The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-04
SOME NOTED ORATORS HAVE KNOWN i'm THE MOUNTAINS
Senator Hoar Tells Some Interesting Anec-
dotes of Gladstone, Choate and Everett
and Gives Extracts From Their
Speeches.

Senator George F. Hoar contributes
an interesting paper to the july n1
her Of Scribner's Magazine on SUM
Famous Orators I Have Heard. On
savera, occasions he listened 10 uiau
stona debate in the House OF Corliiioiie'
and contrasting his style OF ora.olS
with that of Disraeli. he says: uiau-
,.o,,a showad in his speech the pro-
fo,nda,. reflection on the general SUI
49,. tho more philosophy and the III
.sar aarnestness; Disraeli snoWeu
e,,,;oLnass of wit. ready command oi
his resources, ability for subtle ois'iio'
tions and glimpses of his almost Sd"
tonic capacity for mockery ana Jeei
ing" ,ua clad
$3.50 u,han there was a great struggle
hatween him and Disraeh over the az
Elementary and Municipal Electiohs
bill: ;. rnost
"rs,adstone was terribly in earnest.
~ hogan his speech by compliment
to Northcote, his opponent, 1or "nonl
no had shown his esteem by senoins
him to the United States as one Oh tue
ioint high commission to make TIE
Alahama treaty. But when Mr.. Glau,
Stona was well under way, Sir StaHoro
;v,tarnosad a dissent from something ne
said bv calling out, No, no'-a very ire
nuent practice in the House. Glads.one
turned upon him savagely, with d toi!e
Of anger which 1 might almost can Iu-
rious. Can the gentleman tolerate no
opinion but his own, that ne lnterJec.'
h;s audible contradiction into the MO-
do of INV sentence?' The House evil
IDENTIFY did not like it. Hughes, VINO
agreed with Gladstone, said TO me-
what a pity it is that he cannot con-
troll his temper; that is his great
fault"
senator Hoar says Gladstone had a
tendency to somewhat involved speech,
and at the same time gift OF compact
enigrammatic utterance on occasionS'
The only American orators whom ne
can recall who had this rare gitt were
Choate and Evarts. He ADDS:
"When Mr. EvartS, who was my
near relative and a man with Whom
could take a liberty, came into the Sen
ate. / said to him that we snould nave
to amend the rules so that a motion 10
adjourn would be in order in the MD
die of a sentence to which ne repiieu
that he knew of nobody in this country
who objected to long sentences eAcep'
the criminal classes
Senator Hoar heard Lyman Beecher'
then very old man., before meeting
~ the members of the Massachusetts
Legislature in 1852, when the measure
known as the Maine Liquor Law was
pending. He bore unmistakable mafhS
of advanced age. But there were one
NJ. two passages that showed the power
of the orator, one especially, In Wnicil
he described the beauty and dellght Oh
orr homes and intemperance threat
eui,,es them with its waves hike a great
sea Of fire.
He saw Henry Ward Beecher serverai
times in private, and had pleasant talks
with him. but never heard MN speak
on. any occasion when he put forth ms
power: -.
.Rnt if half that is told of his
sneeches. during the civil war, some OF
them to hostile and angry audiences,
he, true he was consummate iIlas.er'
One story is told of him which l sup
nose is true, and, if it be true, ranks
hin, as one of the greatest masters Oh
his art that ever lived. 1t is SAID tna1
he was speaking to great crowd IN
Rirmingham or perhaps LiVerpooi'
which constantly goaded him with nos
tile Interruptions so that he had great
difficulty in getting on. AT last one lei
low provoked the cheers and applause
of the audience by crying out: why
didn't YOU put down the Rebellion IN
sixty days as you said you woulu
Reecher paused a moment until tney
became still in their eagerness 10 near
his reply. and then hurled back: we
should if they had been Engllshmen.
The fierce, untamed animal hesltated
moment between anger and admira-
tom and then the English love OF 1alr
nlay. and pluck prevailed, and the crowd
cheered him and let him go.
R,,fus Choate's method was pure per-
suasion: H
..Ha never appealed to base motives,
nor tried to awake coarse prejudices or
stormy passions. He INDUCED in no IN
vectiye. His wit and sarcasm and IL
dicule amused the victim almost as
n,nch as II amused the by-standers.
He had voice without any
gruff or any shrill tones and he never
strained it or seemed to exert 1T to us
fullest capacity. Wnetner you
liked him or disliked him, you gave
nlIn your ears, CICSt anu AAe~AAe'
used manuscript great deal, even In
speaking to juries. When a trial was
on, lasting days or weeks, he kept pen,
ink and paper at hand in his bedroom,
and would often get up in the middle
of the night to write down thoughts
that came to him as he lay in bed. He
was always careful to keep warm. 1t
was said he prepared for great jury
argument by taking off eight great
coats and drinking eight cups of green
tea.' uly 81. s.lt
OF his power of persuasion, Senator
HOar says.
1T was a curious sight to see. on a
jury II hard headed and intelligent
cOuntrymen-farmers town officers
trustees, men chosen by their neighbors
to transact their important affairs-af-
ter an argument. by some clear-headed
lawyer for the defense about some an
parently not very doubtful transaction.
who had brought them all to his way
OF thinking, and had warned them
against the wiles of the charmer. when
Choate rose to reply for the plaintiff
TO see their look of confidence and dis
dain-'you needn't try your wiles upon