Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-03-25

Adger College Public Debate by
the Piedmont Society on Fri
day Night Last-Q u os ion,
Should Representatives be Go
verned by the Will Of their
Constituents''-Both Sides we'll
Sustained by the Young De-
,baters.
Msssns. EDIToRs: Many things conspired to
make the debate OH Friday tight last q very in.
tsresting and instructive one. Tie stars of tho
csoning specklcd tho sky, tho moon lit up
mother earth with her silver gray beams, bellies
aud beaux were lovingly grouped of in pairs,
the hall was hung in beautiful decoration, tho
music wns most artisticnlly rendered, and The
building was crowded with an anxious and in
tcligent audience.
when the hour for debate had come, Mr.. H.
W. kuhtman, President of The Piedmont So
ciety, announced that tho debate would be
opened with prayer by the Rev. a. W. Moore.
"Tis pleasant to sny the prayer was most nppro-
pirate and able, doing every one god WHO heard
II. MIR. Moore occupies warm place in the
hearts of the students of Adger College, us we'll
as IN the hearts Of his own people.
After prayer Mr.. kuhtmun, the President of
tho Society, made some very timely and excellent
remarks, cncourneing MS fellow .studcuts to a
closer study of clocution. His manner of speak
ing is elegant and eloquent, which in the near
future will distinguish him.
The Affirmative side of the question in debate
was opened by Mr.. B. Frank Smith in u calm,
collected and dgnificd manner Ills manncrism
is very remarkable in one 30 young. Ills line
of argument was strong defence in support of
the letter and spirit Of the constitution of our
common country, government exclusively rcpo
rcscntative in its character. lie was careful to
show that the "articles Of confederation" were
the embodiment Of such language and laws as
would harmonizc with the minds of the pcople
aud conducc to The gool OF the country. Two
political truths the Declaration nilirms TO DC
correct viz: "All men are created equal and
endowed with certain uIalienablc rights, life
liberty and the pursuit of happiness" This
broad palladium. recognizing common rights and
individual wants he contrnlcl, was truly rep
rescn,ativc and wise. This noble old Union of
States Of Ole hundred years is proof ncontcs,a-
bic OF the validity Of his argument. The rep
reseltative characteristic form Of the govern
ment has doubtless made il the '.grcatcst 90.
ycrnmcnt the world ever saw" lie closed with
a strong appeal in behalf of the present form of
government and thought representatives should
be governed by the will Of their constituents"
Mr.. L. Il. Stribling was next introduced by
the President, who ably defended the negative
side Of this question. and too won much applause
lie claimed that n promisuuous aud helciogcne-
GUS mass CT constituents was unable TO take
care Of itself, much less instruct intelligent
as to the wants of the nation and
the laws to protect them. Since the entranchisc-
nrni OF the blacks and the dis(ranchiscmcnt Of
our greatest men he questioned very seriously
The proprety Of Il free ballot. lie also claimed
that the mixed ropulacc had no settled purposes
or minds of their own, aud really did not know
what they needed, hence the folly of q rep
rcscntaiivc to be governed by such constituency
We were much delighted with the cpigrammatic
and an'ithetical sayings, especially at the end
Of his sentences. which gave much force and
strength TO his argument.
Al the conclusion Of this rs well as Of the
formcrspcech many sweet bouquets werc awarded
to each OF the dcbalists as testimonials of the
high appreciation with which they were re-
gar'lcd.
Las! came !l.n address &C Nj w r. Sio,l,lnrd
who did himself abundant credit, as every person
rrcscnt thus expressed himself The yonng
orator left decidedly gnod impression upon
the minds and hearts of his audience The
graphic picture Of the great future Of this
country as portrayed by him was philosophical,
por,cal and nnticpative. His style OF compo-
sii"n is iiorid, which We confess is no mean
selection these days Of progressive literature.
BY cultivaling this style and courtng the MUSES.
occasionally the young man will become a
popular and fascinating speaker. We have
heard many favorable comments upon his maiden
effort, and don't remember Of having heard n
better production for some time past. Our
advice TO him is 10 perscverc in speech NAL king
st this iuncture the President thanked the
audience for their Kindness and attention and
hoped to meet them on similar OCCASION the
following year.
DR.. J. T.. Smeltzcr President Of the Female
College, dismissed the audience in his usual
happy manner. "YOURS"
EEac sSa.s!r Conventions,
The Democratic State Conventions will
be held Us. follows: Alabama, Juno q;
Arkansas, June 2; Connecticut, April 29;
FIorida, Juno 10; Illinois, June 10; Indiana,
7 n