The Forrest City times., 1910-02-11
Mr.. MACON WAS BEST ORATOR
Bested Bennett in House. John
Temple Graves Contrasts Two
Congressman.
BY JOHN TEMPLE GRAVES
editorial Correspondent of the Nrv Yo,
Ameaican

Amcaican
Washington, Feb. 9th-The Reppet
Macon controversy has furnished the
most enlivening bit of personality of
the present session.
Some weeks ago Mr.Macon, of Ark
ansas attacked the last summers i'm
migration committee, charging ii with
extravaganza and probable graft. Mr..
Bennett OF New York was member
Of that commission, and he made a
vigorous and caustic reply, in the
course of which he personally assailed
the gentleman from Arkansas. To
this speech Mr.. Macon replied on
Tuesday and raked the floor and the
galleries with applause for his telling
personalities.
There was never a greater contrast
than between these two men who have
monopolized the beligerent records
If the present house. Every advan-
tage Of nature is on the side of Mr..
Bennet.
The New Yorker is an Adonis in
form and feature, and is easily the
handsomest man in the house. He is.
moreover a master Of English, and his
speeches as corrected in the record
fairly scintillate with rhetoric and
II the last session Vas written mas
terpiece of denunciation.
MI Macon, on tue other hand. is
about the hOmeliest man in the house,
with an insignificant figure and an
iHe0neequental manner. His rhetoric
= only moderate and his speech some
times lacks cOherencX. But lie has A
keen, incisive delivery and a yigor Of
speech That IS permeated with aggres-
sion and fearlessneSs.
Bennett, with his physical gifts and
traces Of rhetoric and appearance,
mas a hating speech and an insigntf.
can't delivery. With Macon ; delivery
Bennett would have Walluped the
Arkaus3n on the floor Of the house
Macon with his own unique delliery
came pretty near 10 calling the turn
III the New Yorker.
Which distinction not only adOrn~
lie tale, but points moral to tile
American youth who aspifes TO fOren-
sic congressional honors. Let it be re-
membered that in a public discussion
no gifts or graces OF the mind can
compensate for a weak voice or insig-
niicant delivery The voice and the
stomach are tremendous factors in
human success, and | think it was
Shakespeare who declared that the
RELY and not the brain vas the seat
i greatness,
The fact that Bennet, really ADLER
nan than Macon, was WorSted in the
encounter with the better speakerfrom
Arkansas, should furnish a congress
ional object lesson TO the universities
70 teach oratory with more yigor than
discretion. The colleges and the uni
versities OF the East particularly, are
not doing this now In point of fact.
they are almost without exception
subordinating and deprecating the
noble and incompatible art OF express
ION, and by so doing are lessening the
influence OF the East in congressional
debate.
Oratory is regnant in the Western
schools above even the South or the
East, and as a consequence almost
without exception the oratorical
IitanS OF the Senate are from the
West Doliyer and Beverage and
Eat0tlette and GumminS and men
who have come out OF tie grapple Of
lie intercollegiate oratnrical contests
p the Middle and " est ern states and
udNe come TO congress hot only with
something TO say, but with the iur1m-
parable advantage OF knowing how 10
say Il mpresSively and well
HIS 5gh' If IaHaei ana Macon
Ire shed East against tle Yirie
=eaati~a~. is. ia point Of view. a
#ftrt appeal against the apathy
aHd iiterenee With which the t.as-
tern Universities are uegiectiuL tire
noble Of pubic accomplishments