The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-04-13
WASHINGTON SPRINGS
IS AWARDED DECISION
PROHIBITION ORAToRloAL CON.
TEST WON BY H. GRIFFITH,
WITH McCIAARlNON OF NIT.
CHEIL SECOND.


Oratorical contest was held in this
city Tuesday evening in the city hall
with an attendance that was much
larger than was anticipated in view
of the revival meetings at the Tab
ernacle.
There were four colleges repre-
sented in the contest-Wessington
Springs, Canton, Sioux Falls and
Mitchell. The biggest delegation
from any outside town came from
Washington Springs when a special
train arrived in the city late in the
afternoon from that place, bringing
full hundred of students, male and
female, to do some roofing for their
representative in the contest-and
they certainly cut loose some rip
roaring yells when it was announc-
ed. that the judges had awarded first
place to their orator, Coleman Crit
fifth, and the decision came in the
way of surprise to that body of
roofing students. Sioux Falls and
Canton were fairly we'll represent
ed. The audience gave an abund-
ance of applause following each ora
ton, and the people seemed to want
to encourage each orator to get in
to his work strong.
At the back of the stage was sus-
pended a great many college pen
nants, each of the colleges sending
along enough to make quite a dis
play.
The opening number on the pro-
gram was a selection by the violin
quartet of Dakota Wesleyan, and the
members presented a very attractive
number, which the audience would
like to have had repeated.
j. E. Hughes, of Sioux Falls Bap-
fist college, gave the first Grafton,
speaking on Struggle for American
Manhood" He referred to the
young men of the nation who are
growing up to take the places of the
men of today, and declared that the
saloons which were permitted to ex-
list in this supposedly Christian ma
ton would mean the downfall Of a
great percentage of them, and they
would be untitled to step into the
$500. l1-@n r,liah ou,oif fhofp
coming. He gave a vivid descrip-
ton of what the saloon has done in
the past in a destructive way and
which he considered a sufficient fore
sight into the future as to make the
saloon an impossibility hereafter.
The LOCALIZED Outlaw" was the
subject upon which Coleman Crit
fifth of Washington Springs Seminary
won the first place in the contest. He
based his effort on the law of the
country, and presented his idea that
the saloon and the liquor traffic were
in direct opposition to all law, in
that it,. was in direct opposition to
the fundamental principles of the
constitution, which, he said, gave to
all people the right of liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. He de-
clared that the liquor traffic pre-
vented men pursuing what the on
stitution guarantees, for it stood in
.he pathway leading 20 the better
things in life. The speaker referred
to the immense amount of money
which is annually spent over the
bar of the saloon of this country,
which he declared was appalling. He
quoted many authorities to substan-
tiate his declaration that the man
who drinks is not desired in many
lines of work, showing the attitude
of the masters of finance and labor
is against the saloon.
Walter J.. McClarinon, of Dakota
Wesleyan University, of Mitchell.
presented a strong grafton on '"The
Doom of the Saloon" He declared
at the outset that the saloon was the
sluiceway of death, that it gives to
the nation the pauper, makes the
criminals, and brings into the fam
lily household the m thing which
disrupts and deprives the inmates of
that home of its just rights. The
saloon, he said, was a public wrong,
and that it had to be held in leash
by the law; that it did not even
have an inherent right the same as
any business institution, which can
enter a town and begin business
without first conforming to the law
which governs the saloons of the
country. He declared that the
courts of the country nearly with
out exception, have expressed in
strong terms their opposition to the
liquor traffic, and cited several In
stances in support of his contention.
McClarinon made a strong impress
sion on the audience with his deliv-
cry, and the idea seemed to prevail
that he would stand close to the
top, If not at the top.
The last orator was Eric ]. Ellef-
son, representing Augustana college,
of Canton, who spoke on "Our
Country's Vital oFe." He said that