Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-10-01
A CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY.

AS he comes upon the stage and as the
applause breaks forth he smiles. 1t
is pleased smilc-properly speaking,
grin. The grin of one to whom the
yelis of Murray fur Bill' and the APP
plause of gallery is food and drink
and raiment. Applause, of what kind
it does not matter, is what the ma
ture of the man thrives upon. The rec
ognitiOn of him as great man, hero,
a deIiverer cannot but make him smile.
He appreciates the joke.
He cOmpOses his features as he re-
members what is expected of him. his
attitude at once suggests the hero of
the melodrama-the tank show" lie
looks this way, then that, and then to-
ward the part of his audience from
which comes the most hilarious demon
stration. He grins again, as he thinks
of his side of it. If the noise continues,
he turns to those about him and smiles
naiyely But he is not afraid OF 1t.
The eyes glow and qualification shows
in uaxGExu payeWsps. glance and action.
tne hoh1f u Y fisen tfe lilil lS 49,
the smile of the magician to the audience
that cheers because it is mystified. He
raises a restraining hand to hush the
demonstration. The movement is grace
full nothing more. Like every gesture
he makes. it lacks strength. The hands
are weak, hopelessly so. If the applause
continues, he waits, posing as if for the
camera. He is patient dignitied
statesman's very presence would COM
mand silence after the first burst of APP
plause 1t would not be necessary for
the great man to wait until every un-
couth wit had made his joke, but this
man lacks the dignity of the position.
whistles, stamps and claims him for it's
very own.
He begins his address with a we'll
turned sentence, which he knows will
please his audience. In fact, from first
to last, it is his effort by skillful re-
treats never to offend. He is capable of
fair fight in words, but at no time is
he an orator. At no time does he bring
known fact to the notice of his hear
ers: then an argument, then one condi-
ton, and still another, and then, as
climax, as one indisputable, unanswera-
BILE declaration, rounded and full, guard
ed and protected by logic, launch it forth
at his listeners. His flight of words
alleged to be oratory-are made to divert
the mind from questioning his asser-
TONS He scars in an outburst, the
ground work of which is as old as the
human voice. to please the ear of his
listeners and keep their thoughts on the
wing. These flights appeal to all that
is emotional. They are seldom original;
they express no new thoughts, and they
bear his trade mark. He makes asser-
tons while the audience is under the in
fuence of his heroics. He pours forth
what he thinks, and declares it to be
true, but when the time arrives in the
course of his remarks when the facts to
back his assertions should be heard,
behold another fight in Fourth of July
fireworks.
Labor applauds itself, and this man
knows it. He recognizes that sacrifice"
"crucified," ''down-trodden," the peo-
pie" sweat of the face" and similar
words and phrases arouse in the ordinary
audience an imperative desire to applaud.
For logic he uses herOics, for argument
words used by truly great men, but
which no more apply to his subJest than
to the crucifiXion.
He compares himself to the Man of
Galliee without blush.
He defies facts as Ajax did the light
ming.
He declares that something can be got
out of nothing; that miner will be able
to get 50 cents worth of metal coined in
to 81 and in the same breath insists that
the miner will sell that metal to anyone
who will buy it for 53 cents and give the
buyer the chance to make that profit
instead of himself. Why the miner will
sell at 50 cents and lose the coined profit,
he explains by highly colored account
of crime" which has nailed labor to
cross of gold"
He refuses to believe that capital is of
any use except TO starve and grind down
mankind.
Insinua tons, that every man should
have more than enough in spite of his
hbits, his drunkenness or his IMPROVE
dence. he lavishes upon his hearers.
Declarations. that country is all
wrong which gives every man who will
work with head and hands chance to
be above those who will not, he belches
forth in torrents.
"My friends" he says, and advises
those to whom he applies the term as
sane man would hesitate to advise his
worst enemy.
He distributes chaff, coolly predicts a
panic, quotes the words of Christ az
clibly as the rowdy uses his name, and
having directed the eyes of his hearers
upon bubble which floats pleasingly
about, he says: 81 thank you"
Paul Armstrong.