The Washington herald., 1910-10-16
DOLLlYER'S VERSION
OF His LIFE WORK
Recent Interview Tells How
He Mounted Up.
FOREMOST SENATE ORATOR
studied for Lawyer as Young Man
when He First Went West and
Was Only Twenty-six Years Old
when Chosen as Chairman of the
Iowa state Convention.

ID
the very strongest debaters and orators
In the United States Senate. During the
impressive and historical debate on the
tariff he was a most gallant and at
tractive figure on the floor. He fought
with spirit and with some effect even
though the battle. from the first, was
with Aldrich, the stern. silent wary. and
able leader OF the high protectionists.
Do You write your speeches and then
commit them 10 memory" he was once
asked.
'of course when debating in Con-
gress." Senator Deliver answered
ones remarks are necessarily inn
promptu. Elsewhere. however. my
speeches are written out and committed
10 memory-written out in the agony OF
toll and under the heat and flare Of the
early morning gas Jets
"And you like to talk"
Il am afraid ! do. However. II l have
any ability as a public speaker. l lnher-
tied il from my father. Who while not
theOlogian in the exact sense. was the
most remarkable exhorter / ever heard
Indeed he would have been very popu-
lar orator on any subject. ! have seen
him throw "A whole camp meeting big
enough TO iii a good-sized woods into
the noisiest kind OF emotional FITS.
Selected state Chairman.
'In the year 1854 friends came home
from Des MoInes with the surprising in
formation that / had been chosen for
the temporary chairman OF the coming
State convention. 1 had been making
speeches on the Fourth OF July and Dec
Grafton Day, and the boys thought I was
prepared 20 pull off a respectable ora
torical stunt at a big Republican meet
ing. II so happened that I had several
months in which to write the speech
walked the floor in the zeal OF my TWEEN
ty-siX years and thought il out little by
little
Il haven't read the speech for ages,
but / remember / caught an idea from a
baking powder advertisement which led
me 70 say that the mugwumps seemed
70 believe they had the only consciences
that didn't contain alum The speech.
fun of such fooling, was thirty minutes
long, straightawaY, including reasonable
breaks for laughing. but the uproar was
80 great and continuous that / was on
my feet for three times the scheduled
distance To my amazemeut and delight,
the speech was telegraphed all over the
country. After my return 20 Fort Dodge.
I was called to New York by AR Blaine.
and later campaigned in the Eastern
States.
1T IS reported. Senator, that you once
eampaigned with n circus tent"
Did Not Need "a Press Agent.
y went out in 1896 with tent. an idea
I got from camp meetings but 7 didn't
need a press agent. Silver had broken
up the Republican party In my district,
and several of our committeeman had
resigned and gone over to Bryan. I had
to do something unique and vigorous or
be retired from circulation. Ny theory
was to show that free silver was a fake
issue. I set up my tent in every town
ship and with my main talk and an
swers 10 questions. frequently kept in
full oratorical blast from / o'clock in
the afternoon until shutdown Ny ma
jority that year was 10000 as against
5000 when issues and conditions were
normal"
Becoming reminiscent Of his younger
DAYS. Senator Deliver continued:
Il was seventeen years old when I
graduated from college. decided 70
emigrate to Illinois. where l had an aunt.
Walking part of the way, but riding in
a stage most Of the distance, I came TO
Connellsville, Pa. and saw a railroad
train for the first time. Furthermore,
attended Barnums show in the after
noon. In the evening. full Of the strange
thrills. / started on my journey to the
West
Il raised the window of the day coach
and let the cinders and smoke from the
locomotive get IN my mouth, nose, and
eyes. The sensation OF gliding through
the moonlight In the woods and fields
kept me alert and keen all night
Planned 10 BE Lawyer.
y had read Blackstone in West Vir-
giuia and had made my plans to be
lawyer A father sued the university for
$1,000 because Of the expulsion of his
son The Oratory / heard AT the trial
decided my course in life. Besides, there
were several lawyers among my moth
Brown, was "a delegate TO the. secession
convention in Richmond. lie delivered a
speech. which l had read that was an
accurate picture Of what the war would
mean 10 the South. Ny prophetic great
uncle said he remained In Richmond until
men passed under his room AZ the hotel
dragging ropes and yelling: Let's hang
Bill Brown.
well, I taught school in Illinois for
five months and sent all the money l
earned, some 500, 10 my mother. The
panic Of 1873 started the financial trouble
of the family Ny father lost all his
property. The following year I walked,
begged rides Of farmers. and beat my
way on steamboats, TO the Republican
convention in Cincinnati was for
Blaine and cheered as loudly as / could,
and kept on cheering for him as long as
he lived. In fact I strained my voice
cheering for Blaine However, the can
didate Of the convention, Rutherford b.
Hayes, suited me. and l went back 10
my home full Of new JOY and fresh noise.
/ made speeches for Hayes.
with the election in doubt and much
tAcitViiVHt pIeNaii4is an over the COun-
try, the good people Of my West Virginia
home town. Morgantown. expected civil
war one fierce day whites and blacks
began 10 gather in front OF my relatives
law office and 10 call for me.
Pride SweIIed by Grafton.
II was only eighteen years of age. and
the voice of the people yelling up IN
the streets made me feel like one Of the
ancient liberators of Rome. ] was out
wardly calm when I faced the multitude
but l was charged with grape and canister
within. Happily, the harangue has
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