Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-05-29

lie Que LOuuOeu ny 6DeueLeT BRICK IOr
young men, the other by Arietta White
for women. the former being known as
Black and the latter as White college /
At the approach of the June gradua- !
ton exercises, In view of the interest
taken In Europe and America In the !
votes for women question, some one
proposed that debate upon the topic. |
Resolved, that the vote be given to
women" take place as enc Of the fea-
lures Of commencement the Black stu
Whites the affirmative. A challenge
was forwarded by the students Of
White TO the students Of Black. Ie
was accepted, and committees were ap-
pointed in each college to select its rep
resentative disputants and to arrange
the terms
1t was feared that men judges would
award the victory to men and women
to women Therefore q compromise
was effected by leaving the decision to
the audience, no student being allowed
to vote. This was a point gained by
the women, for the majority of those
attending such exhibitions are usually
of that sex. Recognizing this advan-
| tage Of their opponents, the men stu
dents selected their handsomest and
most winning speakers instead Of those
| capable Of bringing forward the best
arguments. The committee OF White
students, hearing OF this, relegated to
the background any candidate who was
| on
that the most engaging men and wom-
en- in either college were appointed dis
putants, while those whose recommen-
dations We're intellect alone were pass
ed over as unavailable.
In this wicked world when q Ques-
ton OF Importance comes up for set
tlement, instead OF each side making an
honest endeavor to decide Alright, Chi
canery Is resorted to in order to secure
an advantage. John Marley, a senior,
was made manager of the Black debat-
ing team and Drucilla Spanker man.
ager of the White team. Markley had
sister in White, and Miss Spanker
had brother in Black Marley laid
out the campaign in this wise: He
would instruct his debaters to contrive
to exhibit the unfitness of women to
vote by bringing into the debate polit-
zeal questions upon which they must
necessarily show their ignorance. The
tariff, the initiative, the referendum
the recall, were to be fired at the girls
with confusing rapidity. If this did
not produce a panic the reasonable
ness" of a recent decision of the Unit
ed States supreme court was to be sent
in like a charge Of cavalry to turn the
enemy's right
Possibly a victory might have been
gained in this way had not the man
ager of the women's team induced
Miss Emma Markley to make a foray
into her brothers room when the two
were at home for the spring recess in
search of information of the enemy's
plans She discovered list of those
brain splitting questions in his pocket
The result was that copy was giver
to the debaters for the purpose OF
booming up" on the problems.
Meanwhile Ned Spanker was spying
on his sister with a view to securing
points in the program of the WON
ems team. Unfortunately for him, hi:
talent for spying was not up to hi
!: sisters, and he made poor Roadway
! He asked her leading questions, tn,
only reply to which was a wry fac,
and Don't you wish you knew" JohI
Markley, who had suggested the move
received Ned's report with misgivings
He recognized the fact of woman
superiority in a game of duplicity- H.
called a conference of his team, an'
an all night discussion as to what wa
, to be done took place, which reSulte,
in proposal for a conference between
the teams with a view to establishing
certain rules by which both should b.
guided during the debate.
The two teams met on the campu
of White college on the first Saturda.
= afternoon In May. The spring hat
! come on. the day was delightful, ant
both men and women, especially III
latter, were dressed bpCOmingly. FrOu
their immaculate appearance and IN
deferential bearing OF the men the
would never have been taken for thOs
about to engage IN hOstilities OF an
kind Rules were proposed and dis
to the women on ali points
Unfortunately bit OF an affair ha
been going on between one OF the giI
=, debaters. Miss Maud Jennings. an
MIR. DICK Turner. Miss Jennings SAL
that she had a proposition to MAX
which she preferred to sound one q
the men npOn and invited Mr.. Turne
to stroll OF toward the chapel for IN
purpose mr Fred Howard declare
that be wished to consult Miss Bell
Upton upon an important matter cor
>, corning the coming debate. and the
- took the path toward the ASTRONOMERS
observatory Mr. Edward Parker an
Miss Della Storms departed In the q
rection of the library. while Joe VII
chester ana Marian Thorne proceede
In the direction OF the labOrator!
This left Archie Tucker and GraC
Smith sole occupants of the carnpu
and theS might consult Oh any sui
1ect they pleased without being owe
beard But tire position was exposes
ana they disappeared With the res
This effected a sine die adjoUrnmeI
OF the conference since none OF Il
strOIlers returned until thar hOur VIII