Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-29
MEN WHO TALK WELL.
THOSE wAo ARE cLAssED As ORA
roRs IN THE SENATE.



sss,r,s 70 be a lost art among us Here we
b,va Is crave ana reverend senators. sup
,s,s.,,, Il, b, the pick and flower Of the IN
,el,ecsual field in IA states oil the hio11,
ana VET among them all there are no mere
than three or four men who are entitieu :"
h. ciassSa as ora,orS In granting 'nss
there are IS many as three or TOUR, We
are perhaps erring on the sideof generSsess
while The more severe critics would na'ie
oossession OF the divine aitiaius OF orators
10 a single individual. and he young Ed
ward Woleott Of Colorado OF course there
sre MANY senators who talk we'll. forcihiy,
and now and then WIFE
touches Of eloqueiaee and magnetism, out
few bright fashts do net make an orator
Woleott, on the other hand, never speaks Tor
the mere sake of speaking. When hetalSs.
which is rarely, il is with finished effect
gravely studied subject matter, and with
display of all the arts of oraiory, the more
charming IN his case because always per
fectly natural
Next TO Wolcott / suppose Joe black
burn of Kentucky is entitled To rank as an
orator. Blackburn much resembles Vol
colt in the easy and rapid flow of his Ian
lniage. Like Wolcott, too, he Uses very
simple vocabulary But Blackburn is
rarely heard Perhaps he is too lazy to
study and too SURF of his position and oil
lii. affections Of his devoted followers in
Iii. native state To feel the necessity OF be-
stirring himself Once in five or eight years,
or some such matter, Black burn makes
what we call a set speech and then re-
lapses into almost continuous silence for
another long period. breaking forth now
and then in a few simple remarks which
serve Only 10 remind US uf those attractive
qualities which might. if more often exer-
eised, win Il great fame.
1t is rather odd that the men whom ma
tire has endowed with greater or less gifts
OF eloqupnce, and who, if they chose, could
speak To full floors and crowded galleries,
are rarely seen upon their feet, while men
who speak most drearily and teti!uusly wish
TO talk all the time. If the fates would
only Ike kind enough to reverse this order
of things, we upfortunates who are COM
PEELED to haunt the halls of legislation
would ever be grateful ~ them. For in
stance, there is MIR. Stewart, the patriarch
from Nevada. Mr. Stewart is n delightful
and charming old man
who has had IA wonderful career. He is n
man to sit opposite at dinner or over
a small bottle at Cham5erlain's II he in
vites you To drive with him in the suburbs
of the capital behind his pair Of fleet west
ern ponies. he will bring you back to town
with your clothing splashed with mud, but
with your soul refreshed with his tales of
pioneer life and mining adventures in the
far west.
Now, if Mr.. Stewart would only talk once
iu five years, and il man like Mr.. Gray of
Delaware would speak with Mr. Stewards
well known and apparently continuous fire.
quency, we should be in great luck, Sen
ator Gray, while not natural orator, is a
great logician, and. besides, he is one of
those men whose solidity of body and
strength of mind, clearness of perceptions
and forcible methods Of expressing them
selves always command our attention and
respect. Senator Gray is one of the ablest
men in our house of lords, but he seems To
he diflident. not lazy. He is always at
worl-strdying, reading, inquiring, but
precious little does he contribute to that
daily journal of which he is supposed To be
one of the joint editors-The Congressional
Record
Senator White Of Louisiana comes very
near being an orator. He is as forcible and
rs logical as Gray and has just little
more dash and fro in his delivery. but he,
too, is heard from very rarely. He has not
been long in the senate, however, and We
may hope many things of him In the future.
lie made his reputation with one speech,
but should not be content to rest there.
Senator Ilawley of Connecticut could he
pn orator il he tried a little. He has great
latural gifts in this direction, an easy flow
of language, good imagination and n
method of delivery watch il very hearty,
and attractive, but like many
men whose fame and position are well Sc
cured he makes few efforts to please his
hearers in the senate or attract the atten-
ton of his constituents at home.
Much like him Is Senator Henderson Of
Nebraska. Probably no more graceful and
polished public speaker than Mr. Man
derson WAS ever seen in this old capitol,
1t would be impossible for any man to turn
his sentences with more neatncss, to use
better chosen words or to deliver them
with more perfect infection, pronunciation
and rhythm. 1t is delight to hear Mr..
upon even the simplest sub
jects. When he chooses to rouse himself;
when he becomes very much in earnest, as
he at times does, he IL indeed fascinating.
But for the most part in the ordinary
course of senatorial business he Is Spen-
ceriau copy plate sort of orator, whose
efforts are well worth the imitation of
many Of his colleagues.
Joe Black burns colleague, Senator Lind
Say, came to Washington Endorsed as an
orator, and his speech on the silver ques'-
tion the other day confirmed this reputa-
ton He was eloquent, forcibie and sufli-
GENTLY cutting to turn the chamber into a
merry one for a time. He is a smooth
faced giant and always appears to be very
much pleased with himself or some one or
something. There is not happier looking
ing man in all congress.
The most remarkable public speaker in
the senate, or in congress, for that matter,
is Mr.. Morgan of Alabama. His fame in
this respect Is SO well known that It is
scarcely necessary for me TO describe him
You have all heard, no doubt, how Mr.
Morgan rises from his chair. addresses TIL,
presiding officer, opens his mouth, and thcu
for two, three. five or seven hours, just as
he happens to feel, the words flow forth.
not in waves, not in gusts as the wind
blows, but in steady, flowing stream--and
all this without apparently the slightest ef
fort. physical or mental. on the part Of Mr.
Morgan. One of his speeches makes mau
think he is a wonderfully made automaton
half human, half machine-and that in
the physical act of rising from his chair be
turns on faucet, and nature does the rest
Mr.. Morgan does not gesture: he uses
always the same tone he does not find IL ne
cessary to move his body or twist his neck on
to make any other visible exertion, but the
words, and the phrases, and the sentences
come streaming forth hour after hour. The
most remarkable thing about it Is that
they are for the most part perfect phrases
and sentences, and that the severest critic
and sticklcr for pure language might re
view these speeches when they are in type
and find few words that he would care to
change. Mr.. Morgan Is certainly phe
and IL to this amazing flow Of
IDEAS, well clothed in the garb OF fine word |
as they are, he could only add some enthu
siasn, little of the elocution of which
Henry Ward Beecber was so great mas
Ter. Mr.. Morgan would be invincible.
Senator Villas Of Wisconsin does not lacl |
in these particulars. Mr.. Villas is a yer,
earnest man. He never speaks for the mer, |
sake Of talking. When he addresses thu 4
senate, it il with a purpose in view. and he |
speaks always with strong feeling, and IL |
nay be added with stronger voice. Mr.. |
Villas does not actually roar, but he come. /
Tery near it. This springs from his earnest |
ness, and 1t is natural with him, not an 1
,ffeetation. He goes perhaps to the other /
extreme and mars his efforts by too grea; i
In intensity. You know il IL the common,