Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-18
noted of recent
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most noted of recent Con-
-Tesses greatly differ. Mr.. Edmunds'
style is that of absolute simplicity. His
sentences are short, his words express
the exact shade of meaning he desires to
convey. He uses no metaphors, no Illus
trations. His speech is as clear and as
cold as ice. He yer is animated, never
but once betrayed emotion, but stands
Ike a man IN a witness box. his hands
clasped together, occasionally lifting the
fore finger Of his right hand. Every one
listens, every one understands, many are
convinced, but nOEe are impressed, and
he never made a hearers pulse beat a
stroke quicker than usual, ror had au
auditor v no held his breath. Mr.. Thur
man, somewhat like Mr.. Edmunds in his
utter simplicity and freedom from oTna-
ment and his clearness, unlike Edmunds.
became heated, and at times vehement,
and then would saw the air with vigorous
right-hand blows. Mr.. Carpenter trampled
the traditions of the schools under his
feet when he spoke. His style was at
times exceedingly embellished, metaphors
suggested themselves to him as uniquely
and appropriately as they did to CARLYLE,
his diction was pure and his sentences
rhythmical, so that at times he seemed al
most TO be repeating blank verse. His
high-pitched voice was singularly pleas
ing, and was modulated with great skill.
With MS long. white locks scattered all
over his head. and sometimes over his
eyes. frequently with one or both hands
thrust i'm his pockets, sometimes franti-
cally gesticuiating, he followed none Of
the lessons OF ClccutlOn. I ct he was re-
garded as a singu arly graceful speaker,
and every one u his gestures meant some
thing.
Mr.. Conkling seemed to delight to play
with his sentences. He spoke slowly,
with long pauses between his sentences,
with a most remarkable intOnatiOn which
the curious enunciation Of Henry Irving
most nearly suggests. Mr.. ConklIng de-
lighted in involved sentences, the more
labyrinthine the better. Starting with
his subject, he would frequently insert
parenthetical sentences. with which he
would travel over all the parts Of speech,
making involutiOns within inYOlutlOns.
until, just as he seemed TO have become
lost in the labyrinth, he would emerge
plump in the predicate for the original
sentence. This very dangerous habit new
er tripped Mr.. COnkling; and though with
Gus, he was able to make his hearers
rather like it. Mr.. Conkling seldom ges-
ticulated and rarely became heated, rely
ing for his strongest effects upon the sug-
gesti0n OF reserved power which he well
knew how to exercise.
Mr. Bayard labOrs with a voice that is
weak, almost effeminate. Yet he is re-
garded as one of the most graceful speak
eTs in the Senate. He is more diffuse IN
MS style than some others, but no mans
diction is superior to his. Ar. Bayard fol-
lows the traditions OF the schools. His ora
tory and gestures are accurately proper,
and he never violates the rules in this re-
spect. Mr. Vest is tl0wery speaker. He
has something Of Mr.. Carpenters power
of bedecking a legal argument with
rhetorical flowers, and as he sometimes
gets not with conviction and the desire OF
imprcssing 1t, he seldom speaks without
having the entire Senate for listeners.
Two of the most entertaining speakers 81
the Senate are Logan and ingalls,, and for
precisely opposite reasons. Logan is
fierce, often when there seems to be no
call for fer. city; Ingalls, is as cold as an ic!-
Gle. Logan easily works up to white heat;
no one ever saw Ingalls, when he seemed
TO have an emotion. Logan waDders IN
his enthusiasm all over the fields of
rhetoric, ard sometimes gets mlred IN
the swamps; ingalls, is alw3 classically
correct. Logan 10 effective when deliver
ing sledge-hammer blows, and absurd
when he essays sarcasm; Ingalls, never
attempts to WELD the sledge hammer, but
his sarcasm cuts az keenly, quickly and
deeply as japanese hsri-kari knife. In
gals stands ike a statue, like the zero
point personifed; Logan dances ard
prances over the chamber like a hot-
bl0oded savage at war dance. Both Of
these men, however, are effective speak
ers, both command the attention Of the
Senate and the galleries, and both effect
their purpose in their speeches, foT both
make an impression.
1t is the opinion of men qualified to
Judge that. should q great occasion arise
for the exhibition of eloquence and orato-
~, there are men to-day in both Houses
of Congress who would be able to reach
vhp highest ideals of the art