His art of speaking had an enduring charm, and he completely satisfied the taste for pure and dignified speech.  His voice was of silvery clearness, which carried to the furthermost part of the largest hall.

Gladstone

Gladstone was an orator of preeminent power.  In fertility of thought, spontaneity of expression, modulation of voice, and grace of gesture, he has had few equals.  He always spoke from a deep sense of duty.  When he began a sentence you could not always foresee how he would end it, but he always succeeded.  He had an extraordinary wealth of words and command of the English language.

Gladstone has been described as having eagerness, self-control, mastery of words, gentle persuasiveness, prodigious activity, capacity for work, extreme seriousness, range of experience, constructive power, mastery of detail, and deep concentration.  “So vast and so well ordered was the arsenal of his mind, that he could both instruct and persuade, stimulate his friends and demolish his opponents, and do all these things at an hour’s notice.”

He was essentially a devout man, and unquestionably his spiritual character was the fundamental secret of his transcendent power.  A keen observer thus describes him: 

“While this great and famous figure was in the House of Commons, the House had eyes for no other person.  His movements on the bench, restless and eager, his demeanor when on his legs, whether engaged in answering a simple question, expounding an intricate Bill, or thundering in vehement declamation, his dramatic gestures, his deep and rolling voice with its wide compass and marked northern accent, his flashing eye, his almost incredible command of ideas and words, made a combination of irresistible fascination and power.”

John Bright

John Bright won a foremost place among British orators largely because of his power of clear statement and vivid description.  His manner was at once ingratiating and commanding.

His way of putting things was so lucid and convincing that it was difficult to express the same ideas in any other words with equal force.  One of the secrets of his success, it is said, was his command of colloquial simile, apposite stories, and ready wit.

Mr. Bright always had himself well in hand, yet his style at times was volcanic in its force and impetuosity.  He would shut himself up for days preparatory to delivering a great speech, and tho he committed many passages to memory, his manner in speaking was entirely free from artifice.

Lincoln

Lincoln’s power as a speaker was due to a combination of rugged gifts.  Self-reliance, sympathy, honesty, penetration, broad-mindedness, modesty, and independence,—­these were keynotes to his great character.

The Gettysburg speech of less than 300 words is regarded as the greatest short speech in history.

Lincoln’s aim was always to say the most sensible thing in the clearest terms, and in the fewest possible words.  His supreme respect for his hearers won their like respect for him.