The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-18
WORKING JOURNAL s CUP
Status Of Forensic Contests Fergus Defeats
: GAINESVILLE and Red Lake Falls Wins
From Crookston.

be wiped out entirelyAWould be remem-
bered as a relic of the dark ages as we
now remember slavery and torture for
crime.
Mr.. Braatlien, the leader on the Fergus
side, was the next speaker. He argued
that any man had a perfect right to de-
fend himself, even to the point OF taking
human life, and that in organized society
this right naturally fell to the state. He
held that the death penalty for minor
crimes was out of all proportion to the
offenses, but believed that when man had
shown himself unfit to live, the most
merciful way of Furnishing him was by
execution. .2....,
Mr. Comfort, the second speaker on the
GAINESVILLE side, argued that the infection
OF the death penalty tended to destroy
that telling of the sacredness of human
life upon which civilization was founded.
He held that the Idea that the state could
only punish murder by executing the mur-
derer was on par with furnishing arson by
burning down the residence of the man
who had set fires. He argued further that
human nature was initiative, and that the
criminal who walked detiantly to the gal
| lows Immediately became a hero to ILL
! balanced minds which were prompted with
| a desire to initiate him. Statistics show
| that most murderers have witnessed exc
cutions On the ether hand, the criminal
doomed to Imprisonment is anything but a
heroic figure. 40
Mr.. Butler, the second speaker on the
! Fergus side, held that capital punish
ment was. just and was not only sanctioned
but commanded by divine authority. He
| quoted various scriptural passages in sup
| port of his contention that capital pun
| ishment was commanded and then gave
! some convincing statistics to prove that
! 1t was the most practical plan OF diminish
! ing the number Of capital crimes
Mr.. McGrath, the youngest of the de-
| baters, was the third speaker on the
Barnesville side. He suggested that 1t
| was unjust to execute men, many of whom
! had inherited their criminal prOpensities,
and that 1t would be we'll for the state,
instead of erecting a gallows at the end
Of the lane. to arrange for more guide
boards at the beginning. He gave sta
tistics showing that in the states and
countries where capital punishment had
the dangers to society pointed out by the
advocates of the death penalty had no
where been realized.
Mr.. Hanson, the third speaker on the
! Fergus side, touched sarcastically on some
remarks that had been made about reform
ing criminals and thought that the spir
itual reform, which the death penalty fire.
| quently brought about, was the reform
| they really needed.
III. Summing Up.
Mr.. Braatlien summed up for Fergus in
a ringing hve-minute speech, and Mr.. KEEL
| ley closed the debate in a summary Of
| equal length.
Miss Emma Linquist recited "Archie
Dean" and Superintendent F. E. Smith,
! of the Fargo schools, announced the de-
cision of the judges. The theater fairly
! shook with applause when the announce
! ment was made.
The victory means that Fergus Falls
will compete with the winner in the
! Crookston- Red Lake Falls debate for the
| championship of the ninth congressional
district, the contest to be held about
! Feb. 1.
The GAINESVILLE people were entertained
at. Woodmen's hail until the arrival of
the midnight train.