The sun., 1900-10-07
THE BUSY SPELLBINDERS.
CAMPAIGN SPEECHES SUPPLIED BY
AN ARMY or ORATORS.
The Employment OF Variety Actors an EH.
pertinent This Tear-Interruptions lhs'
Rpin Eioaucnce-Apt Answers TO oues-
tons-Debates In the South and west

pertinent This Year-InterTuptions 1hst
Ruin Eioaucnco-Apt Answers TO oues-
tions-Debates In the south and west
Tho term spellbinder was first applied gen.
orally % campaign speakers In 1883. wheh
thousands Of men who could talk In public
were employed by the Republican and Demo
cratic National committees. They were seh'
into every State and city and tho system u
now recognized as an important part ot tho
work OF electing President The great army
Of orators, the men who go from town to town
speaking day and night in halls or at open
air meetings are employed at fixed salaries
ranging from $50 to $500 a week, according TO
their ability and reputation. This year the
experiment Of employing professional come
dans and monoogue artists has been maze
because the essential qualification OF spell
binder Il ability TO interest and hold an audi-
ence man who can tell funny stories 'eu
them well and apply them npty to some I'M
portant public question is always In demand ana
ranks higher in the business than tho declalmer
Of stool, arguments who has no sense Of humor.
The idea Of the campaign managers Is 10
get certain facts and statements presented
to the voters In an entertaining way The
spellblnders are supplied with campaign texs
books upon which they draw for facts and
arguments The web OF words they must
weave lot lncIIsclNtS' ~ 10 ''o'AN'oi N''N7
they shall be immune from stage fright.
ready-wItted and quick at speech and
repartee Many ambitious young orators
have been routed utterly by an en-
barrasslng question from an audience
which they could not answer A man who
can parry leading questions turn an unex-
pected interruption TO good account and gauge
the mood of his audience at glance Is tho
one who succeeds a. speUbinder Such
a one ia a certain orator, without much OF
reputation outside Of the political stump. who
can hold and Interest an audience that would
probably jecr the greatest orator In thecoun-
try. In 1890 this man was making sTeech for
Mckinley 70 an audience composed largely
Of Populists. and was discussing tho money
question When the speaker asserted that
the stamp OF a government did not create
money n farmer wearing a long beard Jumped
up and waving one-doIlar bill in the air asked;
What makes that bit Of paper money II
II amt the printing done on it by the Govern
ment?"
My friend said the sTellbinder Instantly.
suppose tho Government stamped the word
hay on your whiskers, would your cows eat
them"
The audience howled with delight the farmer
dropped crestiallen into his seat and the speaker
was not again interrupted. Many men who
have some local reputation as public speakers
fail before a strange audience and the SPELL
binder who loses his temper is doomed 10 dis
comGture. II often happens that men OF con
siderable reputation are withdrawn by the
campaign managers after their first public
speech because OF some unfortunate or mistaken
utteranco that would follow them wherever
they went If they continued on tho stump.
In the middle OF the national campaign Of
% ~. -, "A ali
binders employed by the Republicans lost his
employment and his reputation through absent
mindedness. lie was consttutionally and ut
terly unable TO remember even the most i'm
portant and familiar names and dates and II
was his habit 10 carry in the inside pocket
OF his coat n slip OF paper on which he had
written names and figures to be used at partcu-
lar places in the discourse. This speaker was
instructed TO address a big mass meeting of
factory operatives IN New Jersey one night
Just before leaving his hotel Tor the ferry he
changed coats and forgot TO transfer his written
list OF names and figures TO be used in his speech
The meeting was In a bg hall which was crowded
TO the doors when the speaker from National
Headquarters was presented. lie did not know
tlAt the factory employees present we're evenly
divided in their political Affiliations. Believing
that hc iac"das sy mpathetic audience the - eaker
began in his best style 10 describe OF the benefits
OF protection and the gold Standard He
warmed up to the subject rapidly ana began
In his most impressive manner the delivery
Of paragraph OF his popular speech that had
never before failed 10 arouse the greatest en-
NV friends, he said, standing close TO the
footlights Of the stage. one OF the candidates
. for President this year is a soldier. statesman
and patriot whose name VIII never be forgotten
in the homes Of American NorEiugmen Be
cause Of bill that bears his name the wheels of
your mills and factories hum and you are all
employed at good wages. To-day this man
stands before YOU the champion OF your cause
fbe defender OF the right Of every workingman
,l., a ha In
best money. Generations OF American work
! ugrnen as yet unborn will rise W 10 bless the
| name Of the name n --"
Here the orator felt in his coat pocket for his
! list Of names and failed 10 indit.
Great legioLs unborn will bless the name Of
Another frantic ransacking Of coat pockets
and increasing embarrassment.
The name Of that great patriot and states
| man" This 10 kill time while he hurriedly
The name of that great friend Of the people,
| that champion Of tie cause OF the working
william J. Bryan shouted strong-lunsed
| man IN the gallery.
Yes. my friends, that splendid patriot
| William j Bryan" the thoroughly embarrassed
| spellbinder shouted, mechanically accepting
| the suggestion.
! Instantly tho meeting was IN an uproar.
| There were shouts and yells for Bryan and
| counter cries for Mckinley. A local COM
| mitee seated on the stage tried 10 prompt the
! speaker, but he was ratified by this time ard
| failed to realize that he had made mistake.
] The men on The stage could NOT SHUT MIN on,
! and the audience quickly discovered his failure
| Of memory and transpOsition Of names lie
| was Cuyed and laughed AZ until the meeting
| broke mp In confusion. The protest sent 10
! national headquarters next day by the local
| committee caused the immediate discharge Of
| the ab-cHt-rrin ndcd Spclbirdor.
In indianapolis In 1900 n Democratic speaker
b NJ great reputation was completely vanGuished
| and a large meeting broken up by one word
/ spoken BY n small boy The speaker was
/ saving with much cloQuence and VehemenCe
that all tho working men Of the country de-
| manded the free coinage Of silver. Then he
began peroratioE like this.
"Our opponents say there are thousands
| of gold non right here in Indianapolis. Last
| night | spoke to an audience Of 5000 honest
/ w6rkincmen They were all for rec silver
| believe that every man in this great audience
| fagors free coinage. Now where are the gold
| Working" shouted the shrll voice OF
| boy In the gallery. 4 laugh started and swNpt
/ over the entire audience, SO confusing tho
| speaker that ne made no effort to continue
! his address
/ In tho same campaign a man who had made
moro than lOO1 stump speeches and boaStrd
| that he had never been ratified by n question
! or interruption Wa, so completely knockedOut
/ BY an innocent question asked by factory girl
. that he broke down completely. The Roruh