Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-06-15
A CHEAT DEBATE.
Was Held in Commencement
Hall Last Night.
Question of Prohibition of Trnsts Ably
Discussed RE Trust Side Won-De-
cision in Favor of Negatiye-0ther
Details.

UISGueseu- TIE trust Siut WOH-Ue-
cision in Favor of Negatiye-0ther
Details
The Annual Inter Society Debate
between the Colubian and Parthe
non Literary society Of the Univer-
sity was held Thursday night in
Commencement Hall. It was one of
the finest debates ever heard here
and each side put up stiff fight
The meeting was presided over by
Col Fast, and the entertainment
was rendered more attractive by the
splendid musical performances of
Miss Hayes and Mrs. Hester after
which the debate was opened on the
subject,
Resolved, That all trusts and
combinations of capital that seek to
control industries should be prohib-
tied"
Mr. J. D. Vannoy opened for the
affirmative. Vannoy is one of the
best debaters in the University and
his argument as written was mas
terpiece, but he did not have it as
well committed as he should. How
ever, he demeaned himself very cred
itably. He reviewed the history Of
trusts, referred to their gradual met
amorphosis from organizations
which were once blessings into the
engines of human torture and op
preston. The puny arm of compe
tition can never throttle their pow
er. Trusts were the children of hu-
man greed and endless years of ed
ucation can never remove greed from
the natures Of men, Therefore pro
hlbatory law was the only remedy to
crush these industrial banditti.
The strongest speech for the neg
alive was made by Mr.. Fl. Fl. Rose,
of Marion county. 1t would be diff
ficult indeed to defend his side of
the question more ably. His pro
duction was well written and well
delivered. He said that trusts were
hated because they were not under
stood, that the hatred of the poor
for the rich, the weak for the strong,
the vanquished for the victor, were
the traits of human nature that gave
rise to the unreasonable prejudice
against these organizations No
trust can be perpetuated. Every
competition brings out victor and
loser. Stimulated by competition
the factories of the United States
would produce enough in three
months to supply the demand tor an
entire year. Trusts have raised wa
GEES and avoided commercial intri-
que. Cooperation had been the i'm
polling force OF human progress and
combinations of the kind are system
affixed cooperation. Industrial free
dom was found only among the
South Sea Islanders Trusts avoid
ed bitter competition, and the poor,
distressed, independent business
man who trembles lest the next
week his head would fall under the
merciless guillotine was greater
object of commiseratlon and.charity
than the lowest, hasest hireling of
the trusts. Competition makes ov
reproduction, the whiskey trust
combined eighty distilleries after
which sixty eight went out of busl-
ness.
The second speaker on the affir-
native, Mr.. Upshur Higginbotham,
made the ablest speech of the eve
ming. And this honor, which was
uuivei sally granted him, is made
more shining by the fact that this
was one of the finest debates ever
held in the University. His subject
matter was logically arranged, his
sentences terse and pointed and his
delivery deliberate and effective.
In the last ten minutes of the
speech the audience, which he1 lis
tened with intense silence broke into
applause, and almost every rounded
paragraph was SO greeted until he
stepped off the stage. His delivery
was plain, unpretentious and with
out the attitudenizing effects of too
much stage elocutlon. His speech
was based on six propositions which
he backed with powerful arguments.
Trusts should be prohibited because
1-They drive competition from
the Industrial field and destroy in
dividual enterprise.
Prom the vantage thus gained,
they exact tribute from all classes
Of society.
3-They unevenly distribute the
products of labor: they concentrate
the wealth in the hands OF the few
the evil effects of which strike at the
very roots of our social and political
life.
4-These combinations have al
most absolute power without legal
responsibility.
5-They are opposed to the prin-
ciples of our race: they are against