Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-09-29
A 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 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
IGNITION of him as a 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 meiodrama-the tank show" He
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 II.
The eyes glow and qualification shows
i'm every movement, glance and action.
He is introduced and stands erect ana
again grins 1t is not the pleasing, dig
nified acknowledgment in keeping with
the honor to which the man aspires, but
the smile of the magician 10 the audience
that cheers because it is mystihed: He
II
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. A dignlhed
statesman's very presence would COM
mand silence after the first burst of APP
nlause. 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
very own. 80,
He begins his address. with well,
turned sentence. which he knows will
nIease his audience. In fact, from first
10 last. it is his effort by skillful re-
treats never to offend. He is capable OF
n fair fight 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 condi-
tion. and still another, and then, as
climax. as one indisputable, unanswcra-
BILE declaration, rounded and fun, guard
cd and protected by logic, launch 1t forth
at his listeners. His flight OF words
alleged to be oratory--arc made to divert
the mind from questioning his asser-
lions. 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
hear his trade mark. He makes asser-
lions while the audience is under the IN
fnence of his heroics. He pours forth
mbot no thinks. and declares it 70 be
trnc. hut when the time arrives in the
course of his remarks when the facts to
hack his assertions should be heard,
behold another fight in Fourth OF July
labor applauds itself, and this man
knows il. He recognizes that sacrifice,
'crucitied," ''down-trodden, the peo-
plc." "sweat of the face" and similar
words and phrases arouse IN the Ordinary
For logic he uses hcroics, for argument
words used by truly great men, but
which no more apply to his subJest than
to the crucifxion.
He compares himself to the Man of
Galliee without blush. ;.
Ue deties facts as Ajax did the light
ming
out of nothing; that miner will be able
10 get 80 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 50 cents and give the
buyer the chance to make that profit
instead of himself Why the miner will
sell at SO cents and lose the coined profit,
he explains by highly colored account
of a ''crime" which has nailed labor to
cross of gold.''
He refuses to believe that capital is of
any use except 10 starve and grind down
mankind.
Insinuations, that every man should
have more than enough in spite of his
hibits. his drunkenness or his IMPROVE
dence. he lavishcs upon his hearers.
Declarations, that a 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 a
sane man would hesitate to advise his
worst enemy.
He distributes chaff, coolly predicts a
manic. quotes the words of Christ as
glibly as the rowdy uses his name, and
having directed the eyes of his hearers
upon a bubble which floats pleasingly
n about, he says: 81 thank you"
Paul Armstrong.