Sentence:  Gov. John M. Dalton , himself a lawyer and a man of long service in government , <WSD>spoke</WSD> with rich background and experience when he said in an address here that lawyers ought to quit sitting in the Missouri General Assembly , or quit accepting fees from individuals and corporations who have controversies with or axes to grind with the government and who are retained , not because of their legal talents , but because of their government influence . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  give a speech to