The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-01-12
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Harry Whitlow, and Maynard Hardy
The judges Of the contest were DR.
=. F. Jorden. OF Sioux Falls College;
Attorney j. w. Addie, Of Armour, and
Prof. Nourse. of Vermillion.
DR.. Weir acted as presiding Off.
cer and called the audience to order
about eight o'clock. In his few pre-
liminary remarks he stated that each
speaker would have twelve minutes
lfor constructive argument and five
minutes for rebuttal, and that the
decision Of the judges was to be bas-
ed on the weight and general effect
i,iveness Of the argument presented.
The opening speech for the afirma-
tive was given by Mr.. van Patter. He
stated that the question is one essent.
tally Of conservation, such as is agi-
Eating the country today. Our old
policy of allowing the policy to pass
from the. hands of the national gov
Iernment to the hands Of individuals
brought about such conditions OF
monopoly and waste that the govern
!!ment had been forced to pursue the
Ipolicy suggested in the statement of
the resolution, namely. the retention
OF the title by the Federal Govern
ment. This, he said, is the present
government policy, and in pursuit of
It, the national government is buying
back the title to many water power
sites and coal lands that it formerly
owned.
The first negative speaker was Mr..
ICool, whose main plea was for the
utilization of the resources of the
lcountry along with their conserva-
ton. Large capital was necessary.
he stated, for the development of
these resources, and large capital
could be persuaded to invest in them
ionly after acquiring them. Govern
ment ownership in conjunction with
la leasing system proved a failure in
Missouri and Michigan, where copper
mines we're operated by the govern
ment for over fifty years, and this
Operation was characterized by bad
management and had to be abandon
ed.
Mr.. Smith made the second con-
.structive speech for the affirmative.
He defended the same policy for
both coal and water power sites
showing that the two were insepara-
lbly related to each other, and the con-
servation of the one could be brought
about only by the conservation of the
Iother. He objected particularly to
1.-THE granting Of the title to the
states; on the, ground that the ques-
tion was national in scope and there
fore demanded national action which
would bring about uniformity and
fairness.
Mr.. Hardy. the second negative
speaker, showed that the conserva-
tion OF water power means it's utili-
Ization, and the same thing Is true
TOT coal mines. The function of the
National Government, he state, is law
making and enforcement not admin
istration Of business interests, and
whenever the Federal Government
Ehas gone into bushes 1t has made a
conspicuous failure. The govern
ment, moreover Is the most wasteful
Organisation extant, while corpora
tions are conspicuously economical.
Government ownership supplemented
by the leasing system would not be
conservation, it would promote waste.
The concluding constructive speech
for the Affirmative was made by Mr..
Harno. He urged the adoption of a
leasing system for the development of
the coal lands and power sites thus
retained. This leasing system and
national ownership was a policy that
had been tried and had proven sue
cessful in various European coun-
tries. Australia, and more especially
tCanada. He showed that Federal
Ownership. would alone prevent mo-
lnopoly Of these resources by the pred
latory interests.
The negative closed their construc-
tive argument with Mr.. Whitlow's
speech. He undertook to demon
strate three propositions, namely,
private capital alone will develop ma
tural resources. private initiative
stimulated by ownership is necessary
ito the proper development Of natur-
al resources. The proper means OF
handling the natural is to
grant the titled to individuals, and
let the government stipulate in the
deed that certain conditions shall be
met, such 40 their proper conserve
''tion and economic development.
The Srebuttal argument was spirit
ed and pointed. each speaker knock
ing down certain points Of his oppon-
ont and strengthening some Of his
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