The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-13
HARVARD WINS THE DEBATE
TRIUMPHS OYER YALE AFTER Sc
RES OF THREE DEFEATS.

The Method of Electing United State
Senator'S the Question of Debate-l
Very Close Contest-The Judges Ou
Forty Minutes Before Rendering n De
ctsiOn-Cheers for Harvard.
Cambridge, Mass, May 12.-After
series of three defeats, Harvard re
trieveG her position in debate by vic
tory over Yale in the contest held II
Sanders theater, this evening. The de
bate was closely contested and tn
judges were absent from the room fort.
minutes before coming to a decision
| The greatest excitement prevailed when
after explaining the difficulties tfat be
set the judges in making up their minds
| Professor H. B. Gardner of Brown uni
versity announced the result. Cheer!
! for Harvard and for Yale were givel
with great enthusiasm and the Harvard
debaters We're surrounded by eagel
| throngs of friends, who crowded upor
| the platform to congratulate them. r
c. Bollings 1900 was the first speaker for
Harvard to the affirmative Of the ques
ton: Resolved, That the Present
Methed of Electing United States Sena-
tors is Preferable to Method Of Elec-
ton ay Popular Vote"
Boliings for Harvard.
Mr.. Bollings said in part; "The prin-
ciple of popular government demands
that the upper house be a more conserv-
ative body than the lower Is. In order
to obtain this different point Of view
there must be difference in the quail
ity of its constituency. In this coun-
try where we have no class divisions,
the only way in which we can obtain
this difference between the senate and
the house of representatives is by elect
ing our senators indirectly from the
state legislatures. This difference in
quality of constituency is the principle
for which we contend. The method Of
election by popular vote makes the SEN
ator representative of merely a larger
number of people than a member Of the
house is. In thus removing this differ
ence of constituency the gentlemen pro-
pose to do away with a fundamental
principle in the constitution of cur up-
per house The proposed plan does
away with this conservatism when we
most need a senate free from popular
agitation In the year when we have
abandoned our policy of a hundred years
and come out as a world power we are
asked to change the senate when it has
new and grave responsibilities
boise for Yale.
F. p. Boise opened for Yale and spoke
in part as follows: "In the early state
governments the people We're given but
little voice. They elected the legislature
But the legislature elected all the state
officers, and at first even presidential
electors. 1t was only natural that they
should elect United States senators. But
there has been a steady progress from
indirect to direct elections. Governors
are now elected by the people The
senate is, practically, the only instance
of indirect election in our political sys-
tenn There has been a pronounced de-
mand for the abolition of this instance
also of indirect election. The legsla-
lures of nearly half the states have
passed resolutions in favor OF a change.
The necessary constitutions amendment
has passed the house of representatives
three times. The present method of
electing senators is inconsistent with
our modern political practice and is an
anomaly. This anomaly survives be-
cause all attempts to remove it have
been misdirected. They have been
caused by the corruption in the state
Keith for Harvard
J. A. Fl. Keith the second Harvard
speaker, said in part: THE present
method is preferable to popular election
for senator's Senators are better men
than the present elective officers. I'm
der popular election the character of
senator's would gravitate toward the
standard of governors for popular men
--vote-getters would he nominated by
parties. 1t would be the exception. not |
he rule, to get such men as Davis, Gray |
and Edmunds'
Clark for YnIe.
J. X. Clark, the second speaker for
Yale, pointed out the bad work of state |
legislatures and attributed much of this
vii to the influence of the senatorial
contest. The work of electing a sena-
or, in the first place, is poorly done;
ime is wasted there is much corrup-
ion; the power of INSCRIPTIONS party
eaders is strengthened: and frequently
10 senator is elected after all. There
lave been nine such cases in the past
X years, and in four states this past
vinter-thirteen per cent. of all the con-
ests-there were failures to elect. Yet
he senator's who are elected are no bet
er than popular election would secure
Me worst harm done by these contests
S the interference with state business
or during the past winter they were not
disposed of until the session was half
yer, on the average. In many cases
hey have entirely blocked all general
agislation. as in the recent Pennsylva-
ia deadlock and the Oregon contest of
S97
P0rko for Harvard.
r. P. Parke of Harvard the next
peaker, after answering the contentious
f the negative, said: THE convention
ystem of nomination under popular
lection tends far more to corrupt prac-
ice than the deliberate open viva voce
hoice by the legislature. But the great
st objection is from a constitutional
oint of view, for the constitution can
e amended only by constitutional con-
ention to lay open the entire constitu-
Tl,Ar nrt toi it1tx ~ |