Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-27


Congress. has astonished the stenographers by
the delivery OF free, off-hand speeches, which,
while delivered with great rapidly, have been
smooth and well balanced and almost entirely
free from errors in construction. The same
may be considered of Bryan of Nebraska, who
came in with the upheaval which threw the
Farmers Alliance into Congress. His speeches
have been printed in the very language of
their delivery without violation Of the canons of
good taste Watson of Georgia. who was the
Farmers Aiiiance candidate for Speaker, is not
an educated man, though an exceedingly fluent
talker yet his speeches require very little edit
ing The young members from Massachusetts
write better than they speak, but the English
language does not suffer distortion upon their
tongues even while they are embarrassed in
blage.
THE GRANGER MEMBERS.
d number Of the granger members have been
raised In ignorance up to manhood and have
acquired their information in later years, and
1t is curious how their earlier training or lack
OF training exhibits itself in the heat Of debate
Jerry Simpson and Farmer Davis. who are the
great literary men Of the alliance party. are
very accurate and strong writer's Davis in
particular prides himself upon his literary at
tainments, yet in their speeches they both fly
on the track entirely and shatter syntax in
every sentence. 1t is positive labor for the
reporters OF the house to correct and supply
P"h 70 Va speccu IN tneir ueDates- IL h q fact
tfat many OF the most polished and best edu-
Gated men in the House by habit forget their
grammar in debate and use expressions which
would horrify them if in print compilation
OF their customary errors would shock them
beyond measure II produced for their inspec-
ton. Some OF the best educated men in the
House habitually say ~ done % and
So" or Il seen 90 and So" when
speaking rapidly; and among the
southern speakers the forms of speech and
pronunciation common among the negroes
are very frequently used during the heat of
debate. This Congress has produced some
very rapid speakers, but the most remarkable
In this particular - johnson of Indiana, who
almost made the stenographer's hair raise dur
Ing ms speech on the Crsig-Stewart contested
election case. During Q very long argument
on that case he spoke at an average rate of $50
words minute. His words ran into sentences
with merely an undulation of sound, 90 that
each sentence was uttered with almost the
quHkness OF q single word and the ear was al
most incapable Of detecting any pause even
between the paragraphs Yet the report APP
peared with sufhcient accuracy to defy detec-
ton OF error. The only other man in the present
house VINO can anywhere approach johnson in
rapidlty OF speech IL Catchings OF Mississippi,
whose usual rate ssabout 225 TO $50 words o
minute. remarkable thing about Catchings,
however, u that he has the reputation of being
very deliberate. and he il never considered, but
oy the stenographers who take his report, TO be
rapid talker. His language flows 80 evenly,
with such clesrness Of pronunciation and such
grace, without oratorical effect that stenog-
rAphers who have been unable TO keep up with
the speakers falling below 200 words minute
have never sxpsrisncsd the Last difRculty in
gseaing every vocd h sAyA