Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-10-23
ANE of the most important feature


of political campaign, especially
national campaign, is the speak
ing. The people by thousands flock TO
enjoy the spell cast over them by the
eloquent expounders of their fayorite
doctrines, and the men most attractive,
barring the candidates, to the voters
are the orators of the campaign.
Though these wizards of the platform
: wear an air Of self sufficiency and for
the time being seem to carry the re-
sponsibility for the welfare of the ma
ton upon their individual shoulders,
they are but parts of great machine
that has its directing spirit and its
method of operating. 1t was for the
purpose of learning something about
how this branch of the work of great
campaign was carried on that / visited
the national headquarters of the two
great parties and asked for audiences
with the chairmen of their respective
speakers bureaus.
Men do not jump up of their own mo-
tion and, affixing party label, go upon
the hastings as the prophets of the
party of their choice. Nor are they Sc
lected or accepted as a matter of course
when they present themselves as can
didates for the wreath of the spellbind-
er. A speakers bureau is a business
concern. The man at it's head must be
a leader and director by nature if he is
to make a success of his work. He
must be able to distinguish between the
orator, the talker and the "stumper'
and should know how to dispose of the
I speaking time of the representatives of
these several classes. Some men will
elicit unbounded enthusiasm and win
converts in communities and under cir
cumstances where others will be wet
blankets and send everybody home
from q meeting Disguised. The capa-
bilities of chairman of speakers and
the success of his management are
measured by these tests.
How does he know? Well, in the
first place, he knows, or soon learns,
what each speaker did in the previous
campaign-what kind of talks he made
and how he was received. Then, by the
use of his natural ability to size men
up, he is able to classify them. This
classification is recorded on the books
of the chairman, and he is enabled by
reference to his records to see at all
times the oratorical history of any one
Of his men. With new man, one who
is entering for the first time upon the
career of q spellbinder, he must adopt
one or both OF two plans. He must &C.
cept the opinion of some mutual ac-
quaintance, or he must try the new re-
cruit upon some safe platform, where
he will do little damage if he isn't up Il
the mark.
Having the soothsayers listed, the
next thing is to keep them at work un
der the best conditions. With the ma
tional bureau, one of the first thing!
after organization and the listing of thu
speakers is to inform the state commit
tees as to the personnel Of the speaking
corps and request their desires as II
the services of their respective favor
ties during the campaign. The mos
difficult part of the chairman's worl
comes when he is compelled to decid
between the claims of several states
Especially if one or more of them b.
what is called "close'O for the service
of some STAR speaker. Again, certain
men may be counted as particular,
strong speakers for certain localities
because of racial or other reasons, an,
here the chairman must be judiciou
and discreet. 1t is true the chairman
of the bureau of speakers has the bene
At of counseling with the Chairman
and other members of the nationa
committee, but in the final analysis
after the campaign is over he has
stand the brunt of all blunders in hi
department-and is sometimes held 20
more than his share of the defeat. Blu
in the event of victory? Well, I kno,
the gentlemen in charge of the Demo
cratic and Republican bureaus thi
year are too modest to lay claim t
more than their fair share of credit.
The Republican national committe
has two speakers bureaus this year
one in Chicago and one in New Yorl
Mr.. Henry c.. Hedges, a prominent law
yer of Mansfield, o.. is at the head {