Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-24
OTTUMWA TEAM
WINS DEBATE
O. n. S. ORATORS VICTORS OVER
BURLINGTON SCHOOL TRIO
BY TO O SCORE.
CALL w AS SUDDEN
Local Lads Were Asked to Substitute
For Muscatine When Latter Fall
ed to Keep its
Date.

Filling in a gap made by the failure
of the Muscatine high school team to
keep it's debating engagement with the
Burlington school debaters, the elev-
enth hour team from the Ottumwa high
won decisive victory at Burlington
Friday evening. The judges were
unanimous in fayoring Ottumwa's boys
as the winners of the debate.
The team sent to Burlington have
had some preparation on tho subject
debated, but were Tot expecting the
summons to enter debate on such
short notice. The failure of Muscatine
to fill it's date with Burlington led Prin-
cipal Brown to call up Principal F. M.
Hammitt of the local hi2h school ask
ing him to send team there as the
debate had been advertised and every
thing was prepared. The local Toys
went to Burlington determined to give
all that they had in them to make
strong showing and were successful as
is attested by the Burlington Hawk
Eye of this morning in the following:
The Ottumwa high school debating
team won last night from the Burling-
ton high school team by the unanim-
Gus decision of the judges, Prof. Rob-
inson of Monmouth college and Prof.
Bell of Parsons college and Prof.
Johnson of Iowa Wesleyan college.
The subject for debate was. "Resolv-
ed that all corporations engaged in
interstate commerce should be requir-
ed to take out federal charters, 1t be-
ing conceded that such requirement
would be constitutional and that fed
eral licenses shall not be available as
an alternative plan"
Ottumwa supported the affirmative
and Burlington the negative. Charles
Smith of Ottumwa was the first speak
er for the affirmative. Mr.. Smith des-
cribed the evils of state control of cor
rorations in graphic terms, one of the
most crying Of these evils being over
by which the stockhold-
ers lose their money or dividend is
declared by means of extortion from
the poor public Wildcat concerns
which flourish under state control,
were also given rap by the speaker,
who said that the states did not give
adequate protection to the investors
within their borders, whereas the Ur;t-
ed States forbade the sending Of lae
IllS1dIuI6 Vi tIcSS AQnC-' rSoiA poiAiS'
through the mails. Mr.. Smith also
objected strongly to the interleck1ng
which he said would not
exist under federal charters. He des.
cribed New Jersey as the mother OF
truss and said that even if she did
reform, there would be other states
to make equally bad laws regarding in
for the sake of revenue. He
mentioned the prohibition and divorce
questions as examples of this.
Horace Peoples of Burlington opened
for the ne alive. Mr. Peoples did not
think his opponent from Ottumwa need
worry about the business conditions or
the country as he assured him they !
were flourishing. He declared that the
states were passing new laws to rem
edy the trust evil and that even New
Jersey was reforming. The speaker
told of other states that were driving
out the trusts such as Texas and
The protective tariff is the
mother of trusts, said the orator. He
further stated that the corporations
were not so bad as his opponent said
would be unjust.
Thomas Gardner, of Ottumwa was
the next speaker for the affirmative.
Mr.. Gardner made poor start, hut a
fine finish and had the audience with
him. He said that Missouri ousted the
Standard Oil company, but allowed 1t /
70 come back as she needed the oil.
He declared that the present antitrust
laws were ineffective and said the to-
bacco trust ard the Standard Oil COM
pany were stronger now than they
were before the dissolution. That it
was only a paper victory for the
people but real victory for the trusts. |
The state with the worst laws can
set the standard for the entire nation.
At present forty-eight different kinds
of corporation laws are possible.
National control is needed for ma
tional affairs, said Mr.. Gardner.
Glenn Conrad of Burlington was the
next speaker for Burlington. Mr.. Con-
rad is a forCeful speaker and scored
many good pcints. He thought that
federal control would not remedy mat !
ters as uniform laws for all the states
was not practicable. A change would
be a serious blow to commercial life
and most expensive for the smaller
would be worked. Mr.. Conrad said
there were nearly million corpora g..
tons in the United States and it would
take an army of experts to prepare fed !
eral charters for them. Such a law
would be cumbersome and he also had
grave fears of the enormous amount
Of graft that would flourish under it.
Cecil Corrick of Ott"mwa was the
next defender of the affirmative. Mr..
Corrick was proNa'ly the strong st
speaker on the visiting team and was
thoroughly familiar with his subject.
Referring to the assertion that the
protective tariff was the mo'her Of
trusts he said that England had no
protective tariff and 400 great trusts.
He begged an exp'anation from the
negative A federal Ch1rter said he,
was the most desirable remedy for the
TRUST evil and claimed there was no
hope Of relief from the present system.
He declared the diversity of laws on
the subject at present is most harm
full. and said the states cannot cope,