The good old days.............................

Although he argued that he should "take the stump and bear a fighting share of the campaign," traveling from town to town and asking for votes was considered undignified for a presidential candidate.  Abraham Lincoln had not given a single speech on his own behalf during either of his campaigns, and Rutherford B. Hayes advised Garfield to do the same.  "Sit crosslegged," he said, "and look wise."

-Candice Millard,  Destiny Of The Republic:  A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

Ed. Note:  History has shown that Lincoln wasn't totally against giving speeches.  See also the Lincoln-Douglas debates.