The Portland daily press., 1900-10-09

''My friends, do you understand the.
question of the free coinage of silver?'
There was perfect silence as he paused
Oratorically, until young working girl
sitting in one OF the boxes asked in a
clear vOice:-
The question was unexpected and
puzzling. First the audience laughed,
then cheered the girl, and ended by in
sistlng that the speaker answer the ques-
ton then and there. H5 attempted to do
SO, but was overcome by stage fright and
slipped out by a back door. Next day he
went to headquarters and asked to be as
signed to farmers meetings for tho re-
ma1nder OF the season,
In a recent campaign in New York
young speIlbinder attempted to earn
double pay by speaking for both parties.
The second night he got mixed in his
dates and appointments and attempted
to deliver red hot Republican speech at
Democratic meeting.
BY swift and skilfuI lodging he got
off the stage physically intact, but the
news of the blunder reached the two
headquarters, and the next day the
young man lost both jobs.
Duringkthe New York city campaign Of
1897 a club of deaf mutes sent to one
of the headquarters for a speaker to adj
dress a meeting on a certain evening.
The manager of the spellbinders as
could talk a speech which would be in-
terpreted into the sign language by q
member of the club.
A message was sent to one of the best
spellbInders in the service OF the cOms
mittee asking him to address q clu
meeting on the night specified. BY an
oversight he was not Informed OF the
character OF the club, and arriving late
he missed the reception committee and
interpreter.
Finding a waiting audience and no
speaking, the spellBander stepped to the
front of the stage, and after a brief apol-
Ogy for being late, began. to speak.
He did his best. He was eloquent and
emphatic, humorous and pathetic; but
when his best jokes failed to cause
laugh, when his most eloquent phrases
were received In silence and his pathOs
provoked faint smiles, he felt cold chllls
creeping down his spine.
Braoing up, he went at them again,
He raved and stormed until his voice
began TO fail and perspiratiOn poured In
streams from his face, without provok-
ing a handicap The committee and In
terpreter who had gone to meet him APP
peared upon the stage just as the speli-
binder sank exhausted into chair
When the situation was explained to
him he Is was compelled to join in the
general laugh that followed, and when
rested repeated the Speech which, inter-
The falsetto voice of Reed was not
familiar to the voters of Indiana when
he entered that state in 1896 for brief
speaking tour, and his first meeting sur
vlved an interruption that would have
dismayed the average spellbinder.
He faced a large audience in the big
gest hall in the town, and there was
perfect silence after the first great OUT
burst of applause had subsidized.
III H. 04v@4x.
voics of Reed sounded faint and far
away, and HoOs1er who was hard OF
hearing promptly asked OF a companion
in voice audible all over the halt
"Is that TomY"
"Did you think it was the voice OF
BalaamP' responded Reed, and the rip
pie of half suppressed laughter broke into
storm OF applause.
In the South and some OF the western
states nearly all political speaking is by
Joint debate, the candidates Of the Oppos-
in parties making tour of the state,
district or county together and dividing
time equally This arrangement In
sures an audience composed OF the
voters of each party, where votes may be
gained by good argument.
During the progress OF such debates
any voter in the audience is at liberty to
ask questions of the candidates and
the latter are expected to answer with
out taking or giving Offense. The OPP
posing candidates, no matter what their
personal feelings or relations may be, are
compelled to treat each other with respect
and the most formal courtesy In the pres
enoe of a mixed audience.
No matter how great the political ex-
citement may be these joint discussions
rarely result in conflict between the op-
posing parties or factions, because the
leaders OF each side hesitate to be first to
start q row or strike blow. The hired
speIIbinder is never employed for such
debates. Campaign managers say that
few votes are changed by the work Of
speIIbinders, but the voters Of the country
demand entertainment and discussion, SO
the hired orator has become fixture in
American politics. e@Aa