The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-01-25
An Enthusiastic Audience Was
Present at the Salt Lake The
ater Tuesday Night.
STUDENT BODY WAS
OUT In FULL FORCE
Colorado and Utah Debaters
Showed Much Study and Re-
search in Arguments.

THE unanimous decision of the judges
Is in favor OF the afHrmative-Utah.
That was tho announcement made by
Senator Stephen IL. Love. the presiding
officer at the conclusion of the interstate
debate between the University OF Colo
RADIO and the University OF Utah at the
Salt Lake thcatcr Tuesday night The
question debated was one of the economic
Issues OF tho day; Resolved That the
Interstate Commerce commission be en-
powered to FIX railroad freight rates"
Utah assumed the Affirmative OF the ques-
tion and the Coloradoans took up the de-
fcnse for the negative. The Colorado In
stItution was represented by George o.
Fairwcathcr, Hugh p. Remington and
Arthur f. Nafe Utah was championed
by John Jensen, Percy Goddard and
Daniel Alexander. The arguments ad-
yanced by both sides indicated long, care
full study and research. The facts were
ably marshallcd and forcibly. eloquently
and convincngly delivered. The gentle
men from Colorado missed no points that
were favorable to them, but to tho un-
initiated the local dcbaters presented the
prcponderance OF evidence.
Large Audience Present.
AS is usual on such occasions, a large
and fashionable audience present.
Eearly In the proceedings II was mani
fest that the colleglans were present In
force And let II be said that the student
was impartial Enthusiasm and ap-
plause was as generous and spontaneous
for Colorado as 1t was for the Utah men.
each speaker being greeted with the col
lege yell, and the encomium usual TO such
occasions
The judges were John Cain, Judge An
drew Howat and Rev. Z. A. SlmpkinS.
When the decision was announced 1t was
received with great applause. and the
Colorado debaters advanced and congratu-
luted their erstwhile opponents. The
tmekecpcrs were w w. Rae and G. S.
Kinney.
Rules Governing Debate
Prior to introducing the first spakor,
President Love announced that each de-
batter would be given twelve minutes on
direct argument and that the first four
speakers would be given three minutes
each and the last two debatcTs five min
GteS each In rebuttal
Percy Goddard Opens Contest.
Percy Goddard opened the Affirmative
Side for tho U. or U. He said the ques-
ton was one of the utmost Importance to
the American people. President Roose-
welt had called attention to II in three
messages The president had the sup
port Of all commercial and Industrial or
ganlzations, and the fact that the House
unanimously o bill to confer this power
shows that the greater portion OF the
American people are behind the plan.
Railways were fast acquiring monopolls-
tic power, he contendcd, and today three
or four organizations control the rail-
roads all over the country and capitalists
who have interests in railways and trusts
operate the one discriminatory for the
advantage OF the other.
Salt Lake Pays Monopoly.
The Pennsylvania controls the Industry
OF carrying bituminous coal to the Allan
tic coast and New Englandcrs have to
pay to build up monopoly. Incidentally
Salt Lake pays monopoly prices on coal
and thousands of extortlonate rates
might be stated. The Standard OIL com
pany was another that had been built
up on rate discrimination. Other refin-
cries wore shut out 80 far as to place
millions In the Golfers OF Rockefeller and
by combinations among themselves trusts
and railways had shut out competition
on many commodities rates to California
and back are lower than the direct rate
to Salt Lake. and there arc hundreds of
such Instances In our railway tariffs The
rate on pig iron to Salt Lake was higher
than II was TO Butte Denver also SUI
fered from this discrimination and he
denied that water routes justified the
Wide discrimination.
Plan of the Affirmative.
The plan the Affirmative proposed
meant no interference with what he
called economic rates, but 1t did intend
to deal with artificial rates By economic
rates he meant rates that result from
automatic establishment, free competl-
tion and increase OF business between tho
shipper and the carrier without comoIna-
ton or conspiracy for holding up or put
ting down rates. Railways are public
highways. and public carriers have al
ways been subject TO public control and
concessions and privileges had been
granted by the Federal Government with
this end In view He urged that they
confer upon the commission the power
that II exercised for ten years and
claimed that when the railroads had the
power to change rates at Will Govern
ment tribunal should be established to
counteract the abnormal adjustment OF
rates
Opens for the Negative.
Arthur F. Nafe. the first speaker for
the negative, followed. He agreed with
the previous gentleman that change is
needed, both from the standpoint Of the
public and the railways but would not
admit the feasibility of the scheme pro-
posed by the Affirmative. He held the
affirmative must show that there are
evils that can be remedIed by their meas
uTe, and show that their remedy did not
contain more evils than those which al
ready exist, Ho contended that the
measure proposed was unconstitutional
and cited authority thereon. He claimed
that the affirmative argued for a maxi
mum rate and that had been exploded by
the commission. The power TO fix rates
was a Legislative one, and he also held
that the commission, In doing so. would
exercise judicial power In prosecuting
an luNtSblSdNlOn lntl MOulU use an X
ccutivc power. and In the exercise of
these three governmental powers they
had a condition contrary to the tenor OF
the Constitution
No Power to Fix Rates.
The scheme proposed meant the aboII-
tion Of dlfferential rates. and the Circuit
court had decided that no power To fly
future rates was delegated TO the com
mission, When tho commission fixed
rates the railways were not Obliged to
abide by them. and they took the cases
to the courts and were always sustained
by the judiciary, There was no dIsorimi-
nation toward private car lines. to
elevator companies or to private branch
lines; the great evil ls the secret rebate
and he asked how legislation could nos.
slbly stop this evil. Railroad rates in the
United States are only one-rourth what
they are In England. one-half what tbev
are in Australia. where the Government
owns the railroads, and they do not pay
and were lower than thcy would have
been II made by commission
A Colorado Illustration.
John Jensen was Utah's second
champion Ho asserted that Denver and