Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-10-05
Political Meetings Here and in England.

servation. has published an article on
English and American campaign
methods which is of much interest at
this time, while we are in the midst of
q presidential and congressional cam
paign and our English cousins are
busy in parliamentary election. The
article has special reference to the
| conduct of public meetings. The d.
vergence is remarkable and depends to
a large degree on the fact that general
elections in this country are periodic,
while in England though no parliament
can last more than seven years, an
election may occur after any dissolu-
ton, and a dissolution occurs when
ever the party in power is defeated on
a test question.
| 1t is difficult to imagine what would
be the effect on the political machine
| in this country if no one could tell
when a general election would be held.
Evidently it would be very great. In
England this uncertainty, and the fur
Their fact that there is no one ticket
which, like that for our presidential
electors, is voted for by the entire
country. has tended to keep local poll
| tics largely independent of national
| politics and has presented an abnormal
methods and party discipline are en-
tirely different in the two countries
and have grown up under different in
| fluences. In some regards the English
way Of appealing to voters is much
nearer the spirit of the original demo-
cratic assembly than is that preached
by our political managers.
The most striking difference is
shown by comparing our political
meetings to those Of England. Not
only are ours very much larger than
those held in England, but they are
much more orderly. The English con-
| stituencies are small and efforts TO in
tluence public opinion in one district
never extend into the adjacent ones.
Monster meetings and professions are
unknown. Nothing struck Mr.. Brooks
more forcibly than the great process
sion of sound-money men in New York
in 80, except the orderly behavior Of
the crowds on the sidewalks. Such
| procession. he says. would be impossi-
BILE in England. He evidently regards
it as rather a childish affair though he
took part in it, in the delegation from
the prcss-and if undertaken would
certainly be interrupted by rioting all
along the line. But the great differ
ence in political meetings in this coun-
try and in England is that the object
of ours is "glorification." the object of
those in England is discussion Mr..
Brooks is contrasting the large meet
ings in our cities with the smaller
meetings in England but had he at
tended a political meeting in a country
: schoolhOuse, so many Of which are
held in every campaign, he would have
found that sober discussion Of political
, issues was sometimes the object Of
political meetings in the United states.
Through discussion in such meetings
and in the press. the great majority
against Bryan was created in 1896.
Monster meetings, We are willing to
allow, are principally effective in
booming things" and the speakers
are expected to arouse and amuse the
audience more than to instruct it.
Mr. Brooks seems to think that the
oratory in American political meetings
is more entertaining and more con-
4 ersational in tone. but on the whole
s more eloquent than that heard in the
T average English meeting. But what
n speaker even if bore is listened t.
s with respect and is rarely interrupted
i by questions. In England, not only is
n a tedious speaker interrupted by q
storm of cat-calls, coughs, and ironica
cheers, but the audience in the person
Of privileged individuals called heck
| leiS reserves the IlSul " dSh qutS'
tions, to demand proof of statements
and to deny assertions point-blank i
is necessary for the speaker to NEE
these inquiries frankly and in goot
part Mr.. Gladstone was once so an
noyed by a persistent Scotch farmer
that he refused to answer his ques
tons and thereby drove away man!
votes and came near to losing his elec
ton. Such custom must have tn
effect of restraining the reckless asser
ton, transparent begging of the ques
ton. and empty hyfalutin so often in
n dulGed in by speakers. Imagine MI
J. BRYAN trying to answer the question
e What is your authority for tina
IT statement" or Does the speaker be
r. leve in the ratio of 16 to ! as fully a
h he did four years ago." As devlc
d for puncturing windbags inflated wit
ic fallacious rhetoric, the ''heckler
m might be useful in our country Their