Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-04-02
Buckfield High wins Debate.
rs AWARDED THE DECISION OVER PARIS
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM.

HIGH SCHOOL TEAM.
Certainly credit to all particip ating,
whatever the outcome, was the debate
Of Thursday evening between Paris High
School and Buokfield High School, In
which the team from the latter school
received the decision over the "home
team"
A fair audience was In attendance In
New Hall, where the affair was held, in
GLIDING number Of teachers and others
interested from Buck6eld. The au-
dience was entirely fair and impartial,
and rewarded the efforts of the visitors
with as vigorous and prolonged applause
as those OF the Paris boys.
Two tables at the side OF the stage
were occupied by the two teams, and
Principal N. l. Mixer Of Paris High
School who presided, sat at the side.
The Paris team, in the order Of speaking,
were Murray Bigelow, Harold Merrill
and Chester Easson, with Arthur Patch
as alternate. The Buckfield team were
John Fogg, Herbert Spauldiug and Rog-
or Eastman, with Dwight Turner as al
ternate. The alternates were not used.
Each speaker was limited to seven miu-
utes the first time, and three minutes 10
rebuttal.
Good 'team work" was done on both
sides, each speaker taking in the main a
certain portion OF the argument to
which to devote his attention, SO that
the three speakers on each side covered
the ground we'll.
The question for debate was, "Resolv-
ed, That commercial reciprocity with
Canada Is desirable" Paris High
School had the affirmative, Buckfield the
negative. Without going into details of
each argument, it may be said briefly
that the affirmative argued that reciproc-
ity would be a benefit to both the
United States and Canada. 1t would
benefit the producers Of both countries
by charging the free market for their
products. 1t would benefit the con-
sumers, not by greatly reducing the cost
of living, or causing large fall in prices,
but at least by providing greater stabil-
ity of prices. Finally, using q pointer
with good effect on map Of the United
States, they asked, If q tariff wall be-
tween US and Canada is a good thing,
why not tariff walls between the several
states Of the Union.
On the other hand, the speakers in the
negative argued that reciprocity would
be a calamity for American producers
and laborers, and would not benefit the
consumer. 1t would reduce the wages
of labor to the Canadian standard, ma
terially below ours. 1t would reduce
the prices to be received by the Ameri-
can producer, especially the American
farmer, by opening free competition to
the cheaper products of Canada. 1t
would very slightly increase the free
market of the United States, but would
enormously increase the free market OF
the Canadian producer, to our disadvan-
tage. And the American consumer
would not reap the benefit of lower
prices, which would be absorbed by the
great trusts and combinations that con-
troll 80 large portion of the necessaries
of life.
Both sides quoted freely from Presi-
dent Taft and others, and showed a
large amount of study and knowledge OF
the subject. The negative, however,
dealt more largely in statistics, and cited
them much more freely.
10 general 1t may DO said that the
Buckfield boys excelled in point OF de-
livery. The voices OF the Paris boys
we're powerful but not we'll modulated,
and they were rather inclined to pour
out their words at high speed at the ex-
pense of the first requisite of good pub
lie speaking, distinct enuuciation.
After the close of the debate the
Judges, Hon. A. j. Stearns OF Norway,
Harry Rowe and Harry Lowry of Bates
College, retired. The orchestra, which
was made up for the occasion principal
ly from students Of Paris High School,
under the lead of Howard Shaw, played
number of selections, and A. E. Morse,
being discovered In the audiences and
called out, gave the story of Pyramus
and Thisbe to fill in the waiting time.
Testimony to the problem which con-
fronted the judges was the three quar-
ters of an hour which elapsed before
they again made their appearance in the
hall. Mr.. Stearns then, after compli-
meuting all who had taken part, with q
few preliminary remarks announced that
under the regulations as given them
they mad given the award to the negative.
The Paris boys Immediately rose,
crossed the stage and congratulated their
successful opponents, and the audience
dispersed.
Paris Caucus lnstructs for Roosevelt.
All things considered, there was good
attendance at the Paris Republican
caucus in New Hall Saturday afternoon.
Walter L. Gray, chairman of the Republi-
can town committee, called the caucus
to order and read the call, and j. FL.
Bean was elected chairman and Walter
L. Gray secretary.
Typewriter ballots for delegates had
been distributed. Before the balloting
began, Walter L. Gray, whose name was
on the list of state delegates, said that
while he had expressed himself al not
favorable to the nomination OF Roose-
Welt, he realized that the sentiment OF
49, ,ovo moo sfrop0lv for Roosevelt and