The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-19
MADE AN ORATOR BY THE
FORCE OF CIRCUMSTANCES.
Blushing and Stammering, When First
He Appeared on the Platform, His
Speech Was Brief-Afterward He
Found He Had the Power to Conn
mand a Hearing From Hooting
Crowd-The Spokesman of Business
Interests.
From The Journal Bureau, Colorado Building
Washington.


frame UP words and sentences fitted to
the occasion. He supposed he could
not do it, accepting at first the COM
mon superstition that public speaking
is a gift, and that IAN old dog cannot
learn new tricks
In the final rally of the republican
campaign of 1896 at the Chicago Aud
itorium, after many eloquent speeches
from the principal spellbnders of the
party the great audience stood on it's
feet and insisted on Hanna
! Speech" ~ 'Hanna!'' until the roof
reverberated. They would not be put
off, nor would not cease to roar until
| tee, blushing and stammering, had
been led to the front Of the platform.
Nor would they be quoted until he
made his first and shortest public adj
! dress, which was substantially as fol-
| lows:
Its all right boys. We're going to
win. You see haven't any hoofs and
horns, and there are no dollar signs
on my clothes I thank YOU
His First Triumph
Senator Hanna's second public ad-
| dress was delivered a banquet to the
newspaper correspondents who had
/ covered national headquarters, and
(, took place at the Waldorf Astoria
i hotel. Cornelius Bliss and other
lights were present and made the
usual graceful after dinner talks, but
Mr.. Hanna. chairman of the republi-
can campaign committee, was the
host. AS such, the newspaper men
wanted to hear him talk. They had
met him daily at headquarters, and
he had talked to them informally, like
college tutor. answering questions or
suggesting pregnant and useful lines
of inquiry and they liked his frank
lSstr, l.,
businesslike habit Of going to the
heart of the matter.
Their call for a speech from Mr..
: Hanna vas respectful, but urgent, and
I finally was successful in getting the
I host upon his feet. He thought to
{ deliver himself of an excuse, and
} started to explain that he was no ora
I tor, but just a plain business man
: managing a business mans campaign
. Questions and Interruptions began
coming at him from the untamed OF
! the press: Tell us how you did it."
! Lets see the dollar marks and more
I to the same effect. That was what the
( speaker needed.
) Left alone he would have gone tc
: pieces on the rock OF: nervousness and
. diffidence. The Interruptions were q
E spur and brought back tie, retort as
: quick as flash, and. presently Mr.
;, Hanna was making a straightforward
unpretentious, but thoroly sensible
: and fitting little talk, which was fol.
! lowed by vociferous applause. The
future senator had scored his first tri
: umph as a public speaker.
Z In q ''rent' Campaign.
About four years later, after the
fedgling orator had strengthened his
4 powers, he consented to assist Con
q gresham Billy Lorimer, who was
a fighting for his political life, and was
Z in the midst of a tent campaign in
5 the stockyards district.
I The tent was filled with employees
8 of the packing and slaughter-h houses
and with many of that class which keeI
q the police busy, and whose sole pur-
a pose in being on hand was to break uI
the meeting and to get up a scrap
q The circus feature of the Lorimel
q show was surrounded by a Gordon OF
a police whose sympathies were evident
ly more on the side of the audience
q than the platform.
The crowd had been sloose" fo1
4 nearly an hour when Hanna arrived
q and had successfully hooted dowr
8 every effort that Lorimer and others
s had made. Hanna was greeted with
p jeers, and from the back of the tent
: came profanity, insults and continuous
: uproar.
Hanna stood leaning on his cane
a and looked the crowd squarely in the
ri eye, like tanner OF WIG DeaSCS
There was a momentary pause, and he
started to speak, Whereupon bedlam
a broke loose and ragged with increased
81 fury. Holding up his hand he started tc
q speak again. Those nearer the stage
were silent from curiosity. but. agair
q the hoodlums at the back drowned
81 his speech.
Il That was the beginning Of a battle
= royal between Hanna and the mob, the
q latter determined that he should no
n be permitted to speak. He was equal
81 ly determined to reduce the mob t,
Il silence, and he won.
It took him thirty minutes by thu
Il watch thirty minutes Of unremitting
81 determined, forceful struggle, takns
IL every advantage to win or subdue, i'm
= proving every mOmentary luli, getting
- in a word here and a sentence there
= answering a r,Sappealing to reason
8 never losing his patience, never finch
a ing, tactful, virile, sensible, persuasive
Sa until at last the crowd ceased its bel
r lowngs and heard.
& Showed Courage and Strength.
He talked an hour longer. TIL
words came in a torrent. There wa
~ no effort at ornamentation; there wa
= nothing 1amboyant, there was II,
a sham. The crowd would have detect
< ed the false ring in moment, and hi
work would have been lost. But h
- held them by the power of fair, rea
Fl sonable truth-telling mind and by tn
respect which the widest and most un
couth will accord to real courage an
strength.
ia That was the real Hanna. He ha
found a voice for his personality. H
70 spoke many times afterWard, princi
pally in the chamber of the senate
but never was the character of tn
man so brought to view as in that en-
q counter with the stock yards mob. T
The necessities of a business an
81 economic crisis evolved this business
81 politician. Thru him the bushes
81 world was managed, and it was de
manded that those interests shout
also have spokesman. By necesst
r. he, spoke; and it will be many a da
before the cause of business, and tn
business interests" have as good
spokesman.
w. w. Jermane.
: American Pride.