Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-26

a native Of Maine. who. removing ct an
early age to Mississippi. there rose. in a
space OF time extraordinarily brief, TO a
master place at the bar. Prentiss as an
orator was inferior TO Webster and Clay
In vigor and strength. but he was the
equal OF any man Of his time IN the ready
eloquence which captivates a popular as
sembly. He was never at a loss for an
epigram or a retort, and his impromptu
speeches where hds best efforts. Ben Per-
ley Poore somewhere relates a good story
Of one OF Prentiss' campaigns in his
adopted state. He had arranged a route,
and one Of his friends had gone ahead to
make arrangements for a hail in each
successive town. and to advertise the
meeting there. The proprietor Of a travel
ing menagerie took advantage of these con-
gregations and followed. exhibiting at each
place on the day that Prentiss spoke. The
first intimation that the orator had Of the
rivalry was at a small town in the northern
pa1 of the state, near the Alabama line.
After Prentlss had been speaking for an
hour, holding the attention OF his audience,
he observed some Of the outsiders looking
over their shoulders. and this movement
was gradually followed by more of his
audience. He began to think he was
growing dull and endeavored to rouse him
self up to more animation; but 1t was all
in vain. He at length looked in the pop
ular direction, and there, to his horror,
just coming across the hill, was an ele-
plant dressed in scarlet ~trapplngs and
oriental splendor. A foolish feeling Of
vanity, not TO be outdone by an elephant,
came over him and he continued to talk
on. He found It was no use. well,
ladies and gentlemen said he, II am
beaten. But 1 have the consolation Of
knowing that 1t was not by my competi-
tor. 1 will not knock under to any two
legged beast, but 1 yield to the elephant"
A Circus on the side.
Prentiss afterward made an arrangement
with the proprietor Of the menagerie to
divide time with the monkey and the clown,
the first hour being given to politics. One
OF the cages was used as a rostrum. Soon
he heard a low sound, which resembled
a growl, and learned that the hyena was
his nearest listener. There were large au-
ger holes in the top OF the box for the adj
mission of air. Prentiss commenced speak
ing, and when he reached the blood and
thunder portion of his speech he ran his
cane into the case and called forth a most
horrible yell from the enraged animal, at
the same time gesticulating violently with
the other hand. Why, fellow citizens, /"
he would exclaim. "the very wild beasts
are shocked at the political baseness and
corruption Of the times. See how this
worthy fellow just below me is scandalized.
Hear his yell of patriotic shame and indig-
nation" The effect was electric; he called
down the house in a perfect tempest Of
enthusiasm. He hurled his anathemas at
his foes and enforced them by the yetls OF
his neighbors.
The campaign efforts Of John Van Buren,
and of James w. Nye belong to a somewhat
later period in our political history. war
Buren," said General Thomas L. James not
long ago, was the finest stump speaker
brought forward by the free soil movement.
Unlike his father, Martin Van Buren,, Prince
John was Of slendid proportions. Like
Conkling, he was a man whom 1t did the
eye good to look upon when he appeared IN
public; but unlike Conkling, he attracted
by a delightful mannerism and gained eK.
~traordinary popularity. which is illustrated
nowadays by the sobriquet of Prince, frs
applied to him by Thurlow Weed, by which
he was always afterward known. He did
not dislike to be called Prince John. He
had achieved a fine reputation as a lawyer
before he took a very active part in politics,
and had he been possessed of that ambition
WHICH mdSleT6u llS ldlneT ne might nave
gained as many successes as the fathe
won. Prince John, however, was a hail
fellow-well-met, yet always dignified, font
of the good things of life, possessed OF
wonderful animal spirits, a keen sense oil
humor, with a repugnance for some of the
responsibilities and trials of office holding,
The young men of the present generation
can hardly realize the extent of his popu-
larity nor how great was his fame. The
older generation alone remembers him, and
It does seem strange that a man who had
such extraordinary gifts and such wide.
spread popularity should now be almost
forgotten
Van Buren, IN the stump.
Others who heard Van Buren, bear witness
to the fact that in wit and humor he was
almost without a rival at the bar or on thu
stump. An example cited by one of hi
biographers illustrates the tendency Of hi
mind in this direction, At an early perio.
of his career at the bar of New York City
whence he had removed from Albany, h,
argued the weak side OF a case before thu
general term of the supreme court. HI
had not proceeded far in the argument o
his first point when the presiding Judgi
(Edmonds) said TO him, "Mr. Van Buren,
we cannot see that there is anything II
NOul lAISl pOlllls ah DhICh dllS "ClNh
Then I will go to the next point" He
argued but a short time when the presid
ing Judge said, "Mr. Van Buren,. 1
we understand you correctly, there don
appear to be anything to your seconC
point" Van Buren,, replied. Then ]
will take up my next point" Judge
Edmonds soon interrupted him with the
same remark he had made in respect =
the preceding points. Van Buren, said
Then l will waste no further time or
my third point, and will at once argue
my fourth point" Thus he went through
seriatim with his different points, tho
presiding Judge saying in respect to each
There is nothing in It," When Val
Buren, finished the argument Of his las
point, Judge Edmonds (after a Whispered
consultation with his associate judges
said, Mr.. Van Buren,, after consulting
we all agree that we cannot perceive
that there is anything in any OF you