The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-01-18
WILLMAR WON DEBATE
(From LIST page

immigration because it is the best
paying freight they can bring from
Europe to America. The immi.
grants OF today differ from those Of
| a few years ago. He contended
that they are not home builders
but natural dwellers in the slums
| of our larger cities.
Mss Ida Crooks made an eloquent
plea in defense of the character oil
the Italians and southern Euro
| peans. Showed how our foreign
population was more thrifty than
native born Americans, the thirteen
per cent. of our foreign population
having possession of twenty four
per cent. of the nations wealth.
Another argument was to the effect
that the south needed the southern
Europeans to help adjust her race
problem and do away with the
abuse of child labor in her factories
The last to speak for foreign ex-
clusion was little scion of Norwe-
gian parentage, evidently, Victor
Knutson. Victor had the vim and
f1uency of Sunday, and in his
closing speech in rebuttal won the
admiration of the audience by his
torrential flow of piquant English.
At his first appearance he main
tanned that further immigration is
unnecessary, and with the use of
charts sought to show that it is not
desirable, owing to the large per.
centage of criminals and illiterate
persons among our immigrants of
foreign birth.
Last came Chris Neuenschwan-
der, tanning that our immigra-
ton laws had already kept mass
of undesirable people from coming
to America, and that the. stringent
examination to which they were
subject excluded all but the strong
est and most progressive. The fact
that last year immigration from
northern Europe was proportion
ately larger than for some. years
previous, was adduced to show
that the character of our. immigra-
tion from year to year would adjust |
itself to our nations needs. if i'm
migration and naturalization laws
were properly enforced.
The arguments in rebuttal brought I
out number of witty thrusts on
both sides, and showed that while
the affirmative debaters were more
at ease on the platform, as rule,
the negative had butressed their
argument by citations from the best
On the immigration Dues
ton.
Time was called at little past
nine, the visitors having to prepare
for taking the St. Louis train west.
The judges handed in their decis-
ions, two being favorable to Will
mar, and one to Redwood Falls. The
decision was accepted by the audi
ence without audible protest, and
when Prof. Edwards proposed
cheers for the victors, the audience
responded with loud and-clapping.
In response, Prof. Tonning thanked
the Red wood people for the hospi-
table reception planned for their
visitors, which the latter were un-
able to accept for lack of time, but |
appreciated none the less.
Prof. Saxton was present and |
sang Anna Laurie" in splendid |
voice, accompanied by Mrs. Saxton
on the violin and Miss Skoog at the
piano. Mr.. and Mrs. Saxton de-
clined an enthusiastic encore and |
the gathering broke up with So
cial in the basement under the aus
pices of the high school students.
The McIlreaYie orchestra favored
the audience with fine selection
before the debate opened.
The judges wereSupt. Mcconnell
of Mankato and Attorneys e. G.
Davis of Sleepy Eye and E. E.
Korns of Tracy.