The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-03-12
ORATOR AND STATESMAN.
Cleveland as a Public Speaker--His
Manner in Delivering the In
augRral.

augRral.
New York Sun.
Mr.. Cleveland was a surprise as pub
lie speaker. His voice is hutelike, almost
birdlike, in its clearness and penetrating
power, and his lungs proved strong
enough to-day to send it to 50 great a dis
lance that some of his utterauces were
applauded by men who seemed q city
block away. His enunciation was dis
tinct, and he modulated his voice TO give
force to his sentences. His position
while speaking was easy and was not
at all ungraceful. 1t showed him not
only at ease but very confident. He held
his head so high that it might have been
described as thrown slightly back, but
only at long intervals did he slowly raise
his right hand. move it little as if to
emphasi e a sentence, and then drop it
to the railing. At other times he lifted
the same hand, his right one, to glance
at the notes of headings of his address
that he had iotted down on a visiting
card. His left hand he held behind him.
Arthur, who leaned over SO as to see the
speakers face and catch every word, and
Chief Justice Waite, who had sunk back
in his seat SO that the glossy satin that
rose in a globe-shaped mound betrayed
his almost aldermantic corporation-in
fact, it glittered in the sun like satin
ball. Senator John Sherman never once
took his eyes from Mr.. Cleveland's figure,
but it was impossible to see whether he
was listening or not.
At first almost every sentence Mr.
Cleveland spoke was applauded, and
the crowd INSTRUCTED its own hearing by
its own noise; but bit by bit the frank as
sertions and unexpected sentiments the
president was uttering arrested their
attention, until in ten minutes the 81
lence became almost abnormal. Many
of the public men on the platform who
have been accustomed to addressing
great assemblages remarked it. If child
had cried anywhere in that dense broad
mass of men its voice must have been
heared by all who were there. The APP
plause when the people were pleased
came as frequently as the main points in
the address followed one another, but it
was sent up in short, sharp volleys, and
the same marked silence followed it each
time.
Only twice was Mr.. Cleveland obliged
to defer to a general desire to continue
the cheering. That was when he out
lined his foreign policy, and when he
said what the audience thought indicated
strong opposition to the Chinese. Then
the people roared until they lost breath,
and roared again.
The yell of the southerners, which was
a distinguishing feature of the applause,
is noise with which most New Workers
are wholly unfamiliar. There were
thousands of southern men in the vast
throng. Their dark compilations, some
times their broad slouch hats, sometimes
their long hair, and oftener yet, the cut
and color of their clothes betrayed them.
The northerners roared, but these south
erners sent up a shrill, sharp yell which,
when prolonged, was like a scream.
The democratic senators and congress
men were the only persons on the plat
form behind Mr.. Cleveland who applau
ded him. They did so fequently .'How's
that?" what do you think Of that ?
they shouted to one another, and once
one of them said quite audibly. "Isnt
he feeling solid and at home, though
Well, guess you'll think so before long.
II took Mr. Cleveland a little less thar
twenty minutes to deliver the address
The impression he made was favorable tt
him. 1t was seen that he has few of tn,
arts and graces of an orator. But all ad
mitted that his voice was most excellent
ly suited to such an occasion, and tina
his manner was earnest and impressive