The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-11-04

From the Detroit Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Special Correspondents,
Oct 2S.-The cost of preparing good
democrat speech upon the tariff or any other
popular subject varies very much in the city.
1t is owing to competition and the infusion
of young blood into the ranks of Newspaper
Row. Nowadays it costs all the way from
$40 to 500 to have good speech prepared,
and sometimes the speeches for $40, pre-
pared by young men who have brains and
ability but not much reputation, are as good
speeches as those which are prepared by
older newspaper men at higher price.
do not know who prepared the speech of
Congressman Youmans which was delivered
i'm the house of representatives on the SOth
of last March, but | do know that, for
democrat speech, it was clever effort.
The principal misfortune about it, however,
was that Mr.. YOumans does not deliver a
speech well, no matter whether he prepares
it himself or pays for its preparation III
was painfully apparent in the delivery of
his speech that it was impossible for him to
leave his manuscript and reply to inquiries
from his colleagues upon the floor of the
house upon topics germane to the subject OF
his speech. While he was reading denun-
citation of the sugar bounty clause of the
Mckinley tariff he was interrupted by Con-
gresham O'Donnell, who stated that he
was surprised to hear his colleague denOunce
the bounty clause and made inquiry OF Mr..
Youmans if he was not aware that demo-
crat legislature in Michigan in 1887 passed
a bill to pay bounty of cents per pound
on all sugar produced in Michigan. Con-
gresham Youmans was unable to make any
reply to this statement and proceeded to
read his speech in monotone. He began
to relate how the tariff re bbed the farmers
when Mr.. O'Donnell again interrupted him,
saying that the gentleman represented
district where the production of salt is
great industry. He said that salt was sell
ing at rate less than the tariff. That
barrel of $50 pounds sold for fifty cents and
the barrel cost 20 cents, netting the manu-
facturer 30 cents, while the tariff was 81
cents. He particularly inquired how the
tariff on salt robbed the farmer, but Mr..
Youmans was unable to reply, and went on
reading the speech which was on the table
before him. 1t was not very long speech,
but il was a clever statement of the demo-
crat free trade policy.
YoUMANS VERY QUIET.
During the entire session of Congress MIR.
Youmans was very quiet and unpretentious
in all of his movements. He thus managed
to make some friends OH his own side of the
house. The democrat leaders are always
friendly toward those northern democrats
who have sense enough to keep quiet MIR.
Youmans had sense enough f,Om the begin
ming to keep quiet and allow the democrat
managers to run things. tie was always
ready to vote just as they desired him to
vote upon all public questions, and, finally,
he made for himself the reputation of being
a good and harmless old fellow, who was
useless to bis district or to his state, but
valuable for voting purposes whenever the
southern democrat managers needed him.
He often made me think of the western
story of the frontier dance-hall. 1t was in
a mining camp. and along one side of the
long hall there was continuous bar, back
of which a number of barkeepers were kept
constantly busy by the demands upon them
for more liquor Scattered about the room,
upon sandy floor, were tables occupied by
gamblers who were carrying on big games
all the time. At one end of the hall there
was little stage and number of perform
ers upon it, while to the right of the stage
in the corner there was piano, with soil
tary freak in front OF it, pounding upon the
keys. Over his head there hung rudely
painted sign, upon which were the following
words Don't shoot the piano player. he
is doing the best he can"
Mr.. Youmans appeared to be doing the
best that he could all the time, but, as
matter of fact, he accomplished almost moth
ing for his people. However, after the
game of introducing bills for the purpose of
deceiving the people had been carried on
for couple of months before his eyes the
old gentleman "caught on" as the saying
goes, and proceeded to introduce bills with
all the vigor and agility of youth. On April
% he introduced bill ito remove the
charge of desertion from the record of