The sun., 1896-02-02
WEAK OFFICIAL ORATORY.
DECADENCE OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
UNDER THE REFORMERs.

Mayor strone's liability to sny what ne
Wants. and Mr.. MurrRy's Inability to
Say Anything at Ali-why the Reforu,
Oncinis Complain or BEING Misqueted.
A man who has attended nearly all the meet
inga held since reform struck this town says
that the city got with reform the most measly
lot OF orators that could be collected in a days
journey. He says:
Tho Mayor heads the list. and he can't talk
for three minutes at n stretch without getting
his words and his ideas all tangled up, usually
winding up long sentence by saying exactly
the opposite to what he means. l think It IL
this unfortunate failing that is largely re-
sponsible for the Mayors reputation as fb-
Der. know of dozen instances where he ns..
started out to say something and has wound
up with something else In these instances I
have known what he wanted to say and what
he intended to say. Then. after saying tho
other thing. he went and did what he had in
tended to say he was going to do. and promptly
and properly was denounced as n liar. l say
properly because man who cant talk with.
out saying things he does not intend TO say has
no business to talk. IL the Mayor would let
job Hedges do his talking for HIM he would be
better Off. Job is no orator. but he can keep
idea in his mind long enough to express It.
When the Mayor is talking he doesn't compots
one sentence In four. He gets about half way
through and then starts Off about something
else. leaving his hearers to guess what the end
of the other sentence was. hearer can guess
at it. but reporter who guesses may be do
nounccd the next day as liar.
president Murray of the Excise Board 10
s.Si close second to the MsySr Next to prssi.
more than any reformcr in the city Government,
m and bns IS opG rsn to tsn n. to him
snce T1,, I% between Mr.; % Murray and Mr.: Strong;
make q speech Just tho other night. Sitting
applauded enthusiastically when the speaker
%a- ndt E.,I S had Sssn tSknE hs
also in W9ispsr; was; ,lIis mind is wander:
The worst Of it was. he didn't know
fn a an to hGa seD Hs tsp{ Sn Ss Ss
he stopned in the middle or "a sentence,
ak neither % eeSh s Gsn st' f coils Although
he thinks he can. Charities Commissioner
Faure cant speak three minutes without put
sioner Wright has an unfortunate habit of
being mi President JeroSman
the difficulties their twisted tongues, get them
s5 that's Ss %shsy fine 1sSs ss'1 It %s esn
viii swallow i, but, when it. tried second
time it doesn't go down. That is the reason
reporters are silent under the accusations Of
the reforIncrs. They know that. having got
away with tho game once. the thing will be
tried over again, and that lying will bring its
punishment.
But | was talking about orators. AS far
as | have seen. there are only two men in tho
reform Government who can talk in public.
One is Theodore Roosevelt. He is not an ora
tor. and is not even a pleasant talker to lis
ten to. His voice is harsh. But he always
that is always Ineligible The other is his
colleague. Commissioners cr Parker. Mr.. Parker
has good voice and an excellent command OF
language. He is lacking only in gesture. He
has only gesture. That is up and down
saving motion with his right arm. You
never hear either Mr.. Roosevelt or Mr.. Par
ker saying that he has been misauoted in
reports of his speeches. and It is very sell
dom that you hear that anybody who can form
sentence granlmatically is misquotel. The
fact is that to put on paper what the present
form city officials mean to say in their
speeches a reporter would have to he mind
reader, and 1t Is not ut all certain that he
would succeed even then. for the stuff they
talk sounds as II It was badly tangled In
side as 1t is out. ! would like to suggest to
these gentlemen l have named and others I
have not named. that the only safe way Is to
write out what is to be said. and then read it.
1t may not look so pretty. and may sound like
fool stuff. bu: they will know then that they
are saying what they mean to say, and there
will be no danger Of their being misquoted. as
they call