Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-03-16
NORTH DAKOTA PROHIBITION
vs.. GOTHENBERG SYSTEM
IN Spirited Debate Between Two Literary Societies in
Grand Forks, Advocates Of GOthenberg System
Are Declared Winners

Resolved, THAT a law prohibiting
4 the manufacture and sale Of intoxicat-
ing liquors as a beverage is preferable
to one based on the principle Of the
Gothenburg system Of state control Z
Adelphi, Afirmative Misses wy
/ ant, Evans and Lyons.
a. p. T., Negative Misses Stanley,
Ward and Pennington.
Judges Messrs Birdzell, corliss,
Whitehead, Torgerson and Grassick. y
A. D. T Five votes.
The annual Gansl medal debate was
held last evening at the Presbyterian
church between the represents tives Of
the a. D. T. literary society and the
Adelphi The church was well filed
with university students and friends
of the universit. President Merrifield
4 presided. The first number was a
4 piano selection by Miss Mary Bren-
nan. at the conclusion Of which Presi-
dent Merrifeld stated the question as
well as briefly discussing the Gansl
medal.
The first speaker was Miss Mona
Lyons, for the Adelphi, who opened
the debate BY stating the question
and then outlining the line Of defense
. to be followed by her team mates.
The speaker commended that what we
. nodded was not regulation, as the
Gothenburg system would give, but
prohibition. And she then went on to
! show that there was little difference
between the Gothenburg system and
a Wellregulated saloon. Miss Lyons
then proceeded to show the difference
between the practical and the ideal
Gothenburg system and relied on sta
tistics to show that DRUNKENNESS and
crime had Increased under the Goth
enberg system. The speaker was well
prepared and had her subject well in
hand treating it in an interesting
manner
The first speaker for the negative
was Miss Helen Stanley Of the A.
d. T. Miss Stanley took up the argu-
ment left by Miss Lyons and agreed
with what she said in regard to
drunkenness being crime and some,
thing to be- deplored, but she contend:
ed that the prohibition law was not
productive of the best reslts. The IN:
dividual may regulate the use Of
liquor and prohibit it personally but
\ the state never She then took up
and defined the term law, and
when applied the rohibition law
. failed when tested in th light Of her
definition in all three essentials. In
contending for efficient regulation
such as the Gothenberg system would
give, the speaker made four points:
First, that 1t was not obligatory upon
the town or city to have the dispen
sary Secondly, no private profit
Thirdly all surplus money goes to the
state; and fourthly, the money is not
used to reduce the taxes BIT to build
clubs, libraries and other places fol
I the people. Miss Stanley put her ar
guments in a clear, straight forWard
manner, and seemed to put up for
midable front, which seemed almost
impossible to tear down.
The argument for the affirmative
q was continued by Miss Amy Evans
who appeared perfectly at ease in ex
pounding her theories. She contend
ed that prohibition was on the only
absolute right basis, and that It would
ia time stamp out the evils, while {
system OF regulation would nevel
stamp out the evils as it did not ain
to- do SO, and quoted the founder 9
the Gothenberg system On the younge
generation Of the country and con
tended that 1t had failed The speak
er laid special stress on the fact tina
ultimately the prohibition system
would eliminate the entire liquor traf
fi,c.
Miss Ward continued the debate TO
the negative. Miss Ward was a mem
Der Of the victorious a. p. q. team
last year, and she showed the resul
Of much preparation and considerable
public speaking. In clear voice Mis-
Ward claimed that the debate In TIL
last analysis was which law was tt
betted forssociety under present exist
ing conditions, and upon this built &
strong argument. She. maintaine
that the prohibition law was wrong i
principle and did not express the sent
iment Of the whole people. Th
speaker claimed that a82 per cent 9
the brain workers Of the United State
used liquor, and as much ais it was I
be deplored it was nevertheless fac
and the condition had to be dealt wit
III the most feasible way For som
50 HtfIxs limo fF a mao melt an ~