Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-02

II III OAA ANHt ~ W NSPNNhSh
IMl Correspondence of The Bee.)-
@@ The interstate debating teams of
I&S0SRI the University of Iowa have been
- selected by the elections of the
societies following the preliminary debates,
and now two very earnest sets of young
men are engaged in studying all about two
questions that are agitating the public mind.
The question which Iowa will debate with
Wisconsin at Iowa City, April 26, is: rs it
desirable that our national banking laws
should be so amended as to permit branch
banking?" Iowa affirms this question,
while Wisconsin argues against branch
banking. The question to be debated by
Minnesota and Iowa at Minneapolis, May
9, is: us it desirable that the United States
retain permanent possession of the Philip
pines?" Minnesota affirms this question
and Iowa denies.
The men who will represent Iowa in de-
bate this year are much younger than have
ever borne the standards for the last thirty
years. OF the six debaters on the two in
t~erstate debates but one is a senior,
whereas the general rule at Iowa is that
to seniors alone belong the interstate de-
bate honors. The younger students owe
their places on the debates to their excep-
tional ability in rebuttal debating, to the
lChuChCg VI Nv SOuh6Oi oNuANhNS at AO"p
to push to the front, which is just now
very marked, and to the possible ebb and
flow of undergraduate ability which makes
up in a younger class for an older class be-
ing slightly below the average in debating
ability. The Minnesota debaters will be
met by II. E. Hadley of Webster City, Ed
ward H. Mccoy of Dumont and Merritt
Bracket of Iowa City for Iowa. The Hawk
eye team against Wisconsin is composed OF
H. E.. Spangler of Adair, E.. X. Brown of
Scion and c. T.. of Eldridge. All
are students in the college of liberal arts
of the university. Spangler, and
Bracket are members of Irving institute
and Hadley, Mccoy and Brown belong to
the Zetagathian society.
Local Interest in the
The final university debaters owe their
elections largely to the outcome Of the two
preliminary debates between the two So
rc1eties belonging to the debating league of
the university. About these preliminaries,
4 called for convenience by the name of the
university against whom the final debate
will be held, center all the society interest
and loyalty. Long before they occur the
societies are in a fever heat of expectation
as to their outcome and for a week before
their final occurrence the merits Of the
respective debaters are discussed as gen.
orally at the students clubs and boarding
houses as are the merits of the varsity
foot ball players in the fall or of the base
ball men in the spring. Enormous quaint
ties of pie, the staple boarding house desser
for dinner, change hands on the result Of
the debate, the members Of the successful
society frequently enjoying two or three oil
four pieces Of pie regularly for dinner fol
the rest Of the term, while the members Of
the losing society read up on the harm tha'
pie does the human system. The Interest
of every society member in the final debate
is not the interest of a partisan of two o
his own society debaters whom he desires
to see elected to the final debate, as would
be the society's privilege il 1t won thu
debate. The true forensic society maj
imagines that the very existence of hi
society depends on it's winning the two pre-
liminary debates each year. On this recort
of victories the society will be able to max,
the best canvass of freshmen and develoI
other debaters, who, in turn will bring sue
ceeding victories and prestige to the society
While the two societies have held their pre-
liminary debates for over fifteen studen
generations without suffering loss of ex
istence because of losing a preliminary de
bate, the society members feel crestfallel
after every loss of a decision and at leas
two days are required to make a membe
of the society which did not win feel tn
equal of his fellow man.
Rivalry and Its Results.
For the last two years the debates hav