Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-20


DERHAPs Professor Draper, who wrot
J. SO consolingly Of the effects of soil, eli
mate and food on character, could have ex
planned in his excellent chapter on that sub
ject why Americans born south Of Maso
and Dixon's line speak oratorically and thos
born north of the line do not
That is a generalization, Of course, but yo'
will find few exceptions to the rule; yer!
few in either branch Of Congress. Under
wood. a Southerner, to he sure, does no
speak oratorically; Gallivan, of Massachu
sets, is distinctly oratorical. But one woulC
have TO pause to think OF other exceptions
Even Underwood, who usually speaks on thu
floor of the House as IL he were talking tC
fellow members Of board Of directors, can
and upon rare occasions does. speak oratori'
cally But that is when he is making cam
] paign material for fellow SouthernerS to use
| Then it is a tour de force, a straining for
effects he was taught to seek when he was
doing his debating bit at the University OF
Virginia.
1t is interesting to consider the change
which will come in the manner of leadership
when Claude Kitchin, OF North Carolina,
succeeds Underwood as majority leader In
the House. His manner of speaking is dis
tlnctly oratorical, and his uncommonly rich
voice and big wholesome person help his ef-
fects In his IA years Of service in the House
Kitchin has probably made fewer speeches
than any other southerner OF even half that
length of service. But his speeches are
listened to and remembered. This is because
he is recognized as an authority on the
subject he most frequently talks upon-the
tariff Senator Hughes once told me, after
serving years on the House Ways and Means
Committee with him, that Claude KitchIn
knows more about every tariff bill ever writ
ten by Congress than any other living man
knows about any single tarifr bill.
Never Tackle Kitchin On Tariff"
The majority leader-to-be was once debat-
ing tariff point when he yielded to a men,
ber uniformed as to some things about
Kitchin, and who in two minutes had con-
troverted a dozen things Kitchn had stated
and pretty directly accused him Of misstat-
ing historical facts concerning one, item the
North Carolnan had discussed Kitchin
waited smilingly for the end OF the Interrupt
ton and then quietly, and without referring
to any data related the exact rate placed
on the article under discussion by every
tariff law, the exact revenue produced by 1t
under each law and the industrial statistics
Of the American manufacturers Of the arti-
Gle. Mr.. Mann then whispered to the dazed
member, Never tackle Kitchin a question
of fact relating to the tariff. Tackle any
other Democrat and you may get away
with It,"
For what purpose does the gentleman
riser" the Speaker sometimes asks when a
member rises at time when the Speaker
does not care to recognize him. Not that the
Speaker does not probably know for what
purpose the gentleman rises; II Is only a play
of parliamentary interference. The House
quickly learns for what purpose gentlemen
rise in their places, especially those who rise
merely to have the record show that they
took part in a debate. No one is so skiful
in this practice as ]. Hampton Moore, OF
do not say this in disparage-
ment, because one quickly learns to appre-
ciate "Hampy" Moore's many amiable quail
ties and his real abilities. On the subject of
inland waterways Moore is a recognized
specialist. But he does not wait for any sub
Ject allied to that great one to jump into
debate; 1t may be one he has little or no
knowledge of. That does not feaze Hampy. !
I have seen him enter the chamber when a
debate is on, ask what the bill is, send for a
copy. find the paragraph being considered,
read 1t hastily. then rise, brow corrugated as
by some we'll thought out objection to the |
position taken by the member talking.
viii the gentleman yield?"
The gentleman yields.
Let me see II understand the gentle
mans contention" Moore begins. and pretty
soon he has picked up some good point badly
made, elAborates 1t, states It better, and lor
the Record next day shows that the gentle
nan from Philadelphia has taken part in a
debate on an involved question and shone
n 1t, too. What he has done Is to take a lot
II badly written copy and straishten It out
nto good copy. He has adapted his profess
lion Of editor to his occupation of legislator.
Members with less quick wit and lacking
doore's newspaper training try his trick
with sad results.
oratory May Be Handicap
But have strayed from my orators and
generators. doubt the vaius Of oratorical
Methods uuless they are employed to orna-
nsnt sound reasoning. Is II because a man
as the art OF painting pretty word pictures
hat he IL eager to speak, or the other way
ound. because he likes TO speak does he
sarn to paint attractive word pictures?
hould say whatever may be the answer to
hat question, that oratoricaI style even
Then slilfully employed, is Of no effective
i'd to one in pressnt-day legislative cham
ers. and may even be handicap.
For example. once In the s2d Congress,
ribble, Of Georgia. offered an amendment to
bin under consideration. He Is a radical,
nd a rapid, impassioned speaker. He CON
umed his fve minutes working himself up
ito passion. not attempting oratory. how
YER and probably gained some votes. but
OF enough. Tom Hehin. of Alabama. dis
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