Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-06-07
SOME NOTED SPEECHES
Made By oratorieal Giants Of
the Republican Party.
DEBATE or LINCOLN AND DOUGLAS


s.ss.s -i.serssii's Chs.pis~ship %
niaiss-Ths Celebrated Nss,isstisg
c..,s.,is. .f taso whsss cs.hii.s
shs.s and Gsrasid Wee.
The success or failGre Of the various
candidates at the coming national nom.
mating conventions will depend In largo
degree upon the eloquenoe Of the gentle
men who present their nance for con.
siderAiion. yet Il must 10 admitted at
the start tha, since 1870 the most mag
nihccnt oratorical efforts have been
made on behaif Of those who failed 10
secure the banner of party leadership
inger,oll In 1919 and Frye In isso cham.
pionei Blaine. and In the latter year
Ro~coe Conkling bAttled for Grant while
uarfield upheld the cause and claims 10
Advancement OF senator John Sherman.
On the other hand. there have been
nuinerous occasions when injudicious
speeches have knocked the foundations
from beneath carefully arranged pro-
srAmme- and impellei tho delegates al.
most 20 tumble over each other In their
eagerne.s 20 abandon . plan TO which
but the night before they had sworn
eternal fidelity. Everybody familiar
with American politics knows the eject
produced on the chances Of q certain
spirant when ono of his ardent sup
portcrs from Texas cried out. "what
Aro we here for II not for the oficesy'
And again. tho consequences of Dr.
Burvhari's Rum, Romanisn and Re
bellion" Are matters Of permanent his
tory
But 20 the self poised. thoroughly In.
formed AMI earnest orator there come
,riumphs which for tho moment are
greater than any achieved by the mon.
arch whose power is absolute for life or
death. or by tho warrior who ridcs VIC
torious over q hsld rel with tho blood
of slaughtered foemen. The true orator
IL the master % something more than
mere existence. Ee sways the minds
aud impulses of his hearers
I was q mere lad when, for the first
and last time. saw Stephen A. Doug.
las lie was then making his famous
campaign against Abraham Lincoln. and
the sJccch heard was delivered at Chi.
cago In the presence of at least 5000
t-ople Tho orator threw his head back.
inflated his mighty lungs TO their full
capacity AMI talked slowly. A conse-
quence. every word reached the ears Of
the most distant listener In solemn. state
iy cadence. forceiul with dignity and
power. Then followed the immortal
Rail splitter q contrast In every way
20 the Little Giant Ills tall, ungainly
form. hi. mournful face and cavernous
eyes attracted attention where the solid
frame and Roman massivcncss of his
competitor had demanded Difference.
Douglas voice had roarcd forth like the
boom of minute gum: that of Lincoln
seemed as mellow NJ the sweet and all
very tones of q bugle call. and each In
turn moved the vast audience by the
magic ~ his geniua
Those were the glorious old days Of
Joint debates" In the west. and I re-
meinber with even moro distinctncss
than the Lincoln.Douglas controversy.
the verbal duel wAged In the campaign
Of 1894 by John A. Logan and T. Lyle
Dickey. The former was frcsh from the
soele of war. with all the glories Of .
victorious general clustered about his
brow. The slogan of the iron hearted
Logan had sounded on many q stricken
deld AMI the Republicans of Illinois
swore by him then. as they continued ~
do until the hour 81 his lameniei death.
lie spoke ~ be had fought. lie regarded
grAmmatic rules a. little as he had prv-
v,ously rever,nced the book of tactics.
but he had won ON the battlefield and
be- won on the stump, Tor he hit straight
from the shoulder. and his tremendous
earnestness overcame all opposition.
Yet u was restful and charming. though
not convincing. after one % "Dlsck
Jacks" sledge hammer speeches 20 drink
In tho graceful. scholarly aud often sAr.
castle r,inarks Of Dickey. lie welded
the delicate but piercing blade Of Saladin.
while Logans weapon Was the big two
handed sword Of Richard tbs Lion
Hearted.
However. the political speeches that
are 10 live In the history Of the Repub-
hcan party were yet TO be delivered, and
~ have before noted they have been
made on b.half Of the vanquisbcd and
not Of the victors Who that witnessed
!, can ever forget the electric enthusiasm
produced by ingersoll's advocacy Of
Blaine at the Cincinnati convention OF
1870 "who." asked some one near the
reporters table. 'is that Illinois man.
lngrnolly' A Chicago scribe answered.
.IIes Peoria lawyer who doesn't be
lievs In God and who can talk like IN
angel "9osh!- WAS all the comment
made by this unknown victim 10 the
power Of eloquence.
Again a Republican nominating con.
vention. and again struggle Of giants;
time. 1850: place, Chicago. 30 wildly
Is II impressed on my memory that
can close my eyes and sce u all once
more. Up the aisle strides Roscoe
Conkiing. tawny NAMED a . lion. ius'
truus eyed as q tiger. ~ determined 10
win ~ bulldog. and yet suavely cour-
teous In that naughty way which seemed
part and parcel Of his splendid physique
and inasterful intellect. Then the speech
and the fight of the So1. as stubborn ~
any Of the contests Grants soldiers
waged for him In the Wilderness. lean
also see Garfield eulogiring Sherman
and pleading with the delegates TO "hear
him for his cause" Later on. the eli.
max and the tragedy. State hags wav.
ing over the head cf the chosen man
from the Western Reserve; election. In
auguration. Guiteau. Elberon. the tomb.
Although listened to Lockwood's
speech nominating Cleveland In 1854,
and to the eloquence poured out on be-
half Of the various candidates st the
Republican convention Of 1855. shall
always recall most wildly that great
political battle Of 1850 when Ulysses 4
urant dpt suffered defeat In peace o.
war.
Viewed from nearly any standpoint,
one who studies the subject must arrive
1t the conclusion that oratory Il pred.
net Of the American soil; men seem TO
spring full armed with sloquence from
tba earth liz th. fsbled warriors Of old.