The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-06-02
IN 10 CONVENTIONS
SENATOR CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW
\ WRITES EPISODES OF MA
TIoNAL CAMPAIGNS.
IN TEN CAMPAIGNS
New Yorker Personal Contact With
Lincoln and the Later
Presidents.
by Chauncey NJ. Depew.)
Continued from Monday.)
Lincoln as Lucid Talker.

~~AS~14A
When the room was clear he threw
himself on the sofa, pulled up his
long legs, clasped his knees with his
hands. and, leaning backward and
forward for a long time, freely dis
eussed the war. He told eleven sto-
ries illustrating his ideas. With one
exception these stories were not par
Tor stories, but they were immensely
effective in either illustrating or
clinching or striking home the point
he was making.
Mr.. Lincoln was the most direct
and lucid talker | ever met He had
then been president nearly four years,
and was more perfect master than
any of the tried statesmen Of the
country of the home and foreign sit
uation, of the complications with 9TH
er governments, of the dangers of in
tervention, of the situation of the
army and of the treasury and of the
needs of both.
I have had more or less intimacy
with all the presidents since his time
and most of the cabinet members.
No public man ever knew so instinct
lively and intimately what the. people
wanted, If they had not yet ex-
pressed it in any form he knew what
would meet with their approval. Mr.
Lincoln was the saddeSt man [ ever
saw, because he was the most tender
hearted and sympathetic. and vet he
felt that to save his country he had
to sacrifice tens of thousands of men
who would have to be recruited or
sent to the front to be sacrificed by
his order. 1t seemed to press upon
him and to weigh upon him with a
load that he could not shake off.
His one absorbing thought. re-
lieved only by his story telling, was
that he must save the Union, and
that it could only be saved by elm
mating slavery.
Lincoln S Story Telling.
You ask me Of his method of talk
Ing. He had a peculiar cadence in
his voice, which made his sentences
rhythmic. One who reads that gem
of American orations. his speech at
Gettysburg Git was improvised), will
get an idea Of his style-that of an
unconscious poem. Mr.. Lincoln was
man Of marvellous genius and sing
ular power Of expression. He, had
upon him the weight Of the future
and its possibilities to his country.
He talked of the criticisms on his
story telling. which used to amuse
Seward ard offend the dignifed
Chase
With this singular cadence he said.
I remember: "They say I tell a
great many stories. reckon I do,
but | have found in the course of a
long and varied experience among
the plain people, then repeating
with great emphasis. "the plain pco-
pie take them as they run, are more
easily influenced by a broad and hui
morous illustration than in any other
way. What the hypercritical few
may think 7 do not care"
I think it is generally admitted
now that the greatest misfortune
which happened to the south WAS his
assassination. He was the ore man
who had the hold upon tie c:?untry
and the power to have ancomp li>hc'
what was done twelve years af.cr
ward under Hayes. He would hav,
reconstructed the south without :
carpet-ba@Ging government CT any OF
the horrors and mistakes Of tie recon
structtion period, because the north
the Union army and the loyal people
would have absolutely trusted hi
judgment as they did his patriot SIN
and the question of tie two section
would have been settled by him, FREE
from many of the difficulties whici
affect us still.
Old Ways of Campaigning.
The methods Of campaigning he
fore the war, during the war and 70
several canvasses afterward were diff
ferent from those we have now. TIL
press was not nearly so universal .
powerful The political sreakc,
though, was more universal and nor
powerful.
There was no possibility Of organ
izing such complete CAMPAIGNS q
was done by Mr.. Hanna. Money di