The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-02-06
Orators of Oongress-Their Many Ways Of
Preparing and Delivering Speeches.

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The men most eminent for theil
power of oratory in recent Congresses
however, have spurned the use of man
uscrpt. The late Senator Carpenter
whom many regarded as the most fas
ciua,ing speaker of recent years il
Congress, despised a written speech
He once said that he might as vel
shut himself up in an iron cage, and
try TO talk through the bars. He be-
lieved in preparation, but not in pre-
scription. Mr.. Conkling, while in the
Senate, never laid his manuscript open
on his desk Never read u speech
and, like Mr.. Carpenter, never hesta
ted for word. Yet both these ora
tors never spoke without preparation
Mr.. Edmunds seldom makes long
speeches, rarely exceeding fifteen min
utes. He speaks always extempora
neously, and never revises the stenog
rapher's notes or proof slips. John
Sherman does not write his speeches
neither does Gen. Logan nor Senator
Hoar
The three most voluble Senators
Beck, Morgan, and Plumb, neither
write nor specially prepare theil
speeches, excepting to gather theiI
facts. None of these three, however
makes any claim to the possession Of
oratorical powers, though each is sin
gular in one respect. Mr.. Plumb is
the most rapid speaker who has been
in the Senate for many years. He
and Senator Beck are the only men
who ever taxed Mr.. Murphy's power
as stenographer to the fullest, and
many think Mr.. Murphy is the most
rapid stenographer in the world. Mr.
Plumbs words are emitted with terrific
speed. He sometimes utters as many
as 250 in minute. Mr.. Beck, while
scarcely less rapid, speaks less clearly
than Mr.. Plumb, 80 that his words
sound just as the posts of a Virginia
fence look to man sitting at the win
dow of lightning express. Mr. Nor
gan's speech is rapid, flows as continu
ously as running brook, with much
the same pleasantly bubbling sound.
He never prepares or revises his
speeches. They appear in the Record
precisely as he delivers them, and yet
Mr.. Murphy says that he never yet has
found in them an error of grammar OF
of diction, and that as specimens of
pure, classic English they are unex.
celled by the speeches of any Senator
Mr.. Bayard does not read his speeches,
but with these exceptions almost all
the Others do 1t did cause his Indiana
friends some astonishment when Mr.
Voorhees, first unrOlled his manuscript,
but the custom is now confirmed with
him. Mr.. Pendleton, too, whose ora
tory used to be delight to his Ohio
friends, now reads his speeches.
In long debates upon the tariff bill
in the House, both last winter and the
preceding session, with hardly an ex-
ception, the speeches were read from
manuscript. Speaker Carlisle, two
years ago, Judge Kelley and Mr. Ran.
dali were the only members of promi
nence who did not read their speeches.
This habit has had one effect that is
inevitable; it gives the speech reader
very slim audiences generally. The
essays are read in monotonous and
almost inaudible tone, and the cases
where speech that is read is accom-
panied by any of the graces of elocu-
ton are very rare. Judged by the ac-
cepted standards of oratory, hardly a
member of Congress who reads his
speeches can be ranked as an orator.
Considering those men who have re-
pute as speakers, it will be found that
a great difference exists between them
in respect to their method of preparing
a speech of consequence. Mr.. Carpen-
ter spent days in the most exhaustive
study of his subject matter. He went
at his work like German scholar He
has been known to spend fifty eight
hours at time in his library, snatch
ing but few moments sleep. Books
and all other authorities were lransack-
ed, and he studied his subject from all
sides. But he never gave moments s
thought to the arts of oratory. After
writing out complete syllabus, he re-
earded himself as thoroughly prepared.
Very much after the same manner
Senator Conkling prepared his speech
es. Both were in the habit of keeping
their power of fluent diction unimpair-
ed by daily reading of some of the
English classics. Mr. Conkling's ell
bow companion is Webster's una
bridged dictionary.
Senator Edmunds' sole preparation
for speech is the reading of autholi.
ties. He seldom makes any notes ex-
cept for reference TO the authorities,
and never writes out a speech, either
in full, or in part. Mr.. Thurman's
method of preparation was almost iden
tical with that of Senator Edmunds.
Mr.. Blaine, on the other hand, not
only very carefully prepared himself
by exhaustive study on the subject
matter, but also weighed his sentences,
writing and rewriting some of them
many times. Many of his speeches
were fully written out before delivery,
although he did not always confine
himself to his notes when on the floor
Mr.. Garfield took infinite pains with
his speeches, preparing them as much
with view to the rhetorical effect as
to their subject matter
Mr.. Carlisle owes his prominence IN
the House to the infinite pains with
which he prepared himself for his
speeches, especially that on the Re
funding bill four years ago, which put
him in the front rank, and that on the
tariff. This preparation, however,
went no further than an exhaustive
study of the original data. He accept
ed no mans figures, but prepared his
own from the official statistics. For
weeks and weeks he spent every night
at his desk, computing, comparing, fig
uring and making his own deductions.
He never gave thought to his die.
tion, his gestures, or to any of the arts
of rhetoric.
Mr.. Hewitt and Mr.. Cox carefully
prepare all their speeches, and Cover
nor Long, who is regarded as the most
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