The Progress., 1892-10-15
A QUIET CAMPAIGN.
LITERATURE IS IN GREATER DE-
Rand THAN ORATORY.
Political Text BOOTS Arc Above Far
Statesmen who Have Devoted Them
selvns to Political Litcraturc-Long ard
McPhcrson ~ Statisticians.
ISncc.nl Ccrrc.rnndcncel

iNtl'lhl ''fifS lNlfltlf4
New YoEE. Oc5. 3--Mr. john r. Van
Normcr. who is secretary of the Union
Lcagup club of New York city. having
been asked t. make some political speeches.
desired TO examine certain books contain
ing statistic and authoritative statements.
Among thcm v7s book cuti led Young :
Statpsman's Cuidc.' Mr. Van Worncr
was astoushcd to find that IL waE iwpossi-
be TO yet this hoo, anywhere. lie srcnt
many hours s.archiug in the secondhand
book stores without success. Eut he found
one curious condition in the present po-
liticgl canv.sS
The politicians OF both p1rtiss have been
saying that in the memory OF no man now
engaged in ac-Iye politics is there rccoilcc.
ti.n Cf a canvass SO apparently free frou
excitement aaj crca. popular interest a.
Is the present one. aud many have won.
d"red whether this indicated content WI
present conditions. Indifference or Che d"-
iDg out OF such interest in national polite;
as tends 10 spectacu.ir demonstration cy.
cry four years.
Mr.. Van Wormer discovered that The
demand for books. either OF III toricUl. sta-
ti,ticgi or practical political discussion. has
been uuprcccd, ,ntcl. The publishers Il
such works declare that the call for them
has been au9.iu~ The propriotors O.
secondhand book stores SLY that they havr
Hotn asked ly correspondents fron an
parts oC the United States t. furnish tbs.
that or the other Wori, Of a political nature.
SO thGt the suggestion is that y nile The
political interest il not 50 noisy gs it. hat
been IN times past. it is intense. ard il di-
rectcd rather to private study of political
questions than To exciting campaigns. al.
though in some parts &C the country en-.
thusiasm seems to be OF the old time sort.
This feeling existing, it, is quite likely
that the political tc-.t book rcct ntly issued
under the c,liturship of ex- Governor Lonc.
of Massachusetts. win find a de circuia-
tiOn. Year ago before John y. Lon. be
came an octive politician his disposition
was toward "a literary career lie trans
lated with some felicity the "ducid" of Viz
gil, and he wrote essays which fixed upon
him the attention Of such severe critics ~
Mr Lowell. With these early efforts Nir.
Longs venture into the field Of literature
ended. He became instead n student of
oratory. and there are many who thirl,
that his Grafton at the Chicago convention
Of 1884 deserves 10 he ranked with the
speeches Of William n. Eyar;s, George
William Curtis, Roscoe Conkling. Colonel |
lngersoll and Daniel Dou1hrr;y upon sim
liar occasions.
Leaving public life, in order to save his |
professional practice M lawyer. GCveIucr
Long has done 70 literary worl, until he
undcrtCoi tE., ol.tical text book.
MIR Edward Mcpherson, 1;ho. Ike Gov. |
ernor Long. has served in congress, has been |
the most prominent e ali those who have |
compiled political year books Mcpherson |
was in congress during the war, repre- |
scntin: the Gettysburg district qt the time
Of the battle which bears che name Of that /
town. Ilo was an intimate friend Of Pres.
ident Lincoln. To him Lincoln showed |
tho draft of the Gettysbur,, oration. which /
tho critics row agree in pronCubciug 10 hu
sn American classic which will live az long
AZ the Lngiish language euGures.
After retiring from congress Mr.. Ne
Pherson devoted himself partly 20 litera.
turc. and was for some ycars the editor Cl |
tie Philadelphia Press lie is regarded 40
probably the best informed men on she sta,
tistics of politics row living His ncmory
is phenomenal. His capacity is rs, her thns
Of a statistician than n profound thinker
or writer OF literary charm. His yearly
are the recognized authori-
tics, and 10 them the future student of
Amcricar political history of this genera.
ton will turn for authentic information.
Mcpherson has probably furnished tho
stump speakers Of both parties with more
material than any other man has ever done
who has written Of American politics M
speaker Himself, he has been the guide of
speakers, the fountain from which they
have drawn their facts and tho lnspira.
ticn for some of the bost stump speeches
delivered by men of his own party
Mcpherson and Governor Long rs we'll
have had in mind the writing Of history
Df some particular phase OF American pol-
ties, and it IL said TO Ec Il fact that nearly
every man Of literary capacity who has
served IN congress has had some such
scheme IN mind upon retiring.
Henry Cabot Lodge gave up literary
career to become n politician. lie Lad
written several volumcs giving concisely
lli most cntertainiDgly sketches of the
careers Of Hamilton and other statesmen
)f the early era. AT one time he thought
Of writing political history OF
.hp American people, Odcled somewhas
upon McNastcr's history, but the tempta
ions Cf active political life and the ex.
opportunities he had for enter.
nS IL caused him to put aside that purpose.
Carl Schurz, having quilted public life,
~4r. IL. ns.s