East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-05-18
Local Debaters Win Contest
from Appletown Students at
Methodist Church
POINTS IN SUBJECT
ARE HOTLY DISCUSSED
Victory Means That Pendleton VIII
Have Privilege Of Competing in the
Finals of the Interscholastic League
for Championship of Oregon.

For the third consecutive year is
the Pendleton high school to have
the honor Of competing in the finals
of the interscholastic league for the
championship of Oregon. This priv
ilege was secured last night by the
two to one victory which the local
team won from the trio of debaters
from the Hood River high school at
the Methodist church in this city.
The victory was by no means an
easy one. From first to last the dis
cussion was warm and all points hotly
contested but up until the final rebuff
tai the Pendleton boys seemed to
have a slight lead. However, in his
closing speech, Lester Murphy, lead
er of the affirmative, delivered some
sledgehammer blows at the structure
which the home team had builded and
it was shaken considerably. That it
came near to falling was made evil
dent when the two to one decision
was announced.
The question debated was, "Resolv-
! ed. That national conservation of our
natural resources is preferable to
state conservation" the Pendleton
boys upholding the state idea.
Hood Rivers Points.
The principal points made by the
! affirmative were as follows:
/. History proves the superiority
| of national conservation.
>. National conservation will re-
suit in greater economic good.
8. 1t will insure uniform policy
| in every state.
| 4. 1t will divorce conservation from
politics and eliminate special privil-
ege.
5. The opinions of prominen. men
attest the soundness and legality of
national conservation.
Pendleton's Argument.
The Pendleton boys contended that
inasmuch as 95 per cent of the ma
! tional resources are in seven western
states, laws should not be made and
administered thousands of miles away
and the injustice of the present poll
icy was pointed out, the fact that
while almost all of the great resources
are in these western states, the rep
resentation in congress from these
same states is overwhelmingly out
numbered by the eastern members.
Many of the defects of the present
system, among them the revokable
right, were pointed out and the fact
impressed upon the judges that such
defects. such mismanagement, such
destruction, and such graft as had
attended the history of our natural
resources had been the outgrowth of
the national idea. Finally, a plan
which had worked out successfully in
many instances was submitted by the
negative. This plan. the sectional
plan, would secure uniform laws by
the states in a certain district where
natural resources are interested in
! location and utilization and yet would
make the state the administrative
unit.
The Hood River team was composed
of Lester Murphy, leader; Forrest
Moe, first colleague, and Carl Spauld-
ing, second colleague. The local trio
was composed Of James Hartwell.
leader; Claude Hampton, first col
league, and Chester Fee, second col
league.
Judges.
Judges of the debate were 7. C.
Elliot of Walla Walla, Edgar w. Smith
of Helix, and Prof. Dunsmore of
Whitman college. Presiding over the
debate was ]. H. Gwinn who, in an
Introductory speech, commended the
young men for their achievements in
department which will prove of
great benefit to them.
Before the debate and while the
judges were preparing their decision.
the young ladies' glee club of the high
school rendered selections which were
received with generous applause.