New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-16
OCEER CANDIDATES FOR WESTERN DEMO
GRATIS

With n large class OF his admirers probably
nothing else will hurt Mr. Bryan much as
the exposure of the nature of his oratory. Many
men, especially at the West and South, half
worship the born orator, as if he had indeed
n gift divine and therefore must be inspired
in what he utters as well as in the mode OF
utterance. But when q man is detected repeat
ing the same "cross and crown claptrap in
several speeches, in one speech in Congress as
long ago as December 20, 1894, and 1t appears
that the great speech which made him candf
date was simply crazy quilt patchwork OF
such stock phrases as had been found effective
in various stump-speechcs for ten years. all
trickily Joined with bits Of reply to the speech
Of Senator Hill, so as to make the whole thing
seem an mprOmptu effort then the perform
ance sinks pcrilously near the level OF the jokes
kent on tap by the end man Of the negro min
strcls.
II is not discreditable In an orator to spend
time and labor in preparing his speech But
the charlatan appears when the preparation
for a special occasion means patching together
the rhetorical parts Of old speeches to appear
impromptu bursts Of Hcaven-inspired elo-
oucncc. Neither is it discrcditablc in an orator
10 study the use Of voice and method, in order
70 give the greatest effect to his utterance. The
description by n warm friend Of the Boy Ora
TORS preparation for his first speech in Con-
cress. which was on the tariff question, de-
scribes how .'the Bryans" worked over the
speech, day and night for weeks; Mrs. Bryan
"afterward told me how they had worked over
sit. how sentence after sentence had been pol
"lshed and repollshed and cut" Also how, n
week before the big speech was made. Mr..
baI 81 a a
on n deceased member, and Mrs. Bryan then
.sat In the gallery and carefully noted the
''voume Of tone required by Mr.. Bryan TO fill
.'thc hall BY means of signals the husband on
the floor and the wife In the gallery communi-
''cated and he lifted or lowered his voice at
cher suggestion until she satisfied herself that
she had struck the most effective tone" The
same performance was repeated when the big
tariff speech came All this is interesting and
crcdltable. for the speaker strove with honest
patience and labor TO produce the greatest eff
feet he could BIT after such assiduous prepa-
ration the '1Ieavennsplred burst Of oratory"
comes to look Ike very careful piece Of car
penter work.
TO most Of Mr. Bryans Western supporters
all this IL tritling beside the damning state
mcnt that he has for some time been in the
assistant attorneys for Nebraska. AS an en-
ploye of Messrs Gould. Sage d Co. his various
remarks about money kings and souless cor
porations and all their greed seem n trlhe III
consistent But though the lawyer is not bound
to take 10 fee except from a saint. such Is the
passionate dlsfavor in which great railroad
corporations are held by the Populiss ut the
West that this single circumstance, If Mr.
BRYAN has actually been drawing n salary
however small from the Missouri Pacific. may
cost him great deal of support.
His case IS made much worse by the nom
nation of the rich shlpbuler and Protection
ist of Maine Arthur Scwall. as Nicc-Prcslent
Oh the same ticket. Mr.. Sewal has amassed
u fortune and Is Interested in several railroads
and other corporations. being director in the
Maine Central since 1876 and It's president FOR
nine years. director in the Mexican Central
the New York and Ncw-England. the Port
land and Rochester, and in som" oi me
lines of the Atchson. Topeka ana santa re
system II Is also n most dishcarfening fact
that he turns up rs president OF the Bath Ma
tional Bank This Is. indeed. remarkable
man for canddatc Of the party which detests
/ National banks and hates corporations. Nhile
exceedingly successful IN building fine ships.
I and said 10 be the largest owners OF sailing
vessels In this country. Scwall Il Co. have been
branded In the Red Record OF the Sealnen
: Union as guilty OF maintaining on their vessels
n system Of intolciablc cruelty. 1t Is quite