The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1896-10-23
4 CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY.

AS he comes upon the stage and as the
applause breaks forth he smiles. 1t
is pleased smile-properly speaking.
grin. The grin of one to whom the
yells of "Hurray fur Bill'' and the ap-
plause of gallery is food and drink
snd raiment. Applause, of what kind
it does not matter. is what the ma
1nre of the man thrives upon. The rec
ognition of him great man, hero,
a deliverer 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 melodra rama-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
naively. But he is not afraid of it.
The eyes glow and qualification shows
in every movement, glance and action.
He is introduced and stands erect and
again grins. 1t is not the pleasing, dig
nifi,d Acknowledgement i'll keeping with
the honor to which the man aspireS, but
the smile of the magician to the audience
that cheers because it is mystified: He
raises restraining hand to hush the
demonstration. The movement is grace
full, nothing more. Like eve:y gesture
he ma keS. IL ldchS hC dhb''
are weak. hopelessly so. If the applause
continues, he waits. posing as if for the
camera He is patient. A dignihed
statesman's very presence would COM
mand silence after the first burst of ap-
plause, 1t would not be necessary for
the great man to wait until every nm
couth wit had made his joke, but this
man lacks the dignity of the position.
He plays for the gallery, and the gallery
whistles, stamps and claims him for its
He begins his address with a welt
turued 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 or
a fair flight in words. but at no time is
he an orator At no time does he bring
a known fact to the notice of his hear
ers: then an argument, then one condl-
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 fight of words
alleged to be oratory-are made to divert
the mind from questioning ms asser-
tions He scars in an outDnrst, tne
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
hear his trade mark. He makes asser-
tions while the audience is under the in
Auence 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 flight in Fourth of July
fireworks.
Labor applauds itself and this man
knows it. He recognizes that sacrifice.
..crucified,' .''down-trodden," the peo-
ple.'' sweat of the face and similar
words and phrases arouse in the ordinary
For logic he uses heroics. for argument
words used by truly great men, but
which no more apply to his subJest than
to the crucihXion.
He compares himself to the Man OF
Galiee without blush.
He defieS facts as AJAX did the nSnt-
ming.
He declares that something can be got
out of nothing: that a miner will be able
TO get 53 cents worth of metal coined IN
TO ST 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 proht
instead of himself. Why. the miner VIII
sell at ;5:5 cents and lose the coined proht,
he explains by highly colored account
of a crime which has nailed labor to
u cross of gold
He refuses to believe that capital is of
any use except to starve and grind down
mankind.
Ineinuations. that every man shonld
have more than enough in spite of his
hibts. his drunkenness or his improvi-
dence, he lavishes upon his hearers.
Declarations, that a country is all
wrong which gives every man who will
work with head and hands Il 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 a
sane man would hesitate to advise his
worst enemy.
He distributes chaff. coolly predicts
panic, quotes the words of Christ as
glibly as the rowdy uses his name. and
having directed the eyes of his hearers
upon. bubble which floats pleasingly
about, he says: Il thank you.''
Paul Armstrong.