The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-07-12

the ground with his opponent, predict
ing dire eatastrophdes if the other side
be permitted to get on top, throwing
fragrant bouquets at his own candi-
dates, calling upon heaven to witness
the triumphs of his beautiful party in
the past, hurting maledictons upon
the opposition and generally tearing
everything wide open.
The spouter or spellbinder is a. pecu-
liar thing. He only blooms forth in
his full magnificence once in four
years. This is a fourth year and it
promises to be a hummer. The silver
shouters of the south and west will
beard the lion in his den by making
free silver speeches perched upon the
Washington statue in Wall street. The
pompous gold bug speilbinder will run
the risk of being mobbed by picturing
the cause of sound money on planta-
ton and ranch. The Popuiist will rip
up things in manufacturing cities, and
his opponents will shout statistics at
farming communities.
None of the parties have as yet COM
pleted their lists of spellbinders and
until they dc so 1t is a matter of inter
est to take a glance backward and see
who the men were who painted ora
torical pictures in campaigns of the
past.
One of the first presidential cam
paigns in which great bitterness was
shown was that of 1868, in which James
Madison secured the regular nominal
ton. Out of 81 votes Madison received
So. the remainder being divided be-
tween James Monroe and George Gin
ton John Randolph. of Roanoke op-
posed Madison and championed the
nomination of Monroe, and later headed
a which Izr01-l-pd IN
Toes election.
Randolph was a great figure in
American politics in that time His
oratorical ability was tremendous. but
1t was mainly of pungent character
In congress he was feared by every
one. His language was pointed and
severe, full of condensed fire and in
human energy. His oratory was Spar
tan brevity and force: his words fell
like vipers among his hearers, and
stung them into fiery excitement. He
was morbid and morose to excess. but
his gloom was volcanic heat, ready to
explode at any moment and in any
direction. Suddenly his stoical nature
would become irrepressible, and his
cold, sinister eye blazed with splendid
fires, and radiated his hueless face like
a wintry sky flashing with electric
bolts.
= political opponent boosted on the
stump that if his mind was not natur-
ally as strong as that of the orator Of
Roanoke, he had done his best. by an
aroUoUs collegiate course, to improve
1T. Not the first weak soil, gentle
men" exclaimed Randolph, interrupt
ing him. that excessive cultivation
has reduced to barrenness"
HOW RANDOLPH LOOKED.
A pen picture of Randolph at the
time he was in congress describes him
in this way: John Randolph is about
six feet high. He has elevated Shout
ders, a small head and a physiognomy
all the parts OF which are entirely I'M
intellectual except his eye. His hair
is dark, thin and lank. and lays close
TO his head. His voice is as shrill as a
fife, but its. clear, shrieling tones can
be distinctly heard by a large audi
ence. The muscles and skin about his
face are shriveled and cadaverous,
like wrinkled parchment. His lfps are
thin, compressed and colorless. Tall
as he looks, his weight is not more
than one hundred and thirty pounds
Henry Clay viii for all time De
ranked among the princes of American
speakers. He was prominent in many
campaigns, beginning with his strug-
gle in 1903 for election to the Kentucky
legislature. and lasting until his death
fifty years later, on, March 81, 1852.
When he resigned his seat in the
United States senate there was great
crowd on hand to listen to his farewell
address. That part of it which af-
fectad his hearers most was his tribute
to his adopted state-Kentucky: But"
he said. scarce had set my
foot upon her generous soil
when 1 was embraced with par
entail fondness, caressed as though
1 had been a favorite child, and
patronized with liberal and unbounded
munificence. From that period the
highest honors of the state have been
freely bestowed upon me; and when in
the darkest hour OF calumny and de-
traction / seemed to be assailed by all
the rest of the world, she interposed
her broad and impenetrable shield, re-
PEELED the poisonous shafts that were
aimed for my destruction, and vindi-
Gated my good name from every ma
lgnant and unfounded dispersion. ]
return with indescrib2iDle pleasure to
linger awhile longer and mingle with
the warm-heaTted and whole-souled
people OF that state; and when the last
scene shall forever close upon me. l
hope my earthly remains Will be laid
under her green sod with those of her
gallant and patriotic sons
John c. Calhoun was a prominent
figure in the political arena from 1865
until 1850. Several times he came
within an ace Of securing the nomina-
ton for the presidency. As a speaker
he ranked with the best, his diction
being remarkable for the absence cf
ornament and for its clear, terse, log
1cal c0mpactness.
Daniel Webster, a contemporary of
Calhoun. like the latter, was always
within an inch or two of the pres;-
dency. From 1872 until 1850 he figured
in ali Of the campaigns. He belonged
10 the Federal party, and at the con-
Vention of the Wings at Baltimore in (.
the spring of 1852 he was narrowly de- /
feated for the presidential nomination /
by General Scott.
Stephen Douglas, the rival and friend !
of Lincoln, was g speaker of unusual |
vigor. He supported the compromise (
measures Of 1850, and on returning to
his home in Illinois he found his course
he made a great speech at Chicago in
HIS own defense. In it he laid down
the principle which, then and there /
after, guided him in the slavery agita- /
tion-that every people ought to pos
sess the right OF framing and regulat-
ing their own internal concerns and !
domestic institutions in their own way.
These things are all conf1ded by the /
constitution to each state to decide for
itself, and l know of no reason why /
the same principle should not be ex-
tended to the territories"
His joint debates with Lincoln in
1858 are too we'll known to require par
ticularizing.
THE EMERGENCY MAN.
Daniel Dougherty, of Philadelphia.
who nominated General Hancock for
the presidency was one of the most