The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-20
ON THE PART On
THE UNITED STATES is OPP
POSED
By THE WINNERS LAST NIGHT.
Although Both Sides Dealt yy.tb, +,a
subject i'm q Scholarly and
Eloquent Way.

rrol II. j. Woodbridge and Rev Janoas
Waliace, who awarded the honors tn
the Mill City orators by a vote of
10 L. There was the widest enthusiasm
"hen the vote was announced. The as
seInDly room of the central high school
ouIulng was crowded to OVERLOOKING
anu ZVU young people stood in the aisIes
NO event OF the past two years of its
KIM mas awakened more wholesome
enthusiasm and rivalry between thu
nigh schools of the Twin Cities. Ths
orators who won the honors wers
CHARLES Dyer and OLAF Lende of tina
Minneapolis East Side high school The
subject under debate was. Resolved
That the United States should resort
10 intervention for the purpose of Sc.
curing independence for Cuba" St
Paul took the affirmative and Mime.
apolis the negative of the question. II
was very close contest, and there
was an evidence of studious prepara-
ton on the part Of each Of the de-
baters, rejecting great credit on the
public schools Of Minnesota, which ara
enabled to put forth such able logicians
and such natural orators as appeared
in the interscholastic arena last even
ing.
Harry Smalley led the affirmative for
the st. Paul high school, Mr. SmaIleys
address was able and would have been
a credit to an older man. He took the
ground that the United States should
certainly intervene in the war between
Cuba and Spain, not from a political
or diplomatic standpoint, but from q
int nf NI~1
known as international law had it's
basis upon the voice Of the people,
which said should" instead of must"
The island had by its natural location
a peculiar connection with the United
States. With hungry eyes England
and France were watching the result
Of the war The condition of affairs
today was a menace to the United
States.
The speaker said there were two
ways in which Cuba would cease to
be a menace to the United States,
either by It's acquisition or by it's in
dependence. The position of the Unit
ed States was based upon the idea of
self-preservation and upon the Monroe
doctrine. Mr.. Smalley believed that the
practice of killing prisoners and nom
combatants as practiced by the Span
iards was In itself sufficient ground
for Intervention. He believed the cruel
ties which were being practiced were
not half known owing to the censor
ship of the press. In case of Span
ish conquest, the speaker said that
fair Cuba would become desert island
If the United States recognized the
belligerency Of Cuba, 1t would have
ample precedent for so doing. Inter
vention did not mean that the United
States would go to war, but would
settle the trouble by diploma tic usages.
The speaker went deeply into the his
tory of the island and Spanish misrule.
and his grafton closed with a round of
applause.
Charles Dyer. of Minneapolis, fol-
lowed in behalf Of the negative, giving
some facts about Cuba which he said
was equal in area to the state of New
York, and which had a million and a
half of people. In support OF the mega
tive, Mr.. Dyer said that "a per cent of
the blacks and "a per cent Of the whites
of Cuba could neither read nor write,
and that, therefore, the people, as a
people, were not fit for seIf-govern-
ment The Cubans, he said, had prov
en- by their history Of the war during
the past two years that they were un-
fit for self-government. They had not
as yet established a government they
had not as yet fought a pitched battle
with the enemy; they had no organized
army, and their government, If they
had any, did not claim Jurisdiction over
any special section. They had never
captured an important city, had no
navy and were conducting merely a
barbarous guerilla warfare In tho
words of ex-Secretary Olney the speak
er said that "All government, outside
of the Spanish, was anarchy" The
speaker quoted literally from eminent
on International law to JUS
tify his position. He said that the
United States was not prepared to go
to war with Spain, as It's thirty-seven
seaport cities would be at the
mercy, practically, Of a foreign fleet.
Chester Griggs, of st. Paul, in sup
port of the affirmative, made a very
telling speech. His delivery was ex-
cellent. He recited stories of Spanish
quoted from authorities and
international law, and gave many his
terical facts. He said that history
would not warrant the plea Of exag-
in the reports of crueIties
practiced in Cuba, for the whole his
tory Of Spain, in all her wars. had
forms Of torture and barbarism.
Olaf Lende, Of Minneapolis, closed for
the negative. He said If the United
States put in It's oar, that 1t would put
Itself in place where it would be COM
PEELED to take part in every quarrel
which affected any colony Of any Eu-
ropean nation on this side Of the At
antic. He held that the United States
should keep It's hands off the affairs
Of foreign nations, just as the United
States expects foreign nations to let
the American republics alone under the
Monroe doctrine. He believed that
much Of the stuff printed in the maya
zines in farvor Of Cuba was written
by people who had no other motive
than to make a literary reputation;
men who were shouting for Cuba did
it in the hopes that their shouting
would favor their own selfish ends.
The speaker quoted very extensively,
one Of his references coming from the
inaugural address Of President McKin-
ley. who said the United States should
the wise policy OF Washing
ton, that Of non-interference In for
eign matters.
The debaters were allowed five min
utes in rebuttal, after which the judges
met and awarded the debate TO the
contestants There was
great enthusiasm among the Mill city
During the evening musical
selections were rendered by the original
High School Mandolin club, ths High
School orchestra and the Male Glee
club.
ShOuh He Encouraged.