New-York tribune., 1891-10-17
RHERE,S ROSWELLf

T. is almost a fortnight now, twelve days 10
he exact since Roswell Flower electrlhed the
Democratic Club at No. 617 Fifth-ave. by one OF
those set speeches" so much admired by Amos
Cummings. "Your leader" said he, "calls on
you for united action. Close your lines and
together charge upon the common enemy" Ana
then he told them how confident he was that II
tbey would eight earnestly and manfully,'' as
their "brethren in the country" were DONG
"when election night comes you Will see the
lights of the enemy which they have been turn
ing on your record 60 out early in the evening
and leave them in the darkness" In three
hundred such inspiring words as these RQsWeil
Flower opened his campaign. Early the next
morning. leaving the Democratic Club to " hght
earnestly and manfully" in the hope OF seeing
the lights which had been turned on their record
% ont in darkness early in the evening oil
Election Day, he started for WatertoWn.
There is reason to believe that the speech
was delivered to the Associated Press early IN
the evening, and was flung broadcast over the
whole State and perhaps the whole country.
The Democrats of Utica evidently got wind OF
if early. For in the afternoon of the day fol-
lowing its delivery, when Roswell Flower
reached Utica on his way to WATERFOWL tney
bounced upon him with brass band and other
accompaniments and would not let him go untll
he had fired the hearts of the Utica Democracy
This he up and did. Not, of course, with an
entirely new effort; nor indeed, with hteral
repetition of the previous evenings Grafton.
What he did was to tell them in few earnest
and well-chosen words that the work to carry an
election must necessarily be done before Elec-
tion Day-information greatly needed in Utica,
where the impression prevails that the work 10
carry an election usually begins Just after tne
POLLS close-and then he reused them with
reminder of the Greeks-in whom the Uuca
Democrats are deeply interested-telilng them
how the Greeks used to lay aside differences
when they started in to lick an outsider lie
also comforted them with the assurance that
they would see the lights that had been turned
ON 90 out in darkness This was not a long
speech, but it covered all the issues and the
reference to the Greeks, which did not seem
at all lugged in, but flowed in naturally ana
spontaneously, as it WERE was almost stroke
Of genGs.
After doing this, it is believed Roswell Flower
started for Watertown. Within twenty -four
hours he had made two speeches, in one OF
which in the most sudden and impromptu man
ner without notes he had referred to the Greeks
in a way which John X. Fellows might perhaps
when at his best come up to- but which neither
he nor Bourke Cochran could ever hold over
and he was as might be supposed, tired.
Speeches of that sort do not come easy by any
means. He started, we say, for Watertown.
But there has been no sign of him anywhere
since. Out of Watertown in all these twelve
days has oozed nothing but silence. Here are
men and women all over the State watching
if we may use a figure of speech suggested by
the circumstances bunghOle Of Watertown
for his emergence and there comes no sound.
These men and women believe that statesman
who can express himself as Roswell Flower did
twelve days ago with reference to the lights
that were going out in darkness, and the very
next day can say almost impromptu the things
he did about the Greeks and the way they car
red on war, has really no right to stay corked
up. bottled up or barrelled up in Watertown.
There seems, in fact to be no excuse for it.
Unless, indeed he is writing another speech.
If he is if all this time he has his nose close to
his desk and his tongue out, getting up another
Of those three-hundred- word efforts, then all
right. Let us prepare to be paralyzed.