The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-12-15
COLLINS VICTOR
in LEWIS DEBATE
Editor Lee Says Former Dominated
The Debate While Socialist did
Not Rise to The Occasion
SHOWS MASTERY OF SITUATION
Bemidji Residents Much Interested in
Meeting Of Two Men They May
be Brought To This City

be Brought To This City
Peter Collins, the anti-socialist
who several weeks ago. addressed a
Bemidji audience, and who while
here was told he was afriad to meet
T. III Lewis, representative of the So
cialist state organization, on the
floor of a debate hall, has met this
now famous t'expounder" Of the fred
flag' twice, and in both instances
has been an easy winner.
ItIwiu be remembered that Col
llins talked here one Sunday night,
and advanced the opinion that Proc
tor, then editing Socialist paper
in Bemidji, would not be. a resident
of Bemidji more than month. Proc
tor left, in the night time two days
later.
i Lewis challenged Collins to meet
him in debate, and last week they
met, once at Mankato and again at
4 Long Prairie. The anti-Socialist was
awarded the victory in each case, and
by almost unanimous vote.
4 The debate at Long Prairie was on
the subject, ''That Collins had told
an nntruth when he said that. So
cialism was opposed to religion and
to Labor movement and in COM
menting on the meeting Rudolph
Lee, editor of the Long Prairie Lead
er, says:
I'm his remaining speeches, Mr..
1 Lewis contented himself with con-
tinued statement as to present day
economic conditions, picturing the
plight of the working man under the
l"capitalist" system and asserting
that no political party, organized
lchurch or movement other than the
Socialist movement was addressing
itself to the solution of the problem.
In his remaining speeches, Mr.. Col
Inns tainted the Socialist speaker
with the fact that he was ignoring
the subject and that the audience
had assembled for the purpose of
hearing the evidence he had to offer
that "Peter Collins told an untruth
when he said that Socialism was op-
posed to religion and to the labor
movement Lewis, however, stuck
to his policy of "expounding" the
doctrine and steadfastly refused to
enter the argumentative arena.
GIN the limited time at our dispo-
sal we can not give more than an
outline of the general tread of the
addresses. The above indicates that
! trend. Mr.. Lewis evaded the issue.
Mr.. Collins stuck to the issue, reiter-
ated his former statements and was
prepared with much additional evil
dence to back his statements.
!. mr.. Lewis is not a debater. We do
not know if he pretends to be or not,
but the fact remains that he is not.
In telling him this, The Leader is
simply telling him something that
his friends ought to have told him
some time ago. AS an "expounder,"
Mr.: Lewis doubtless has mission.
AS a debater, however, he will never
win converts to the cause he repre-
Isents.
"The Leader looks at this matter
with. strict impartiality. It handles
the event solely as news. To it's hun
dreds or readers throughout the
county who were keenly interested
in the debate and who look to The
| Leader for the facts regarding it, we
must say that the Socialist side was
a distinct disappointment. Mr.. Lewis
Ignored the debate subject almost al
together and instead contented him
sell with a cheap harangue of the
type heard most any night along
lower Nico1let avenue. He did not
rise to the occasion. Collins, on the
other hand dominated the debate. He
had his facts we'll in hand and he
presented them clearly, logically and
with power. His mastery Of the stu
alton was complete. =
There is some talk Of bringing the
two here for debate.
Three File on Homesteads
/ Alfrod u porfnr- nf Missouri and