New-York tribune., 1920-06-09


In some respects we like Hiram
johnson a great deal better than we
mad expected. There is nothing IN his
PLATFORM manner to make good the
frequently repeated charge that he is
demagogue. He seemed to US utterly
sincere, sincere to the point of being
lnarticulate, although long winded
There is in him. it seems to US.
dogged persistence which is appealing,
but he is utterly lacking in charm
Nothing blazes in him at the sight of
crowd On the contrary, there is
every evidence that the Senator finds
public speaking a duty and not
pleasure.
There is no contact between him
and an audience, even a huge and
friendly audience such as he had at
the Auditorium. He does not talk at
his crowd but through them. There is
always the feeling that he is talking
for the record and not the sea of faces
in front of him. His rhythm and that
Of the crowd are always at odds
Some speakers can ride up gracefully
and easily on burst of applause and
go on again without any lost motion
That is not Johnson's way. He tries
to dive through his applause and he
hasn't even sufficient sense of time to
choose the right moment. Usually it
rolls him over and he has to pick him
self Vp and shake the water out of his
ears before he can go on.
He believes in platitudes. When
ever his train Of thought is broken he
says something about 400 per cent
Americanism" or tells the anecdote
about Parnell and the man who wanted
tc ask question. Perhaps you haven't
heard it. "How much of this money
that we're contributing to Ireland
sticks in your pockets, Mr. Parnell ?"
asked big rough in the audience. I'M
in the jaw and knocked him down. His
neighbor to the left jumped up and
down upon. his PROSTATE body. Two
big policemen carried him up the aisle
and threw him into the gutter. Finally,
when quiet had been restored, the
chairman advanced to the front of the
platform and said, Is there anybody
else who would like to ask ques-
tion 2"
Borah Better Speaker
Hiram Johnsons Irish dialect is
nothing to boast about, but he doesn t
do so we'll with English either He
favors "a tall" for cat all" and he uses
"traydishons" and "kneefarious." And
yet we find it hard to believe that he
is particularly familiar with the Amer
lean language after hearing him make
an impassioned plea against those who
would cast out of the Republican party
"its bone and it's sinew."
Senator Borah, who came on after
Johnson's long speech had taken the
edge off the audience, is a far ADLER
man on platform. Indeed he is one
of the best public speakers we ever
heard. AS far as last night went there
was nothing in the substance of what
he said which was striking, but his de-
livery is gorgeous in its variety and he
never takes his finger tips off the audi
ence.
He loves the give and take Of an
audience. Even at the top Of full
voiced platitude he has ears, or some
thing, to hear the question Of the man
in the balcony. And he never neglects
the opportunity to pick up the qucs-
tion and use it to his own advantage.
II suppose Johnson will make you Sec
retary of State" shouted some derislve
voice from the balcony Borah turned
and answered, "And if he does you can
be sure there won't be any league of
nations" And then he was on with
ruption as runner takes hurdle
in his stride.
But for all his keen enjoyment of a
crowd and his truly remarkable skill
in playing directly to it, Borah, we
think, is hardly great orator. We
must confess that he compared the Re-
publican party to Caesars we'll known
wife.
There was man in the newspaper
seats who paid Borah the tribute of
applause on several occasions. we
don't know whether he was moved to
this by appreciation of the sentiments
uttered or whether he was merely ex-
pressing the approval which any first.
class artisan feels for another good
man engaged in his line. At any rate
Bryan was all ears, smiles, applause
and attention during the greater part
Of Borah's speech. Once, however,
when Borah launched on paragraph
NhIsn