The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1908-07-10

A nearly always the shallow
est OF sophists There
usually little 10 be game
In What he avs. but. 10 tn
g7oundlings. there is 4 deep 81.
nincance IN the way he a
bur. 70 The groundiings. there is
deep significance in the way he say
IL We had alto in the ward an.
In the city. the common. native ga
den variety OF windjammers. an
the exotic. o. imported variety O
"law-sui-hs Oratory az its best Il
rather q lost ar. and the political ora
Tor Is = good example OF a lost artist
We never expected 70 influence victims
In the ward on account OF ~speech-mak
Ing The Republicans went 10 Repub
hcan meetings and the Democrats
went 10 Democratic GATHERINGS and
the applause that the speakers r.
oeived vas simply the Jolly that
their own crowd vas handing them
snt there you had IL
Occasionally a mar might drift IN
where some really witty and able
talke- Vas rousung out the "chin-mu-
sic. and be impressed a little. bur A.
ter he had gone home and slept ovar
H. and appeared al the polls. he would
get the same old ticket and vote II in
the same old way. I heard the orators
l. a early Cay who were orators but
id not hear them in the political cam
p2igns Bob IngersOIl and Emory
Storrs were orators the like Of whom
/ shall hardly hear again. but il was
not for me 20 be dazzled BY the gilt
tering ~geneTalities o. clumsy plati
tudes OF these ~sflverfongued- orators
Of the hustinT no matter whether
they were Of my own party or not. /
liked . good. sensible talk. but the
average line Of bunk handed out by
the ground and lofty tumblers Of the
city Campaigns was something 10
make a nan laugh.
And yet the custom had grown so
strong that nothing could apparently
stop IL There was always the com
mittee on halls. and the committee on
speakers. and there was a racing and
chasing OF cabs and a mounting OF
platforms By anxious candidates. and
q great desire 10 present to the citi-
Isns the issues OF the day" and so
hcit their sutfrages on election day.
And Who attended these meetings.
Why. mainly. the boys. The pre-
cinct captains. the members OF the
ward clubs. the h~sngers-On that only
knew Andrew Jackson as the name OF
q cigar. the men on the apprehension
gangs. the ward superintendent. the
down in the city hall. The sewer
diggers. laborers etc who are work
Ing for the city. and the payroll bri-
gade in general
And where vas the private citizen
Why be was az home. reading the
evening paper. playing With the cat.
having a quiet little game OF cinch
a. ten a corner five cents
a set-up and Tommy around 10 the
Dutchman's with the big white pitcher.
Much he cared for oratory. II he got
a%setter from the managers OF the cam
paign. or maybe a letter from a NAV
orally candidate. he opened il and
read IL. and possibly sp~eculafed a lit
lie as 10 the truth Of II. but. as a rule.
not bother himself much as 10
the meetings.
There was an exception TO this.
however. when the candidate for al
derman OF the candidate for mayor
appeared in a ward. Then the citizens
generally ven TO the meetings. But
not 70 hear what were glibly termed
issues discussed. But to look az the
candidate. size him up. and see Wheth-
they liked him. and II he looked
ike 4 man who could Ill the job
They didn't care for his oratory. IN
he could tell them a good story.
or roast" the opposition candidates
and then he was indeed a
star
The appearance OF the may
oralty candidate was. OF course
The great event Of a ward
campaign. and filed the halls
10 overlooking. Boys and women in
galleries and even the aisles
Perhaps some silver
tongue would be making the veIkin
reg with a passionate declamatorv
ssout the thirteen struggling
colonies these are the times hat
iry mems souls. when in the course
oi human events. or some other
gun borrowed from a school history.
var pamphlet OF the declaration OF
independence when ali at once there