The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-07-01
Seattle Lawyer Denounoes Result
Of Recent 0ratorical Contest.
SAYS DECISION WAS UNJUST.
Describes One of the Committee ON
Delivery ~ . Coarse, nIfternte
/. clown, and Implies That Repre-
sentative of whitman College Did
Not Get u square DeaI-Univcr-
!. sity Professor Replies to Attack.

The current number Of the Dilettante
contains a sharp attack on the inter-
state collegiate oratorica1 contest held in
Seattle May 3d. written by Marshall p.
Stafford. a lawyer of this city. IL WIFI
be remembered that Aubrey Levy, Of the
local university. was given the decision,
His opponents were w. l.. Thompson, OF
Oregon, and William worthington. OF
Whitman college. In Mr.. stafford's opin-
Ion tho In tier won the contest. He char
acterizes the decision Of tho judges as so
"glaringly unjust that young men will be
Justified In regarding the prizes OF the
King county bar with contempt"
Prof. Arthur w. Priest replies to Mr..
Stafford in an interview given below. He
states that each OF the three colleges rep
resented chose two judges and that out
of the six, Ave voted for Levy for first
place, the other giving him second place.
Mr.. Stafford prefaces his attack with
few remarks on oratory In general. He
alleges that young men coming here TO
compete with tho university collegians
stand no show of getting decision
against home talent" Worthington he
. praises highly as an orator ana moi
rectiy compares him TO Wendell Philips
The subjects OF the other two orators he
declares were commonplace. ana ne Sc
verely criticises their delivery:
The feature OF the article, however, is
roast Of the judges on delivery. tred
Hart One Of these judges. whose name
Is not mentioned, Mr.. Stafford describes
as IA coarse vulgar. iliterate clown,
whose qualifications a. q Judge OF orat e,,y
TO eriticise Wagner's music. or Siwasn
qualifications to sit in Judgment upon
patAisngs Of Raphael and Miilet =.
prof Prisst, who holds the chair OF
. rhetoric and English Mt the University OF
Washington. says OF tho article In the
"T.hs rugged English of the production
II 10 be commended; but the spirit OF
preeumptuousness shown In the criticism
of the Judges on delivery, and tho gross
ignorance OF the rules governing the con
1.-The Interstate Oratorical Association
comprises three leagues-oregon. Western
Idaho The merits Of the respective
speakers in any contest are decided by
Two committees OF three persons eacn-one
committee on thought and composition.
one on delivery The constitution re-
auires that each league shall nominate
one judge on manuscript ana one Judge
of each league shall be acceptable to each
OF the other leagues. IT follows, then.
that any speaker. to win the contest,
must gain the votes OF men nominated
by the other speakers.
Now how do these facts affect Mr..
Gtaffords orlticismf He writes From
tho literary point Of view, the represen,a-
tive from Whitman college was so strik-
ingiy superior to his competitors as to be
little short OF remarkable. Later on he
says; The literary manuscript commit
tee was composed of three highly cult-
waited gentlemen, In every way admirably
qualified for their duties II these men
were we'll qualified. and II the Whitman
speech was 40 clearly superior. certainly
they must have ma rked or ranked II first.
Mr. stafford may no surprised. however,
to learn that two OF the three we'll quail
. fed Judges ranked Mr.. Levy. Of the Uni
versity OF Washington. first. thus award
Ing him the contest on n literary basis,
'Mr STAFFORD next turns his attention
20 the committee ON delivery one of whom
rhe charactertges as coarse, vulgar,
ktliiterate clown. whose qualifications a.
a Judge OF oratory are on par with a
Hoitentot,s capacity 20 criticise wagner
music This committee included Hon.
Trad Rice Rowell. Mayor Thomas j,
JHumes and Hon, John u. Hart. Mr..
etafYords brutal dlatribe II an insult TO
Interested to learn that Mr., Roweli was
nominated by whitman college and
Mayor Humes by oregon; yet each Of the
three ranked Mr. Levy nrst thus giving
Finally. In his CRITICISM OF Mr.. Levy.s
thought. Mr.. stafford attributes 20 him
eent,Inonts which he never uttered, Mr.
Levy dia not argue that standing armies
are inferior to American volunteers be
cause the pay of the rank and nle In the
great standing armies Is So small that no
men are found there but the lowest dress
OF society. who can't earn their bread In
any other way. while the pay OF tho ON
GERS is 80 high that men seek commits
s,ons for that reason and no other. IL
Mr. levy had made sueh an assertion, he
would have deserved adverse criticism;
but Mr.. sta1ords ears have betrayed
him. for Mr.. Levy never uttered the sen
tencc
''fn thus defending MIR Levy and the
Judges from tho unproSoked attack OF
Mr. starruri. 10 not wish 60 reflect In
sany way on the mertts Of the other speak
~ss Mr. Nofthinxt.n, OF whitman. and
Mr. T-hompsnn, ~ NJ cMlnnv'lle, are both
manly men who rec Ngninei test they
Twere fniriy t'sfeased Nnd who took their
defeat without the ur spartsmanliks cry
Of foul play. In future contests the
. Sanng men concerned may call on Mr.
.AtsNora to select their Judges for them
or 10 simplify matters they may Rsk him
TO sit AS a committee or one and award
the prizes as he may deem best Until
xeueh time ! trust that 'hs King County
SPAR Association viii continue It's kindly
interests IN tho oratory OF the North
west"