Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1897-08-04
ELOQUENT BAKER.
~ ENGLISH BORN wEsrERNeR
WHOSE SPEECH WAS A Spell.


ia. Ms.sss.hi- Krs~ which ch.r~s~A
t.e nspesssrs nssora the rs~ss 70 \
Record what us said - nis Career %
sh. rs~sa~ Coast and M. lS-ssh.
Only once have listened to u speaker
Who could make u newspaper reporter
forget his occupation. and that man
was Colonel Edward ID. Baker OF Cali
foiaia. Orceon and the nation.
Colonel Baker was born Ia England
and was brought TO America while u
child by his parents. His father was
weaver and obtained work in Phila-
de!phis mill. Young Baker also worked
III the mill when he got old enough
Weaving was not To his taste. and as
soon ns lie could he Went 10 Illinois and
without the aid Of much schooling cdu-
Gated himself. got admitted to the bar
and began the practice OF the law IN
middle Illinois. riding IN the circuit
with Lincoln ana winning fame AS an
orator. He went to Mexico as colonel of
al Illinois regiment and won fame at
Cerro GortlO. Being attracted to Cali
fornia ct an early day, he settled in
San Francisco and speedily became ia
nous as o jury lawyer, particularly in
criminal ceses. So great was his repu-
tation M an orator that the miners
would leave their claims and 60 miles
over the mountain trails to hear him
speak.
Early in 1860 Colonel Baker deter
mined to try TO be elected q United
States senator from Oregon. 1t wes q
most audacious scheme for a resident
Of one state to attempt to become IA GEN.
ator from an adjoining state. where he
had not even attempted to gain q resi-
dence. 1t would require little more
check for New York man to try to be-
come senator from Connecticut than it
did for Colonel Baker to undertake to
become senator from Oregon. The very
audacity of the scheme commended it
to Colonel Baker. and he entered upon
the work with great energy. He stump
ed Oregon before the June election and
boldly proclaimed himseR q candidate
for the senate Us Republican aguinst
the celebrated General Joe Lane. The
legislature met in the fall, and after .
hot fghs Colonel Baker W as elected sen-
ator, with noted wit, James W. Mes
mith, as his colleague.
The news Of the election Of Senator
Baker preceded his return by only a
few days, causing great Joy to hts
friends in California, who decided to
give him n public reception, function
which in those days meant the assem-
bling of friends to listen to a speech by
the hono,ed man. Thb American thea
ter On SansOme street, with a seating
capacity Of 5000 when the stage was
arranged for auditors, was engaged for
the occasion. On the, appointed evening
every available seat hnd bit of standing
soom was occupied while hundreds
were turned away. beats at tables were
arranged on the st4ce for half dozen
reporters. among them being a tall,
thin. consumptivo Eooking man about
45 years old, na,h hed Hart, who had
been reporting fol' newspapers 20 long
that he was supposed 20 be proo'
against the wiles of man or woman.
1t was stated at the time that AT
Colonel Baker rode down to the meet
ing with the committee he remarked:
l
life tonight, but feel as if l will make
u failure"
| After the meeting had been formally
opened u man atCnt o feet inches IL
height, athletic and erect i'll build, with
u magnificent bead scantiiy covered
with gray hair, u smoothly shaven face
aquii:ne nosc, bIazing dark eyes, "a largt
neck oncirc,cd with wide Byron col
lar and wearing dark clothing. was i'll
troducod rs Colonel Baker, cur sena
tor from Oregon.
As had never beard Colonel Bake
speak, but bad had my head filled viii
stories Of his Oraiorical powers, / sa
among the reporters, prejudiced agains
hin, By the perversi:y of my nature, ant
studied hiIn. For the first 10 minute
I compared him with the noted orator.
/ had heard III the east, my early con
clusior being: "If this is the grea
orator Of the Pacific and the gray eagl'
of California he is much overrated.
have heard n score Of men who excellet
him" Then became interested i'll th'
matter and the manner of the orator
His voice ravaled In tone and compas
the notes produced by silver bugl
when played By o master. his gesture
seemed more appropriate and graceful
than those OF any speaker / had eve
heard, and his nt.erances were SO en-
trancing that all idea Of the flight O
time was lost As the ears drank in hi
words and the eyes watched his grace
full movements.
To give you an idea Of the power O
Colonel Bakers oFatory it Is enough I
relate that Mr.. Hart. the case hardened
reporter l have mentioned, became s
absorbed in the matter and so fascinate'
BY the manner of the orator that he foE
got bis duty to his newspaper, forgot +
take notes, forgot his surroundings All
at Gle climax i'll the speech jumps
from his seat, ran out On tie stage
grabbed Colonel Baker round the nee
and, amid the tremendous cheering Q
the great audience. yelled:
BY GCd, sir. you are right''
The instant Hart spoke he woke u
and, realizing the spectacle he ha
made of himself, rushed from the stag
amid the wild and long continued cheer
ing of the vast audience.
None Of the reporters on that stag
was ever able to write out more tha
an occasional paragraph OF that tw
hours speech made by Colonel Baker
the only one / ever heard him make
Soon afterward he came east to fascinat
great crowds in New York by his patri
otic rtterances, to electrify the senat
and the country by his impromptu re
ply to Breckinridge, delivered while 1
/ the mud stained uniform in which b
had just come from the field Of battl
and TO die fl fl sshtipg for his adopted cour
try at Balls Bluff.-P. b. ). In .Ne'
York Sun.
1 ~ yuI,a