The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-27
BAKER TIL ELOQUENT.
An INCL SH-BORN W~ESTERSER
HOSE SPEECH HAS 4 SPEIL.

WHOSE SPEECH Vas 4 SPEIL
III. Memorable Eror, which charmed tho n.
pnrtcra lfcyond the Power or Recording
what lie nid-H,s Career on thr Pirlns
Gonat and His Death for TIL. Conn'r,.
have henrd Webster and watched the rasrt
on n vast crowd Of his majestic presence an 80
norous sentences: have seen crowds hOrriir,l
by the vivid descriptions of the effects OF STAY.
cry drawn by the master hands o. Charl"s sum.
ner and Fred Douglass: have watched the az.
dienccs as they swayed with varying "motiona
under the smell Of the beautiful language II
Bcecher: have seen Starr King rouse the PEOPLE
Of San Francisco and cause them TO pour out
money for the Sanitary Commission; have ei-
ioyed the eloquence OF prince" John Vim Bu.
rem, Horatio Seymour, "SonOrouB" join COch.
ran. Roscoe Conkling, James w. Nye. md Other
orators, East and Wesl but only once have | lis
tened TO a speaker who could make a newspaper
reporter forget his occupation, and that mua
was Col. Edward d. Baker of California, Oregon,
and the nation.
Col. Baker was born in England. and was
brought 10 America while q child by his parents.
His father was q weaver. AM obt,inod work in
Philadelphia mill. Young Bakor also worked in
the mill when he got old enough. Weaving was
not to his taste, and as coon as he could he went
to Illinois. and without the aid Of much school
ing educated himself. got admitted to tbs bar,
and began the practice Of tho law in middle
Illinois, riding in the circuit with Lincoln. and
winning fame as nm orator. He went to Mexico
as Colonel of an Illinois regiment and won fame
at Cerro Gordo. Being attracted to California
at an early day, he settled in San Francisco.
and speedily became famous as n jury law.
yer. particularly in criminal csses. so great
was his reputation as an orator that the miners
would leave their claims and go miles over tho
mountain trails to hear him speak. He repeated.
~ stumped California for the Republican ticket,
The announcement that Col. Baker would
speak would draw great crowds to my place.
Col. Baker was called the Gray Eagle OF tho
Pacific" and 1.-The Silver-tonRued Orator" 70
was a great friend OF David c. Bro1crick, tho
California Senator who was killed In a duo,
near San Francisco in the fall of 1859 by Judge
David S. Perry. Bakers grafton over the dead
tody ~ his sr!ca5 l.. one Of the mnEterrie-ss -
English oratory.
Early in 1sCo Col. Baker determined TO try 70
be elected a United States Senator from Oregon.
1t WINS n most audacious scheme for a rcsidtns
OF one State to attempt to become n Senator
from an adjoining State, where he Ind not even
attempted to gain a residence. 1t would require
a little more check for a New York man 10 try
to become Senator from Connecticut than II i!d
for Col. Baker to undertake to become Senator
from OREGON. The very audacity OF the scheme
commended 1t to Col. Baker. and he entered
upon the work with great energy. He stumpcd
Oregon before the June election, and boldly pro-
claimed himself a candidate for the Senate as p
Republican against the celebrated Gen. Joe
Lane. The Legislature met In the fall, and after
a noted wit, James W. Nesmith, as his coiicaC"a
The news OF the election OF Senator Baker pre-
sfSsa i Rls to tsl his friends Gs SGs'{ In a c fsT aa{s,, S SfhS'lGn n!
Gidtd 70 give him a public RECEPTION, a function
fripnda IN listen IN n GnTnrh hv tha haparnH p,a,
The American Theatre on sansome street, With
a seating capacity OF 5000 when tho stsGe was
sion. On the appointed evening every avrilahle
seat and hit Of standing room was occupied,
tables were arranged on the stage for half a
dozen reporters, among them being a tall. thin,
named Hart. who had been reporting Tor news.
papers so long that he was supposed to be proof
against the wiles OF man or woman.
1t was stated at the time that as Col. Baker
roao down 10 the meeting with the he
u ought to make the speech of my life to-
nigh: hut ! feel as 4 win make a failure"
erect in build, with q m tgnincent head s~cantily
covered with gray hair, q smoothly shaven face.
encircled with a wide Byron collar. and weHrins
dark clothing. WIS introduced as Col. Baker,
As had never heard Col. Baker speak. hut
had had my head filled with stories OF his ora.
diced against him by The perversity o. nv wv M.
tnre. and studied him. For the frst H;tren
minutes | compared him with the noted orators
had heard In the East. my early conclusion
being: IF this is the great orator o. the Pa
cihc, and the gray, eagle OF California he is
much niue oTSrratSh ed ] have no nd a score OF men
In the matter and the manner OF the orator. Ms
voice riyalled in tone and compass tho notes
produced by a silver bnRle when playci by u
master, his gestures seemed moro appropriate
am graceful than those OF any speaker | had
ever heard. and his utierances were 80 en-.
trancing that all Idea OF the flight Of time was
lost rs the ears drank In his words and the eyes
watched his graceful movements.
10 give You an idea OF the power ~ Col.
BAKERS %oratory, II 70 enough to relate that Nj
h'rt, the case-hRriened reporter | hHN" men
ploned, became 80 absorbed In the matter. md
so FASCINATED, by tn" manner OF the orator. THAT
hetorGol his dlltyto his newspaper. forgot to'Rhe
hotes. torSot his surrounding ami ut ono climax
n the speech (nmned from his scat, rem ont on
tho stage, grabbed Col. Baker round The neck.
an, mid the tremendous cheering Of the great
AUDIENCE. yelled:
by God. sir, you are right"
The instant Hart spoke he woke up, and real
izing the spectacle he had made OF himself.
rushed from the stage amid the wild and long.
con'inned cheering OF the vast audience.
None or the reporters on that stage was ever
able TO write ont more III an AN occasional pr
graph OF that two-h0ur speech made by Col.
Baker, III" only one ] ever heard him make.
soon afterwarih he came East to fas,inatc rrcat
crowds In New York 10y his patriotic uttcrnnces.
to ~elcctrify the Senate and the country hv hls
iInprompti reply TO breckenridge, delivered
while In the mud,stnined uniform in which he
had Just come from The field OF hattie, an IN HE
fighting for his adopted country at Balls BlyG,
7. Il. j.