Evening star., 1893-10-25
MIR. JONES AND HIS SPEECH.

MIR. JONES AND HIS SPEECH.
One of the Entertaining Things I'm the
Long silver Debate.
About the brightest spot in the dark sky
Of talk that has been spread forth In the
Senate during the struggle on the silver
question is the speech Of Senator Jones.
which Is as yet unfinished. He has enter |
tanned and interested and even instructed
the Senate as has no other speaker who |
has secured the floor since the strife began.
Though he never occupies the plane of
display. he has nevertheless recognized
power.
MIR. Jones is rather a debater than an
orator. His effect is that of a battering
ram that attacks the wall Of opposition
with stout log of facts, and crushes out
antagonism with his wonderful analytical
power.
In the first place, his repute as well as
his manner gives the impression that he is
not theorizing, not guessing but that he is
dealing with facts secured by his own inde-
fatigable energy. Yet he is no gradgrind
in his assertions. He clothes his facts in
the most attractive dress. and is never pug
nacious in his declaration.
He is not a mere vocabulary, spouting
forth sections of the dictionary, for his
language abounds in figures, now homely
and practical, now elegant and fanciful
but always strong.
A large part of the charm about Mr.
Jones and his speech, though, is derived
from his manner. He has been aptly de-
scribed as a "roly-poly little man." with
no pretentions to beauty. He is not even
foS h fnpp hlo L,,k II N1ovl.,
fort. Correspondingly he talks with the
avowed purpose Of tempting the judgment
of his auditors, rather than of tickling
their ears by dorid periods and illogical
phrases.
He talks from the same rostrum that
Senator Stewart uses during his forensic
efforts. that is, the desk of Senator Power.
on the center aisle, in the next to the last
row. There he has ample room for his
arm and leg work, which plays an impor-
tant part In his speeches. though he is
never SO wild in his gesticulations as Mr..
Stewart or Mr.. Cockrell.
Mr.. Jones would be interesting to a deaf
man. There is enough in his actions let
alone his words, to captivate any one With
good eyes and taste for the expressive.
| The little man from Gold Hill has any
quantity OF curious moves. but he never
| misuses them.
When he is contemptuous Of what he re-
CARDS as the fallacies of the gold bugs"
| he shows 1t all over. His shoulders are
| drawn up toward his ears and he shrinks
| into veritable Shylock. His voice takes
on mercenary drawl and his hands are
| brought together just under his necktte In
the seInblance OF a prayer. There is sar-
castle comedy in every line of his figure.
Then he unfolds to his diminutive height,
and scars on to the climax of his period.
| and affords a magnificent contrast to his
representation of the sordid and the mean
| by letting his arms go upward and lifting
his face until he gazes through the colored
panes OF glass In the ceiling. This expan-
sion is magnetic He is thoroughly natural.
and he even thrills his hearers when he
let's himself out in this way.
/ Mr.. Jones has a habit that is common
| with many takers who are provided by
nature with long boards, that Of shaking
| their chins until the whiskers tremble
| Now, Mr. Jones' beard Is not as long as
that of PETER or Stewart or Dolph or Coke
but 1t Is white and we'll groomed, and it re-
spends to the least agitation on the .
OF the chin that plays such lightning
part beneath.
i For sustained emphasis and crescendo ef
fects Mr.. Jones gets in this tremolo move
ment to perfection. There seems to be nc
motion of his head, and there is no inter.
| ruption to the torrent of words yet the
beard will be shaking like a shirt on q
clothesline on a windy day. This occurs
when the speaker has become warmed tc
his speech and has forgotten himself.
Mr. Jones talks from carefully prepared
typewriter manuscript, which is per
feet as two or three revisions can make it
Occasionally the speaker comes to a poin
that he has not expanded sufficiently in hi
writing, and then he abandons the manu-
script and talks from that deep well Of hi,
financial knowledge that made him tn,
marvel of the Brussels conference. 1t II
Z then that Mr.. Jones is the most interest
ing. He walks back and forth across tn,
, aisle. strikes his favorite attitudes and be
Ira, To- npn Of hfa Ia fhn
of confident waiting, after hurling a shaf
at the enemies of silver. One hand i
: plunged into the folds Of his loose coat a
his side. the other supports him by resting
| on the desk, and one foot Is crossed ant
rests on its toe. B.
Come at me-" he is saying, as plainly a
2 the outlines of a human figure can say II
I He is a constant challenge. Though as
sailed on every side with quetsions o,
the first day Of his speech, he shook Off hi
opponents as easily as st. Bernard rid
. himself of pack of terriers. Then he
e in his element. He answers one question
by asking another. and pins his interroga
! tor to the wall until he Is forced to give w
!, 1t happened during the first day tina
{ Senator Aldrich had a good deal to as
3 about, and MIR. Jones gradually lost hi
;, patience. At length he became the aggres
u sor. After series of questions from tn
: democratic side of the chamber he turne
fercely upon the Senator from Rhod
Z Island and hurled a query at him tina
n could not be answered
n Get up there and answer me!' he called
a Then he paused, and there was no re
|. sponse. why don't you get up?" he cal
. ed and then. amid the laughter Of the er
i tire assemblage, he went on with hi
e speech.
: There is a popularity about Mr.. Jone
answers to the questions that some OF HI
q antagonists find out later than they lik
: He seldom comes forth with q direct ''yes
Is or no to the prod of designing sing
I standard man. He has his own way OF ar
s swering. but 1t is not in evasion He rea
.r ICES that answers to such questions cannc
. be positive, and so he often begins SO ia
II back in history that the questioner b,
l., comes impatient and interrupts to ask Il
% a direct reply. Then Mr.. Jones scorns hin
q IF you will watt he says, II shall x,
70 around to you in a moment 1 am comm
3 to that directly. Don't be in a hurry"
"A This Is rather embarrassing, especially 3
ID the speaker generally gets to it, with
" force that hurts.
l. Marking an Historical Spot.
n. The laying of the corner stone Of the ne
;, Catholic church to be erected at Bowl
,e Prince Georges county. Nd. will tai
Id place next Sunday at o'clock. This w