The aver.
age audience is, therefore, well informed
and the speaker has the advantage of in.
taligent ears. But ithas grown, and nat
IRA iy enongh, much harder for the stump.
erto convince or turn the opposition, and
even those WHO come prepared 10 applaud
80 CO seek for confirmation of their con.
lotions.
ln,WHily The people haze grown TO look
loa 5re'o:s as they looi; upon actors. II
e, accordingly easy 10 see ,in what re.
pects the ia;ict on oi the orator has
ihenred. BE is now beard fer bis ability
TO give artistic expression 20 known ideas.
:.s calling i,, IN tlis regard, much liRe
t- 81 lAo ac. OF. 'lu gteat political con.
ver.i6na, where The mos. important party
interests are ut stake, but few voters are
nGpc,odhy the eioqucuce Of leaders, yet
ihe people q the galleries hang with
treatnless interest upon tie words OF some
!45n known :or the mut.c OF his voice and
TOO vigor of his periods. In the campaign
t4ct follows he convention the political
missionaries who GO riding up and down
iae highways, eShortinS the people, are
tgE' out nio.e because of their personal
popularity, magnetic qualities. and ability
encourage the friends of the particular
Gauss througn confident and apt assertion,
than because OF tGear Grgumontative pow.
crs. The political debate is, accordingly,
a thing oflthe past. The people prefer 10
sit Gs easy-going auditors, rather than as
jurors. 'Ei
Nevertheless, Il requires very high or
der Of ability TO be an effective stumper In
these days. The people have become more
critical of an orators manner, both in its
physical and intellectual manifestations,
and are impatient under the most elaborate
effort Of speaker who gives 10 his discourse
10 coloring and who ignores the epigram
and the sharp, strong metaphor as insprit.
ing agencies. The audience is interested
IN how he does Il, rather than in what he
does. ltis an age of booms and booming
and, as booms are the product Of temporary
popular fancies, ofsudden and exhilarating
inspirations, it is the mission of the stump.
er to develop them or 10 propel them after
they have been developed. While IL is on
the stump that theIrond Of popular oratory
is best observed, tpay also be perceived
In the pulpit or On the rostrum. The
didactic speaker Is becoming rare. 1t must
not be imagined, from this condition ol
things, that the people are not oager tc
learn and to know. They have become
enormous readers, owing TO the cheapness
and convenience OF the newspapers, and Il
has followed that they have learned h
make up their minds without the aid ol
demonstrators. The idle nature Of much
Of the speaking Of the time is seen in Con
gress, where "pairs" ore formed before
debates ON questions OF the gravest mo.
ment begin. The partisan speaker is
handicapped by his partisanism, and his
utterances have come to be generally taken
with grain Of salt
The vital work in campaigns is now
done in Dmmittee rooms and not in the
open. The stumpers are employed In the
same manner as hreworks-to draw 0
crowd and TO warm up the hearts OF
party men. He Is not sent out as
Of the other side, but rather TO en-.
courage his own party comrades to cleave
unto the faith. Stumping has, therefore,
become very pretty and attractive bust.
ness, and speech.making is not so ardu.
Gus q matter Gs 1t was, since facts and
figures are not wanted by the audience,
who are sufficiently advised as TO them, Il
being left with the speaker to simply
take a position and maintain II 10 the
satisfaction Of those who were pre.de.
termined to approve all ho said. Such Is
the duty Of the stumper. or course
there are higher demands on orators
than this-in the lecture room, the pull
pit, and on great occasions that have
no relation to politics. But all orators
must take cue from the art OF the
stumper, who takes for granted that the au
dience Is sufficiently informed as to the facts
OF the case and only desires pertinent and
happy deductions, with as much OF the
speakers personality included as will give
10 the whole discourse an agreeable flavor,
1t does not follow that great speeches,
worthy OF regard as classic, may not be
made. On the contrary, this very con-
ditlon seems productive Of great speeches.
The college students who think there is nc
demand In these days for this oratorical
quality are much mistaken and should be
set right. Everywhere Is eloquence de-
manded. The age Is not growing as dull
and practical and colorless as some
imagine. 10, fs1J 4-.f .rsoi ,4laai ,l
The stumper, With all his partisanshipi
bis unfairness 70 tho other side, has done
much for, the country. He, at least, de-
clares himself in favor Of American insti.
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