Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1898-10-27
GREATNESS by INCHES.
The Space Given to q Mans Utter
ances by Newspapers.

Ihere IL now an accurate gauge by
which the people of any country
may take the measure of their great
men. All that you need is two
foot rule and file of the leading
newspapers to get very fair ap-
praisement of a mans public worth
in the popular mind. b. men of
affairs are to-day measured by col
umns, by inches, by lines, by para
graphs, by words.
AT least it is admittedly 80 in
Great Britain. Speech is o COM
modify, and each man of Importance
has his market value. The amount
of space man gets in the leading
newspapers when he delivers an i'm
portant address is a true index of his
current worth in public opinion.
The man who sets the limit is inva-
riably an expert of long experience.
He knows just how many feet or
inches Of talk the readers will stand
from this or that without signing and
saws it off accordingly. For exam
pie the manager Of the press associa-
tion which covers the united king
dom and distributes the news to the
papers throughout England, Scot
land and Ireland, makes the market,
as markets always are made, accord
ing to the demand for and the conse-
quent value of the articles offered
for sale. He knows of each particu-
lar variety from the national wind
mill of word production. Public
speakers, writer's and even poets are
bought and sold under the same rule
that governs the price of tea, coffee,
sugar, beer, whiskey and stocks.
And prices fuctuate according to
the public fancy or the popular de-
mand.
1t is curious to note in this expose
that in the entire united kingdom
the list of public men who are always
reported word for word, or in the
blunt parlance of the market, ever
batims," number only six, and even
one of these is quoted as "wobbly"
or unsteady in tho dial of the repu-
tation barometer. Now, in order to
get at the true Significance Of men
thus prominently before the public,
without giving invidious comparison,
it may prove advantageous to paral-
lei the British "verbatims" with the
names. of distinguished Americans
who enjoy like enviablc position in
the market quotations.
UNITED STATES.
President Mckinley.
x-Presidcnt Harrison.
Ex-Prcsident Cleveland.
Ex-Secretary Sherman.
Thomas B. Reed.
Chauncey Depow.
GREAT BRITAIN.
Lord Salisbury.
Lord Roscbery.
Joseph Chamberlain.
Arthur Balfour.
Sir William Harcourt.
John Morley.
Mr.. Morley is the only English
public speaker of this exclusive first
class who is not in Office and is not
past or present leader of party in
either House. The demand for
"Morleys" is quoted as "wobbly."
The same might be said of Mr..
Depew, but "Depcws" are always
strong and bullish in the market
when he prepares for a special occa-
sion, as at the dedication of the
Grant monument at Galena, or when
ho returns from Europe with fresh
stock of anecdotes and stories.
a prime minietcr, says the Eng
lish manager, is of course ex-oflicio
stable. So also is an ex-primc min
istor, as Lord Roscbery. The
speeches of the President of the
United States are always verbatim,
tor the people are always eager to
learn the views of their chief execu-
tive. The only living ex-Prcsidents
are stable, too, and all the more
sharply in demand because neither
of these gentlemen is in the habit of
flooding the market. Ex-Secrctary
Sherman has ranked in the first class
as a sounder of keynotes in national
campaigns and upon financial ques-
tions. AS for Speaker Reed, it must
be conceded that he furnishes upon
occasions just as good "stuff" as do
either Lord Salisbury, or Lord Rose
berry. Like Salisbury he, too, can be
"bitter, blunt, cynical and plain to
follow as Swift himself;" or, like
Rosebery, when free from official
cares, "easy, genial, polished, gayly,
malovolent, his speeches delightful
to read as Addisonian essays" The