Nothing could be farther from the truth. True, political speaking has undergone a great change; it must continue to change with times, for it is a means and not an end. But as a means of in?uencing votes in a campaign it is still the powerful med ium. Nothing can take the place of the spoken word; no argument, no matter how convincing on paper, can compare with the cogent in?uence of the personal appeal. The practice of candidates taking the stump grows in favor each year.