The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-06
SCRAPPlNESS
The Chief Characteristic OF the Speeches
of the Brass Lunged Bryan.


The Chief Characteristic OF the Speeches
of the Brass Lunged Bryan.
The presidential campaign, ON the
part Of the Democratic-P Populist side Of
il, differs from all others in remem-
brance in tho extraordinarily active
part that the candidate for the presi-
dency takes in it, In all other years the
candidates for the presidency have re-
mained In comparative retirement.
There YVES supposed to be a certain Dig
nifty about the position in which they
had been placed which forbade their go
ing into a round of electioneering effort
They have. addressed the people occa-
sionally, but always in carefully medi-
tated speeches, delivered either at their
own homes or in great public centers.
The ranging through the country has
been left TO those of the party leaders TO
whom stump oratoIy appeared more APP
propria.e. Stephen A. Douglas varied
this in partial extent, and Horace
Greeley in the latter portion Of his
campaign broke over the custom per-
haps more than any candidate had
done before or since. The difference in
the case of Mr.. Bryan is that he has
made business of soliciting votes for
himself for the presidency almost from
the time of his nomination. There has
been scarcely day when he has not
been roaming the country in some di-
rection. 1t would satisfy feeling OF
curiosity to ascertain the number OF the
speeches he has made. He seems to
have felt it to be bis mission to talk the
people into electing him president, and
in pursuance of this feeling he has trav-
eled thousands of miles, addressing them
at every stage of his progress.
Another feature of this proceeding is
the apparent impression on Mr.. Bryan's
part that it was not of SO much conse-
quence what he said as that he should
talk. How many of this interminable
list of speeches have in them anything
that was worth saying or that will not
sink into utter oblivion after the cam
paign is overp How many of them even
sustain Mr.. Bryan1 previous reputation
for oratory? We have either read or
scanned them oil, and we confess to
have been unable TO find one. His New
York city speech was carefully pondered
as an argument, but we are unable to
find in il any addition 70 the informing
literature of the discussion. 1t has fallen
fiat so far as citation from il on one side
or the other has been made in the press
or OH the stump. 1t is tho one speech OK
Mr.. Bryan which conforms TO the prac-
tice of his predecessors who have been
nominated for the presidency, and it has
less Importance in it's effect than any OF
them. The other speeches of Mr.. Bryan
have been commonplace, and in most
instances they have the appearance OF
being perfunotory. The impression from
them is that their author was put TO
il" as the phrase is, 10 find something
TO say that he racked his ingenuity to
devise topics, and that he breathed freer
when he found something that would
even in appearance relieve him from the
task he had undertaken. These speeches
arocharacterized by scrappiness through
out. Perhaps there was not much room
for the display Of ability in thom. We
think we are not prejudiced in saying
that we fail 10 find it. and we have no
doubt that nsn of oil parties who are
accustomed to estimating public speeches
will agree with us In opinion. In point
Of ability 10 is only fair estimate to
say that the speeches Of that other re-
dundant orator, Mr.. George Fred VIII.
liams Of our own state, are distinctly
superior TO those Of Mr.. Bryan. Boston
Herald.
A..