The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-07
~CANyASSING in INDIANA.
Code of Practice by One Who Is Au.
thority.
Prepared for the Benefit of AspiraRts TO
stump Oratcry- A Rule for Every
Emergency.
Evansville Courier

Some very forcible Democratic orators pro-
ounce it with the accent on both sylables,
as If the last syllable were spelled with q
double s. / confess I am inclined to the
latter pronunciation. The reader of any
work on the use of words must admit taat
words have more in them than mere defni-
tons. Take, for instance, the word ''tribu-
lation." How much our respect for it is in
creased when we discover that il comes from
tribuls, a mill. We thus find out that the
expression that a man has been put through
statement that he has suffered ~tribulstionF.
When an orator that he has come
to canvass for the Democratic ticket, there
is immediately a sense of power communi-
Gated 10 the audience, which the word "can-
vas" does not possess. As l am writing for
the benef. OF future campaigners, 1 start
with this suggestion as to pronunciation. /
will now give q few suggestions derived from
experience and observation, which I hope
will be useful in future political campaigns.
1t IS plain that every man VIII can speak
should bear his fair share of the canvass.
Usually in Indiana when the canvass opens
all law business is suspended. The lawyers
are therefore foot loose, and they take to
the woods in great numbers. This is a heavy
81 on the profession. IN the 4th OF last
November, it may be safely stated, that every
lawyer IL the State was broke. From the
LIST of September be had devoted himself ex-
clusiyely to enlightening the people on po-
litical topics. Some of them made great
speeches; all OF them made good speeches.
Every orator, whether lawyer or not, land
some of our best csnvassers are not lawyers
made votes. Public speaking is the most
essential element in a canvass.
No matter where you speak
WEAR YouR ORDINARY CLOTHES.
Never put on your store clothes when
you are TO appear before a public audience.
One reason for this advice is that YOU your
self will be more at your ease, more natural.
Another is that no attention will be attracted
10 your get up" Buffers dress sui. beat
him for President.
In public oratory everything depends on
the start. LIZ you start easily and naturally,
with your voice at an Ordinary key, you
will get through all right. Bat the slightest
circumstance will sometimes embarrass you,
and il this occurs at the beginning, your
effort" will be a failure throughout. Never
fail to compliment the locality. as thus:
THE good old county of Gibson; !" the
u Clt VI RcW Il6I1lOD1.
There are usually in the audience two or
three old gentlemen who, by their age, and,
above all. their political consistency, have
become the Nestors OF the community. II
is desirable to address yourself TO one or
more of these during the speech. In doing
so 1t is usual to call them uncle" A man
go addressed always responds afsirmatively,
and sometimes betters your remark by his
WI suggestion. The effect on the audience
is fine.
Do not fail to compliment the ''glee club"
Musicians are testy people. and will stand
any amount of hsttery. Indeed, the girls
who enliven our meetings deserve all the
good words we can say OF them,
Introduce into your speech fisures, not
figures OF speech. bat numerals. La their
use your sphere is almost unlimited. DEM
ocratic orators in Indiana never baked at a
hundred millions or so. There was a great
discrepancy as to the 'asurplus," which
played such an important part in the cam
paign. OF course, nobody knew, or could
know, what the exact amount was. We
will find out when the 1.-THE books are OPEN
ed" Mr.. Hendricks put it at $50, 600 900.
Governor Gray usually had it St32 0O, GOO.
Senator VOORHEES, stated il TO bs $4,000 900.
Mr. Calkins was worst Of all, he put il at
S40O 000 COO. The ordinary Democratic ora
tor saw Calkins and went 500. 000. 600 better.
The amount is so large hat exsggeration
does not effect the idea OF quantity much.
but il IS safer to have it large. Caikins is
evidently not a whist player. In the game
of whist the object is to establish a
suit. You never waste a trump on an
isolated trick. Bat Calkins made the
amount enormous in order to get in
this little trump, that the Democratic party
would never have a surplus, they would steal
II all. This was good for the one trick. but
it beat Cslkins' long suit. and beat him for
Governor, because the simplest intelligence
4 understand that the heat IrQacUru-oftar n
public obligations nave been met-is an
empty one. The Lime Kiln Climb is the
model OF all corporations. Its Treasurer is
! put under an bond, but, to make
assurance double sure and take a bond from
fate. as Macbeth SAYS, it is provided n the
constitution that under no circum instances
shall there ever be more than 81 Ia the
Treasury. The Treasurer can not, therefore,
buy q railroad ticket good for more than
twenty or thirty miles. Do not fai! to pre-
sent 10 the people a constitutional
question. Nothing so much interests
them as n sound constitutional argu
ment. Your Rversge Kentuckian and
TeDnesseesn feeds on constitutional argu
ment ss the choicest intellectual dainty
The Hoosie1 is not much behind them IN
that regard. The Hoosier lawyer has been
raised on constitutional law In 1892 the
State adopted a new constitution. From
that time until now we have never ceased
to argue constitutional questions. The
highway law, the school law, the tax law.
The exemption law, ne exeat. the dog Law
and many other laws have furnished i'm
nense resources for argument. Attorney
General Hord, who is a fine lawyer, won his
first election on bis argument on the dog
law. After our great stumper-fscile prin-
ceps-Dan Voorhees, had delivered one Of
his great, earnest, popular appeals, Hord got
up and commenced 10 this wise. in a tone
that could be heard a mile: ~"Fellow.citi-
zens, l have come here 10 day
''To ARGUE THE DOG LAW"
There was present a Republican leader in
q township who, after Voorhees, finished,
got up to 90 out. Bat Hord's exordium ar
rested him. He turned and SAID:
I'll stay and hear that fellow; they
killed one OF nv dogs yesterday"
BE did stav, and before Hord got through
he had him for the whole Democratic ticket.
IN aIeninE the tariff alZaxs nmmanea ne