Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-03-22

on either team excelled him.
In closing the maiu argument for
the affirmative Miss Flora Lester
spoke Of the large mass of unemp]oy-
ed in our cities, of political corrup.
tion due to immigration and the un.
willingness or inability of the 'immi.
grant to become . self supporting and
useful citizen. She spoke with spirit
and self confidence, but 1t times her
voice failed and she could be heard
only by part of the audience. J..
Victor Knutson made 4 spirited and
convincing speech for the negative.
He showed how Massachusetts with
the densest population and the largest
percentage OF foreigners had the
largest per capita wealth production
and the highest educational and social
advantages. He compared the ten
sta.es having the largest with the ten
states having the smallest foreign born
population with most telling effect.
he compared sparsely settled Russia
with densely settled Switzerland,
Holland, Belgium and Gre at Britain
in . most convincing manner. Bring.
ing tho argument home he showed how
Minnesota with an ever increasing
population 10 enjoying ever increasing
advantages as to schools, markets,
roads, telephones, libraries, cheape,
transportation and improved facilitiei
for production and exchange. HI
asked his auditors If they had seer
any of the evils which the negative
had painted in such dark co .ors.
In rebuttal Maurice Jenness in q
mastery manner met the argumen,
against immigration based on crimi
nslity. He, showed that less than on<
half of one per cent of foreign borr
were criminals. 1T we wish to poin,
dark picture of the native borr
American, said he, We would have tt
speak of lynchings and the burning
Of human beings at stake" The 99l
per cent OF useful immigrants should
not be excluded but our efforts should
oe directed to keeping out the un
desirable.
Wallace Martin showed how wages
had increased with the increase o1
immigration and effectively answered
several other points advanced by the
affirmative.
Victor Knutson In his rebuttal fully
sustained his reputation as the ''Little
Whirlwind." With q quickness o1
grasp and striking array of facts and
reasons he attacked and overturned
one after another Of the affirmative
arguments, leaving them not Z single
point upon which to base q claim to
y
In rebuttal the young ladies' spoke
in the same order as before. They
made no attempt to attack the struc
ture OF the negatives defensive posi-
tton. They spoke huently and will
great rap1dity, but neither in theil
main speeches nor in their rebuttals
which we're on the whole mere con
tinuations of their main speeches
did they show valid reasons why ou,
past and present immigration policy
should be changed for something new
and untried. The burden of proof
was on the affirmative. The debatert
on the negative not only satisfac.
torily overthrow every contention OF
their opponents, but went beyond this
and showed clear and cogent reasons
why immigration Of the right kind
should be encouraged, thus doing
more than was necessary to entitle
them to q unanimous decision. IL
mere volume of words the young
ladies had the better, but in logic,
clearness, comprehensiveness, proof
Of statements made, rebuttal o1
opponents arguments, as we'll as In
naturalness and pursuasiveness oi
delivery the negative debaters greatly
excelled.
The greater part OF the audience
seemed thunderstruck when the three
judges handed in q decision for thu
affirmative. Willmar people are no,
soreheads. In previous years when
their teams have been defeated they
have acknowledged defeat withou,
complaint. But this decision was
entirely without reason and earnes,
protests are made in every quarter,
not only by Willmar people, but by
travelling men and other disinterested
auditors.
Prof. Tonning, honest and unsus.
picious OF trickery, now realizes tha,
he was outgeneraled in the prelimin.
ary arrangements. Prof. Pryor OF
Breckenridge WAS allowed after much
discouraging correspondence to have
his own way in the matter of judges
It transpires that one of those was
Pryor. former room mate, another IL
dependent upon Breckenridge votes
for his present official position and ,
third stated that no proof could b<
adduced to convince him that immi
grants were now needed. The varioul
influences brought to bear upon thes,
judges would make too long . story
to tell here.
/ According to the rules of the de
bsting league no coaching or prompt
ing is permitted. The fact that Prof
Pryor during the debate constantl!
directed his debaters by signs snt
motions was, to put it mildly, mos