The San Francisco call., 1896-02-08
M. c. Flaherty, a 90 Man,
Captures the Prize With
Hands Down.
DISCUSSING FRENCH POLITICS
Six Young Men Who Tried to Settle
the Question of the Permanency
of the Republic.

within IT that was vacant last night when,
at O'Clock, the annual forensic struggle
between Stanford and Berkeley began.
1t the right and left of the big stage the
representatives of the two universities
were seated at tables, and between and
SEPARATING them as moderator sat Presi-
dent kellogg of the State University.
The question at issue between them was
this: Has the centralized form OF the
French Government been favorable to the
stability of the Republic?
The Carnot medal, presented by the
Baron de Coubertin for the purpose of
encouraging the study and discussion in
California of French history and politics,
Is awarded annually TO the student who,
in the opinion of the committee, approves
himself the best debater, the criteria being
scholarship Gncluding information and
diction). argumentative skill, delivery and
spontaneity.
1t was for this they were contesting.
The debaters are chosen and assigned, but
twenty-four hours before the contest takes
place.
The negative and affirmative of the ques-
ton was not university affair, for both
universities were represented on both sides.
were: For the atfirmative-H. ID. Sheldon,
Stanford; +, S. Howard, Stanford; NJ. C.
Flaherty, University OF California. For
the negative-C. E. Fryer, Berkeley; E. /.
Miller, Stanford; Iheo de l.. de Laguna,
Berkeley.
The judges or committees of award were
James ID. Phelan and NJ. Frank Michael of
San Francisco, and Colonel Charles R.
Greenleaf of Berkeley. The committee of
arrangements were Professor Lathrop and
Professor Ross of Stanford, and Professors
Bacon and Gayley of Berkeley.
The committee OF award sat close up
under the stage.
Every seat had been TAKEN indeed, long
before O'Clock, and it was with some
good-natured signs of impatience that the
audience, largely composed of ladies,
waited the beginning of the battle. Should
Eny professor or other prominent figure of
either university thread his way down the
aisle it was to the clamor of hand-clapplng
and the beating of heels upon the floor.
As the debaters took their seats upon
the stage they were greeted with the yells
of the respective colleges, and so when
they rose to speak their fellows on the floor
greeted them.
President Kellogg read the rules of the
debate and introduced 81. D. Sheldon of
Stanford to open for the affirmative. He
entered upon his subject with the evident
purpose of making the best OF his time
limited to fifteen minutes. He outlined
the debate for his side. that it would be
shown that the centralized government
enabled the French to protect themselves
against their enemies abroad, to preserve
order at home; that it lent itself to the
characteristics Of the people, adapted to
the essential vigorous. foreign policy.
These would be illustrated in the course of
the legislation OF the past twenty years.
He touched upon all these points in
Nil n of tan
utes. He dwelt upon the necessity of
quick action by the Government to meet
the temperament of the people. !. France
had more anarchists than any other Gov
ernment in Europe. To meet sudden
outbreak the head of the Government must
have a ready command of the army and
the other arms of the Government France
had for neighbors the powers of Europe,
in no wise disposed toward friendship or
peace. She must be quick to meet any
hostile move. He instanced the quick
suppression of Boulanger through the
power of the head OF the Government.
G. Z. Fryer of Berkeley took up the
cause for the negative-thet GENERALIZATION
presented danger to stability. He cited
as Instances the temptation of the one
man IN power to usurp TO himself i'm
perlal power as Napoleon had done. In
Government honeycombed with corrup-
ton, as this State is known to be, the one
q
throne.
f. S. Howard OF Stanford resumed for
the affirmative. He, in a general way
kept 10 the point that eentraIizati ton was
strength, and that France in her position
must be strong to live. The Chamber of
Deputies ruled France and had shown
that it could rule it well.
E. s. Miller of Stanford, for the mega
tive, took up the points of his two oppo-
nents who had spoken. He saw in the
power of the Secretary of War a great
danger. If the man happened to have the
ambition and ability to back it up be
might, as had been done in the case of
Napoleon, overturn the Government. Why
would not new Napoleon do the same !?
The impulsive temperament OF the people
lent itself to new ideas in government.
The Chamber of Deputies was composed
of many factions, and the ambitions of in
divlduals presented opportunity for am
bitions that might move for change.
Theodore de l.. de Laguna OF Berkeley,
also for the negative, followed. Centrali-
zation, he said, rested upon tradition as
we'll as law, 1t subjugated local govern
ment to the central government, and this
engendered carelessness in the municipall-
ties with the encouragement OF criticism.
Eternal vigilance is the price OF liberty, he
insisted. Monsieur Taine had himself
said that the non-responsibility of local
government was danger to the republic
itself. De Laguna's deliberate method,
destinct enunciation and rounded periods
provoked warm applause when he closed.
NJ. G. Flaherty of Berkeley, for the
affirmative. completed the first round OF
the debate-the sixth. He made his
points by the comparisons of history. 1t
was absurd to draw ADglo-Saxon conclu-
sions from French characteristics. In
England the people had always opposed
the Kings and looked away from centrali-
cation, while in France the people had al
ways looked to kings. Only Capitalization
could mold this people into a homogene-
ous body.
H. d. Sheldon had six minutes in which
TO start the second round. Napoleon, he
said, was dead, and the Frenchman Of to-
day is not the Frenchman of hundred
years ago. The Catholic church had lost
It's grip in France. If the leauer OF the
Cham Der Of Deputies showed any signs OF
nurturing ambitions toward dictatorship
he would be unhorsed. He must be sup