The National tribune., 1908-12-31
SENATOR McCUMBER AS AN ORATOR.

4
considered as having gained foothold
on the public stage until he has begun
to be caricatured. This is as true in
England as it is in this country. A
man must be doing something worth
while, something that really attracts
the attention and applause of friends
and the opposition of enemies to be-
come a mark for satirists and would-be
satirists. Senator P. J. McCumber, of
North Dakota, has won this eminence.
Tho his State is one of the new and less
| conspicuous in the Union, and Senator
McCumbar is comparatively a new
member in the Senate, he has forged
So far to the front in the Upper House
as to become National figure and a
proper mark for what Henry Waiter
son called "the impertinent paragraph
| ers.", A recent issue of the Saturday
Evening Post, which is running a series
of articles on the leaders in Congress,
gave Senator McCumber's picture, and
quite good one, and with it q labored
attempt to be witty and pithy in the
sketch. This sketch speaks Of him as
/ Gil di tiol III Oh "ShL
the length in description of his per-
feet enunciation, which is such pleas
ant contrast to that of majority of his
colleagues and, indeed, of the members
of both Houses. With the authors ef-
| forts to be witty we have little interest.
Probably he would confess with Touch
stone that it was at best "a poor, fool
ish thing, my Lord. but mine own"
1t was the best he could do. The main
Objectionable feature is the assertion
that the Senator's speeches are largely
artistic enunciation without material
worthy of such finish. 1t is asserted
that when he begins to speak in the
Senate his colleagues take the oppor-
tunity to visit the cloak room. While
this may be said with truth about every
man in Congress, it must also be af-
firmed that as to Senator McCumber
| there is as little truth about it as about
any other man who rises to speak in
| either House. In the matter of enun-
citation and articulation among men,
bers of Congress Senator McCumber
might be cited as a restful example.
Most of the National lawmakers talk
for print, rather than for the limited
audience in Congress. Senator Nc
Cumber is an unusual exception. Sem
ator McCumber has no superior in the
Senate in the care with which he pre-
pares his speeches, the quality of mat
ter which he incorporates into them
and the pertinence Of what he may say
to the subject under discussion. All
the time his utterances are well worthy
of the august body of which he is a
member and which has no superior in
the world. Not only is this true of the
Senate, but wherever the Senator
speaks at public and veteran gatherings
he proves himself a most acceptable
orator, and he gets the highest en-
comium that public speaker can have
| in an enthusiastic desire of his hearers
for him to come again and let them
hear more from him. This is particu-
larly true of gatherings of veterans,
with whom he is a great favorite, not
only on account of his signal service to
| them, but for the inspiring and cap
tivating addresses which he makes at
their gatherings. No member of either
House is more desired at gatherings of
veterans in Washington than Senator
McCumber, and the first thought on
making arrangements for any function
is to invite him. This is true of the
gatherings wherever he goes. many of
which had previously known little about
him. He catches his audience at once,
and his speeches always conclude with
leaving in their minds a wish that he
had spoken longer and would come
again.
In every important discussion in the
Senate Senator McCumber has had a
full and creditable share.
THE REVOLUTION IN VENEZUELA.
The old jokes about the uselessness
and superfiuousness of Vice Presidents
will have to be modified in view of Vice
| President Gomez, Of Venezuela. 1t is
marvellous how a cunning. suspicious
little Indian like Castro retained man
of such force and executive ability so
near him. Gomez acted with the great
est energy and personal courage when
he saw that the time was ripe. He not
| only overturned the Castro administra-
ton and pushed out all of Castro's
friends, but he acted with the quick
resolution Of pirate captain with ref
| erence to those outside whom he
thought might be dangerous. Alone he
walked down to the barracks. and ar
rested the Colonel of the regiment in
the face of his men and took him on to
prison. In another arrest the man tried
to shoot Gomez, but was foiled by Co
mez's quickness and readiness. Gomez
has in short time reorganized the
whole Government, and he promises a
radical improvement upon the despot-
ism Of his predecessor. Our Govern
ment seems 20 be accurately informed
as to Gomez's character, and was ready
to give him great deal of diplomatic
assistance when he made his coup
d'etat. Our warships were soon speed
ing for the Venezuelan coast to give
! him moral support, and at this moment
it looks as il he was going to give
Venezuelan affairs a decided turn for
the better.
|
/ The testimony of such an eminently
practical man as Andrew Carnegie be-
fore the Ways and Means Committee
could not help giving out practical wis.,