The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-10
DE PAUW WINS AGAIN
Her Representative, L. T. Dim
mitt, First i'm the Contest.
Kahn, of Indiana University, Captures
Second Place and Franklin and Han
over Tie for Third-The 0rations.

The college boys and their friends held
the Grand opera House till midnight last
night with the annual oratorical contest
The apostles of Demosthenes poured forth
their eloquence a multitude of subjects
to an audience appreciative and sympathet-
ic. The opera house was filled to the ut
most of it's capacity, and through the long
hours of grafton the audience sat without
the least sign Of impatience. The contest
was pronounced to be the best In the his
tory Of the oratorical association. The or
ators were introduced by Ebert Russell, of
DePauw University.
The first speaker announced was Robert
3. McKane, whose subject was 1.-The United
States Senate" He spoke slowly and dis
tinctly in clear voice, readily understood
in the remotest part of the house. He said
that American institutions were the prod
uct of gradual growth and steady move
ment onward and an advancement from the
time of the formation of the American col
onies. The colonies had by degrees found
foreign rule oppressive, and at length,
CALLED beyond endurance by the yoke, had
thrown it off and accomplished their indie
pendence. When the oppression became I'M
bearable by one heroic effort they had es-
tablished the independence of the colonies.
The federal Constitution was as immovable
as adamant, yet it was elastic enough to
meet the exigencies of the time and pro-
gress with the advancement OF the people.
By a system of checks held by il the Senate
was placed against the House of Represen-
tatives on the one side and the President
on the other. 1t constitutional for
tress. The superior ability of the Senators,
their greater age, their longer service
insured the enactment of wiser laws
and the exercise of more conservative
Judgment than was to be expected from the
House. The first Senate was composed of
men of integrity and ability and men who
had the confidence of the people by reason
of their past services to their country, and
in later years it's members had been cho-
sen from the Governors chairs and men,
bers of the lower house and from State gov
ernments Webster had spoken in praise
of the Senate, and spoke of it when it was
at the zenith of it's glory and fame. and
the people had not since had occasion TO
or felt the inclination to modify the YER
dict then given. 1t has formed a sort of
center of gravity for the other branches OF
the government. In point of dignity and
authority 1t has in no wise disappointed the
most sanguine expectations of its founders.
Recently it has been assailed and has been
called an oligarchy because it has the
power to block the higher appointments,
and the slur of senatorial courtesy has
been flung at it because of its action upon
appointments. Newspapers and periodicals
have wrought themselves into a frenzy over
nonsensical harangues against ii. When the
time comes for sober reflection it will be
found to be unjust criticism. The voice of
H..
lack but one of being the majority. The
filibuster is a man of the hour. He is
censured or applauded according to the
sentiment of the people. The filibuster
has his place in the government. and were
IL not for him many laws would probably
be enacted before the people had an Op-
portunity of forming an opinion to their
wisdom. The Senate is not an oligarchy nor
has il ever tended in that direction. The
few rich men in it do not represent a class
and class legislation will not obtain with 1t
till the bulk of the American people can be
bought and sold for gold.
MR.. DIMMITT'S GRAFTON.
AS Mr.. McKane took his seat he was
greeted with loud applause, and Mr.. Rus
sell stepped to the footlights and announced
l.. F. Dimmitt, Of DePauw. as the next
speaker The theme of Mr.. Dimmitt's ora
| ton was 1.-The Humane Spirit in Modern
| Civilization" and, in substance, he spoke
| as follows:
Civilization is not an abstraction. but is
the concrete expression of a whole peO-
| pies ethical perception and life. The
thoughts, the choices and the intentions of
men determine their manners and their
institutions Mankind is greater than any
man. Here and there the individual may
| rise above the masses and become Con
| spicuous by his genius; but it is the
| thought, the faith and the morals of the
| common people that determine the quality
and temper. of any prevailing civilization.
| skill of the multitude, can build empires or
weave commonwealths. All great and
permanent institutions must be founded
upon and administered by the intelligence.
the will and the moral culture of the
masses. Modern civilization recognizes this
relation of the common people TO itself as
the older civilizations did not. To-day there
| IS an invisible. democratic, ethical force
everywhere prevailing among enlightened
| people. molding the thought. and shaping
| the opinions of all. Nineteenth century civ
| ilizatiOn is distinguished by a spirit of COM
mon brotherhood, binding into a social
| unity more fraternal and compact than any
the past ever knew. From the new and
larger perception of the meaning and obli-
| cation of liberty, equality and fraternity
has come into modern social life and in
| stitutions an ever-operative force, which
we may call the humane spirit-a spirit
which is the handspring of our peculiar
progress. This humane spirit touches
| every relation that man sustains to man.
The age is under its influence. The whole
| race is feeling its power In the religious
II
| general estimate of religion itself until
| the substance of Christianity is no
i longer believed to lie in any narrow creed
| or tribal shibboleth. This spirit is making
| that ancient text, "One Lord. one faith
one baptism to become common creed
and a living experience. 1t is making the
| church feel that its mission is to universal
| man. In the political world this humane
| spirit has worked the greatest of changes
| 1t has convinced the leading statesmen OF
/ the world that civil governments must not
| be based upon self-interest, but, to be true
| and enduring, they must be for the peo-
| pie, of the people and by the people "
| Steadily achieving it's victories through the
| centuries, the humane spirit widened the
| sense of human rights, invested the indi-
| ViduaI citizen with a Sanctity unknown &c
| antiquity, and ROBBED common man with a
| divinity as great as that of kings. BY ii
/ has been proclaimed the truth that the
| lowliest man was meant for a destiny fan
| higher than that of building his life into
| pyramids or palaceS-that he is born with
| certain inalienable rights which the state
| can neither give nor take away. 1t was
| Charta and abolished the divine rights oil
4 kings. The same spirit wrote the Declare
| tion Of independence and wOve the COnsti
/ tuition of our Republic. In the social world
| the victories of this humane spirit have
| been as great as It's victories in the fields
| human interest together. 1t has made So
| clety an organism in which the farthesi
| and weakest man Is factor; in which al
! are members, one of another. and each and
| all must respond to the needs of each and
| all.
| civilization of the past with it's inhumani
| ties, and, in conclusion. Mr.. Dimmitt said
| But have we reached the summit of civ
! lllzatlOnF are the times in fun accord Will