The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-05-11
THE FRESHMEN CAN DEBATE
YALE WON EASILY FROM THE HAI5-
 YARD FRESHMEN.


 l Harvard Speakers Banquetted,
 This season has been one teeming
 with innovations in college affairs, and
 last evening really new departure in | the Yale Harvard contests took place in | Alumni hall in the Yale-Harvard fresh
 man debate, this being the first one in | the history of the two universities that
 representatives of their freshman class
 es have met in debate, The large ex- animation room in Alumni hall was
 well filled, nearly all the seats being oc- cupied.
 | At S:15 o'clock Dr. William Lyons | Phelps, who presided arose, and with a few preliminary remarks announced the question of debate: "Resolved That
 the presidents term of office should be
 increased to six years, and that he should be ineligible for reelection" Harvard had the affirmative side of the debate and Yale the negative: Charles Gulk of Pennsylvania opened
 the argument for Harvard. He said that when the question of the length
 of the presidents term is discussed,
 the constitutionality of the matter is always brought in, but as the proposed | CHduBG lS llDL IdQiNdit pll OtllS III d lGW details, the six year term will give the 1 government greater stability than Is
 possible under the four year term, as we can then have a firmer foreign policy than at present. If a tempta- ton of a second term is held out to president he will naturally, as all presidents are only human. cater to
 some extent to the bosses and ring men
 that he may get their support for re- election When President Cleveland
 entered upon his first term of office he did not believe in eligibility for a second
 term, and yet he became a candidate again Harrison In the third year of
 his term made tour of the country
 for what other reason than to fix up
 wires for a reelection. A change Tn
 our foreign policy every four years is
 injurious, and other nations say we
 have no foreign policy on this account
 The only reason why we have not been
 involved in war is because our country
 is unfavorable geographically for for
 eign invasion.
 c. E. Julin of Illinois then presented
 Yale's opening points in a most lucid
 manner and won frequent applause for
 his ready application of argument and
 many good points. He said that the
 abuses which now exist would be the
 same under a six years administration
 as at present. When the four years
 term had been adopted 1t had been de-
 bated in the convention from June un-
 til September, and all the possible evils in 1t were fully considered. Finally Governor Randolph of Virginia, who had been a six year man, became con vinced of the advantages of a four year term with eligibility for re-elec-
 ton He was shortly followed by others and the four year term was passed, with only two dissenting votes. There are imperfections in each sys- tenn, but .'of the two evils choose the lesser one" Gladstone says the four years system has proven successful Another advantage of having our pres idential election held every four years is that it has an educational effect upon the people. It forces upon them the consideration of national questions, and makes each citizen realize his re- sponsibility 'n the administration of government. The trend of modern policy is not to put more power in the hands of the president, but to make him still more responsible to the people
 C. E. Morgan of Pennsylvania con- tinued the debate for Harvard. and some of the points touch- ed on by his predecessor. He said that under law providing for a six years term without reelection the president would have all temptation for corrup- tion of his office removed It would | not then be to his interest to appoint to office men with political pulls, but men who would make his administration go down in history az q clean one. The United States government is not | stable to-day in so far as carrying out it's policies is concerned, since there | Is not time during one administration | to start fairly on one policy before the | government is entirely changed.
 Hiram Bingham of the Hawaiian Is- lands continued for Yale. He spoke of the signs of the times showing thaS the | people have more power c-an the rings, and so the president would try to please them if he wanted reelection, and l would be more apt to >Sa reelected on ! good administration than on a cor 'upt one. When during Jacksons first South Carolina tried to | ,ecede Jackson upon his reelection to | l second term Immediately took steps 70 bring the state back into peace and harmony, something which would have been impossible if a reelection had l lot been permitted, and a man had been elected who did not understand he situation.
 H. T. Reynolds of Georgia now closed Or Harvard. He took up the points made by his opponents rather loosely, Lud although he made some good points lis argument was too loose to be of much force on the subject. He said II hat complete reversal of government very four years tends to make busi- less unsettled, as the national financial ,olicy is very liable to be changed 'he conditions in the campaigns of '8S nd '92 are examples of this. The New York World sometime ago sent letters o thirty-f1ve of the most prominent aen of the country asking their opin- ons on the matter and twenty-eisght ut of the thirty-fve favored the six ear system. F. E. Richardson then concluded for 'ale in terse, well chosen arguments. I7 lis manner was collected and he prov l d to his hearers that he had made a ]