The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-23
FERGUS +; FALLS IS IT
High School Debating Team Of That
Town Wins The Journal
.5- Cup.

E5s4t5s ~ r.
Spirited and Closely Contested Dis
cussion With St. Paul Central
s High Last Evening.
Fergus Falls: carried off the honors last
evening in the final championship debate
with st. Paul in the Minnesota High
School Debating league contest, In addl-
ton to the 'honors,' the Fergus Falls
young men who had proved themselves
orators Of exceptional ability and masters
Of convincing logic became the custodians
of The Journal cup. In the opening
speeches the ST. Paul debaters seemed
to have the advantage 1t was in the
rebuttal that the members of the winning
team showed their superiority as debaters
and greater readiness and skill in meeting
their opponents arguments. The question
was: ~y F'- ~ -. - Y .&!+T
"Resolved, That .UnIted States senator's
should be chosen by direct vote OF the
people," .asg.f II. - :. - s
the members of the winning team are
Hans A. Hanson, Charles S. Bayley and
| Caleb Hogan. st. Paul was represented
by Kenneth McMannigal, Paul c. Guager
and Henry Horwitz. - ... ~ s. =
| The big assembly hall was crowded with
| shouting adherents of both teams, and
| their answering battle cries would have
| done credit to a football game.
| The debate was opened by Charles 8.
Bayley in behalf of Fergus Falls. In
| pointing out the defects of the present
system he said that the election of
United States senator became the matter
OF paramount Importance before legisia
lures, entire sessions sometimes being
| consumed because of resulting deadlocks
| which disgraced. the state. and reflected
dscredit upon legislators. In addition to
thus wasting money the legislators failed
to make the laws. or transact the business
for which they were primarily elected.
Lawnaking bodies, he declared, should
be relieved OF the burden of electing SEN
| ators by. placing such elections in the
hands of the sovereign people. If sena-
tors were elected by popular vote they
would be chosen in a single day and their
selection would not be determined by men
Of inferior ability such as very often con-
trolled legislatures. The fact that dis
honest men could corrupt legislatures to
compass their election more easily than
they could corrupt the voters was con-
tended for and the fact emphasized that
honest men were often deferred from en-
tering the legislature because of the dis
body had fallen thru senatorial election
Scandals
Convention VS.: Legislature.
Replying for st. Paul Henry Horwitz
| argued that the real choice for senator by
! popular vote would be left to packed
nominating conventions, by which the
+ character. of the senate would be, low
| cred. A corrupt legislature meant a COR
rupt people, and it followed that II the
| legislature could be manipulated so also
could its constituency. Platt and Quay
| had proved that it was only necessary to
secure control of the party, machine. The
! injection Of national issues into state poll
| tics would mean. the foundation of a
| corrupt state machine and the domina-
| tion of national politics..
It was the masterly summing up Of
+ Hans A. Hanson that convinced the
judges that the palm should be awarded
to Fergus Falls. AS proof Of the senate S
Incompetence at present he cited its tardy
action on the Cuban reciprocity and
/ other important measures, marshal1ng
EconcluSive evidence to show that election
Eef senators by: popular vote would i'm
prove: the, character of the senate and
! hold, the, senators responsible, to- a pop
|. ular constituency A spirit of disrespect
for the senate was prevalent thruout the
land. The people felt that they must i'm
prove present conditions or suffer newt
| able political deterioration. W..
IT. Scarcely less effective was the argument
of Kenneth McMannigal, who pointed out
| that by popular election the senators
would speedily become the political bosses
| of the state" The leaders of the senate
had always" been intelligent, far-s seeing
land honorable men, as was shown by the
| fact that both congress. and the president
generally, followed their advice. The pro-
| posed change would but increase existent
evils and displace a system that had
worked we'll for a hundred years. The
greatest victories Of American political
,icto, hos 81 %1o 70 Tn
tai1a it had been shown that the people
could be corrupted in the election Of legis-
lators. but in Delaware "Gas' Addicks
had BEEN unable to bribe the legislature
to elect him. senator. The senate was
the best Legislative body in the world
The vast system of senatorial patronage
would enable corrupt senators to retain
their seats indefinitely and federal office
holders would work. talk and bribe fol
their masters. AS it is, he said, the SEN
ate. while thoroly responsive to- public
| sentiment is not governed by popular
|, clamor and caprice.
Sentiment Favors Change.
For Fergus Falls. Caleb c. Hogar
showed that there is an Overwhelming
sentiment in every walk of life in favor
of popular election of senators: w. Five
parties had declared in favor of it
= Editors and. all leading thinkers hat
J. come out strongly for the direct vote
, The senate alone opposed the Cnange, De
cause it was controlled by men who hat
: secured their seats by. corrupt methods
; because they were mililonaires and cor
poration tools who had bought their. seats
Thirty-three states had gone on recort
by resolution of their legislat lures in favo
: Of the election of senators by a drec
vote.
. / Paul c.! Guager. who made the thir'
, argument for St. Paul, said that the sen
ate was conceded the world over to b
the only effective second legislative cham
Der in existence. 1t had been pronounce
| such by Gladstone, .Dsraelf and sDeToc
uueville. It could well afford to disre
gard the monaentary passion Of the people
3. Reelection, which would seldom be pos
sible If left to. the people, made expert
enced senators capable of securing need
ed legislation where others would be In
efficient.
Professor. E. e. McDermott, presitlen
of the league. presided. He. announce
that the judges. without conference wit
each other would write their verdicts an
place them in sealed envelops and sen
them to the platform. He then Introduce
Governor Van SAINT who had been invite
to make the formal, presentation of tn
Journal prize cup to the winners Of tn
3 debate The governor was felicitous i
!. his remark and congratulated the youn
: debaters on their admirable performance,
\ and declared that as governor Of the stat
4 he was proud Of them, every one. H
ki. lee o41rs&