At present, when a speaker is wanted, anybody is invited who happens to
be available, his abilities being measured by his own recommendation,
or by letters bulldozed from prominent men, who, for reasons of
political prudence dared not offend so energetic a fellow. A community
in this way may secure a good speech occasionally, but often the
speaker is a positive injury to the cause. One poor speech in a series
does more to lessen the general interest and reduce the size of the
crowds thereafter, than can be overcome by half a dozen good speeches.
Of course, where the local Democracy can secure the services of some
one of our national leaders, no bureau mediation is needed, but our
national leaders are few and the work before us limitless, therefore
the service of the Volunteers' Bureau in training, equipping and
guaranteeing a large number of new speakers who can be secured at any
time, by any community, at a moderate expense, is meeting with hearty
response by Democratic clubs generally.
The best way to make a strong club anywhere is to institute a series of
meetings, all the year round, and, by having at least one able speaker
each time, never to disappoint the audience.
Let each town and village establish a lecture course at once, and place
itself in communication with the Volunteers' Bureau. The more numerous
and closer together such villages and towns are, the smaller will be
the expense to each community and the easier will it be to make up
regular circuits for speakers.
THE CO-OPERATION OF CONSTITUENTS NECESSARY.
Although every speaker sent out is guaranteed to do effective work,
the leaders of each community are urgently requested to report to
headquarters at once, the success or short-comings of each speaker
and meeting. Without such co-operation, the Bureau cannot keep that
oversight of its hundreds of speakers necessary to raise the standard
of work to the highest efficiency. It is assuredly the duty of local
workers to give straight-forward reports to headquarters, of the
short-comings and "breaks" on the part of the representatives of our
Bureau, who represent our party and for whom our party is responsible
as well as to report the benefits resulting from each meeting. The
fact should also be emphasized that each representative of the Bureau
receives a letter of recognition and instruction once a month from
headquarters, and his standing with the Bureau should be judged solely
by such letters or by direct correspondence. We must be able, when any
speaker fails on his part to fulfill our requirements, to cease our
connection with, and our responsibility for him.
CHAPTER IV.
METHODS OF TRAVEL.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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