The San Francisco call., 1909-10-17
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.HE age of oratory is past in Cali
fornia. Thirty or forty years
A ago there was not a village in
the state but could contribute
its orator. and no slouch that
2 In the late seventies, for in
stance Los Angeles was moth
ing more than country village,
s..++++++-.-.S but the town could boast OF hall
a dozen public speakers any one OF whom could
give cards and spades the stump to the best
that California can produce today There was that
marvellous master of style, Colonel +. j. (. kewen,
on the democratic side. and handsome Jim East
man on the republican end There were, besides,
the masterfu Noney Howard, Black lin How
ard. Frank Ganahl and others. Stephen NJ. White
was Just beginning his career i'll those days and
great as he became he was outcassed as an orator
bv most OF the men have named.
A PRIMITIVE AUDIENCE
The people OF that dav used to travel miles to
have part in big political powwow and the orator
was a popular hero In those days the roads i'll
Los Angeles county were simple beds OF shifting
sand and at Downey City the Mssourians would
flock in from the country along about or o'clock
in the afternoon and squat down III the soft and
warm sand in front OF the hotel, smoking corncob
pipes and waiting for Frank Ganahl to come along
about sundown and eXpOund to them the demo-
cratic law and gospel from the balcony. Nobody
ever thought OF hiring hall. September the
campaign month and all political functions were
held outdoors.
STEPHEN M. WHITES VOICE
You could hear Stephen NJ. Whites voice
block away You did not have to attend the meet
ing All that was necessary was to open the win
doNs and listen That marvellous voice OF White $
with which in later years he was able to control
- itch nd
pass bv practice in open air speaking. 1t was a
form OF political enthusiasm OF that period to
explode anvs One anvil placed on another
and charge of powder ignited between them
with a deafening report that made the windows
rattle White speaking one evening at Ana
helm and an indiscreet and enthusiastic democrat
insisted on exploding anvils at intervals all through
the speech The fireworks artist regarded it
merely as a delectable form OF applause, but the
sudden and repeated reports nearly drove Steve
out of his wits and reduced his nervous system
TO a frazzle
THE VANISHED ORATORS
=. D. Wigginton of AIerced. Henry Egerton OF
Sacramento. William Henry Livingston Barnes
they are all gone, and only Tom Fitch, the silver
t4onpued remains OF all that notable band. OF all
fhe wonderful arrav of orators that California has
produced the most delightful and the most polished
was General Barnes, and the most effective and
convincing was Stephen NJ. White. White touched
his highest point at the famous San Jose conven-
ton when he denounced Hearst. His feelings were
strongly enlisted and he meant every word he said
1t was a great political occasion.
BARNES BEST SPEECH
Barnes was never strongly i'll earnest He was
the advocate and political opportunist. The best
thing he ever did was short speech at the repub
1ican state convention in Sacramento in 1893 The
convention was waiting for report to be handed
in and Barnes was called to the platform to fill in
the time and keep things moving. He made a
very pretty talk for about twenty minutes and
stopped but the report was not ready and the
venton insisted that he should go 1t was at
the time when the volunteer army for the Philip
pines was cantoned at Camp Merced among the
foggv sand dunes OF San Francisco. The sanitary
arrangements were wretched and there was no
little suffering in camp. Barnes broke away into
the story of the dying soldier OF Camp Merced far
awav from home and friends. He spoke for
another twenty minutes and the speech
little classic Clement Bennett reported it III short
hand and the remarkable thing is that it reads
well in cold print as it sounded from the platform.
That is rare thing with oratory.
POLITICAL VAUDEVILLE
Tom Fitch another OF the great word
weavers. He had an almost miraculous skill III
compounding the glittering epigram, but like
Barnes. he was merely the advocate. In Senator