The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-01-15
REPUBLICAN LADS WIN
In the Great Debate of Harvard VS..
Yale.
GOV. RUSSELL ADMITTED IT.
Both Colleges Wanted the Republican
Side, but Harvard Won Choice of Ar
gument and Demonstrated That
Young Man should Not Vote I'm '0e for
Democratic Nominees.

CAMBRIDGE, Jan. 15.-The great Har-
vard-Yale debate is over, and the Yale
men have been compelled to acknowledge
that, although they came and saw, yet
they did not conquer. Ii was acknowl-
edged on all sides, even Gov. Russell him
self being heard to make the remark TO a
friend, that the Harvard speakers bore off
the palm. Perhaps this was because they
had the Republican side of the question to
defend.
BY the toss of a coin Harvard won the
choice of argument, and selected the mega
tive side of the question. This fact in itself
was something OF n surprise and indicated
wholesome growth of Republican ideas
in the great university.
Yale wanted the negative side, but was
forced TO take the affirmative With one
side supporting principles in which they
did not believe and the other backing up
sound Republican doctrines TO which they
were pledged heart and mind, the result
of the oratorical contest could not be in
doubt.
Long before O'Clock Sanders Theatre
was packed. On the stage were a number
of prominent men, among whom were ex-
Gov. John II. Long, William Makepeace
Fowle, DIR. Lyman Abbott, Mayor Alger,
and finally Gov William T.. RUSSELL who
had consented to preside On the right
and left of Gov. Russell were the speakers
OF the evening. The Yale men were
'94, and William p Aiken, l.. $. The
Harvard speakers were George II. Costi-
gan, jr.. 92; Randolph G. Surbridge, l.. 5,
and Arthur II. Stone, 1913.
The question for dispute was: RE
solved, That a young man casting his first
ballot in 1892 should vote for the nominees
of the Democratic party"
Sharply at S o'clock Governor Russell
rose from his chair and, after few brief
remarks in which he dwelt upon the
pleasure he had in not being compelled TO
announce any decision on the debate, for
his loyalty to his alma mater would be in
direct hostility TO his fealty to his party,
introduced the speakers of the evening.
Mr.. Upton opened the debate for Yale
and the Democratic side. Unfortunately,
he spoke very low, and many of his argu-
ments were not heard by the majority of
the audience. He said that the Demo
cratic patty was decidedly the party of
progress and modern ideas, as evinced by
their actions and principles from the
time of Andrew Jackson TO the present
day.
A Harvard man. G. p. Costigan, came
next and spoke clearly and forcibly OH the
silver question, showing in vigorous lam
guage the vicious attitude of the Demo
cratic party on this issue. Mr.. Thomas,
of Yale, then did his best to show how
nobly the Democratic party had acted in
its efforts for tariff reform, and how much
more beneficial their tariff measures were
than the ruinous war taxes of the Re
publicans.
Mr.. Surbrdge then arose and in burst
of youthful eloquency disclosed the in
iquities of the Mills bill and pointed to
the efforts of the Republicans TO secure a
tariff which was for the best interests of
the country. The last speakers were Mr..
Aiken and Mr.. Stone.
After few concluding remarks, Gov.
Russell dismissed the audience. The con-
sensus was that. while the Yale men pre-
sented their arguments with force. the
Harvard men proved themselves superior.