The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-29
GET READY FOR THE STUMP
VISING THEIR LONG LISTS
OF ORATORS
GOOD PAY FOR GOOD TAKERS
Funds of the Campaign Committee
Now Diverted Somewhat From
the AppOrtiOnment for the
SpcIIbinders.

Managers Of both parties are now ar
ranging their list of campaign orators,
and 1 have been. considerably amused
in glancing over price list of the
most faVora bic ones" remarked a vet
eran politician This particularly in
terests me because some of the high
priced stump speakers remember as well
as ! do the day wheH'iJ was considered
a disgrace to accept any pecuniary re-
ward for speaking IN the in forests sof the
party to whiehetheS. belonged.
In nothing have party feeling and
sympathy changed more than in this
respect 1t is only necessary TO go
back d quarter of century 10 find pO-
litical speakers volunteering their ser
vices, and even Of offering to pay their
expenses for a series OF campaign ora
tons in different parts of the country.
1t would have been considered a scandal
to either party to have in the field paid
speakers.
Carl Schurz, you will remember, was
accused of receiving $500 for a political
speech in favor of Horace Greeley in
1872 and the talk of it created bitter re-
proaches from friends and foes alike,
OF course the fact that Mr. SchurZ was
a senator at that time had something to
do win the hue and cry, but that
alone was not sufficient to account for
the trouble. 1t was the condition of the
public mind toward campaign orators.
They were supposed to be so vitally in
terested in the party's welfare, and IN
the national. questions at. issue, that
they were willing at any time TO sacri-
flee personal comforts and business 10
the good of the country 40. one would
have had any' faith or confidence IN the
statements or Gtterances- OF speaker
known to have been paid for his services.
M
changed today it is not necessary to
state. | think the party managers would
he considerably surprised if any well
known speaker were to volunteer ms
services for the coming campaign. II
would certainly be a great relief TO the
campaign committee to have rev such
patriotic men come forward. one OF the
heaviest burdens of the committee is to
raise sufficient funds to pay the orators.
There are plenty of them coming Tor
ward to volunteer their services Tor
consideration Indeed, the work OF the
committee having the speakers in charge
is one of eliminating the undesirable, or
the least desirable ones, from the list
The material is always abundant but
not always of the best quality Every
local party leader who has any gift at
speaking with d self-conceit Of no ordi-
nary degree offers his services to the
campaign committee either at his own
price or that of the managers These
men cannot be entirely overlooked, for
sometimes they really influence many
voters In their districts, even if, from a
metropolitan point of view, they would
hardly be termed decent speakers.
thousands of speakers will be employ
ed all over the country, and thousands
Of dollars will be expended in securing
the services of experienced speakers.
There are regular orators In either par
ty who are hired by the season, and they
travel whercve the committee SENDS them.
The few experts of a national reputation
command high prices, all the way from
$50 to $500 per night.
''In the last campaign there was at
least one orator whose services on the
stump were rewarded with a, check for
So 600 for four speeches. Whether or not
that amount of money was wisely spent
in this way is not question easily an
sWered The men in charge OF the cam
paign are supposed to be well Versed
in the relative value of speakers and
campaign documents
"The literary bureau OF each party aD-
serbs much of the fund that some years
ago went to pay stump speakers, and
this expense is steadily increasing. The
great majority of intelligent people, es
pecially in cities, Will not attend a po-
itical meeting, no matter how attrac-
tive the list of speakers may be, but
they will take the trouble to glance
them If strilingly and interestingly
written. SO every year this method of
reaching the voters in a campaign is
growing in favor Tons of paper are
used for publishing political documents,
and experienced writers and journalists
are paid good salaries to prepare these
documents for the printer. The work
for the fall campaign in this line is in
full progress now.
ut is the young voter that both stump
speaker and political writer hope TO
reach and influence. An old voter is
usually so bound up In party that moth
ing could influence him to vote other
wise than he has for the past ten or
twenty years. He is a hopeless case
from the orators point of view. But the
young man who is about to cast his
maiden vote is an unreasonable Great
ure. and he reads over the stacks of old
meetings to applaud tho points of speeches
which are hoary with age. and never once
dreams that he Is easily Influenced. 1t
is to capture the votes OF these young
men that the managers of both parties
put forth their greatest efforts in the
oratorical and literary lines.
1T may be all good for the general
education and advancement of the race.
and IL certainly gives lucrative employ
ment To many who would otherwise be
without lob this fall. Even the man
WHO gets big honorarinm for his speech
or the use of his name at the bort nm OF
convincing political argument on pa
Per Is not always man who could make
n good living at any other calling When
man has trained himself for atDo iIica;
life he is no good for much else, and lie
must stick 10 his calling or starve.
On the whole, however, l should prefer