The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-13
Only About One Month OF
Quick Firing Speechmak-
ina to Be Undertaken.
TOUCHED OFF THIS MONTH.
ORATORY WILL SIZZLE AND
SHOOT INTO THE AIR AND
BURNED OUT TUBES WILL FALL
TO EARTH NOV. 8.

Washington, Sept. ia short,
sharp and decisive campaign. That's
the word coming from headquarters
of both the great parties. Until Octo-
Der there will not be much more than
preliminaries. Then month OF
strenuous endeavor and the balloting
on November 3.
For this the country is grateful, but
1t probably is not the country's graft
tude the managers have in mind in
bottling up the campaign fireworks
until later on. Neither Chairman
Hitchcock nor Chairman Mack is with
out perplexing problems that ought to
be Strengthened out before the sky
rockets are turned loose. Some ugly
state squabbles are not yielding to
treatment as readily as could be wish
ed Where republican disaffection is
most pronounced. the democrats are
holding back in order to secure what
ever advantage may be had of the sit
uation. And where democrats are
fighting republicans are playing the
waiting game.
Moreover. this is a year when party
allegiance sets lightly on the average
voter. The number is larger than ev-
er before of men who are not bother
ing their heads over party names
There are thousands of men to whom
the name democrat" or republican"
doesn't mean what it meant four
years ago and still less than it meant
eight or twelve or sixteen years ago.
This weaving away from party ties
generally Is spoken Of as an increase
in the Independent vote. 1t doesn't
mean that these men have become
voters without a party, but it does
mean that their parties have got to
appeal to their reasons and not mere
ly to their loyalty to party name.
So, with sore spots that do not heal
and a greatly augmented independent
vote, the party managers have got to
lay their plans most carefully. Whoop,
whoop, hurrah! from July till Novem-
Der will not suffice. The whooping
will come in October, after still hunt
ing has accomplished all 1t can. Then,
as beaters are sent in to scare up
game too wary to be got by craft, so
the flood of campaign orators will be
sent out to stir up party feeling. The
real educational work already will
have been planned and set under way
by the deliberately organized literary
bureaus, and while it will not be ex-
pected the campaign orators will &C
complish much in the way of educat-
H. - l.
by the grand old party of Jefferson
and the grand old party of Lincoln
will be expected to line up those vot-
ers who allow others to do their
thinking for them.
From this characterization of cam
paign oratory must be excepted the
speeches of the candidates themselves
and those it is expected President
Roosevelt will make. Bryan already
has taken the stump and Taft has
made a few speeches and will begin
stamping in earnest in October. The
voters are going to listen to and read
their words and ponder them, just as
they will listen to and ponder the
words of Mr.. Roosevelt when he takes
the stump in behalf of his friend and
protege.
Mr.. Bryan has secure place as a
popular campaign orator. No Ameri-
can has ever been able to attract
larger audiences and none ever had a
more enthusiastic personal following
not exception such popular idols as
Douglas. Clay and Blaine. Judge Taft
is yet to be tried in the large as a
platform speaker, but his few appear
ances since becoming a presidential
candidate have been remarkably sue
cessful 1t is unnecessary, of course,
to say anything of President Roose
velts popularity as a public speaker
During the past seven years he has
spoken in about every state of the
union of about every imaginable sub