The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-04-20
FISK WINS IN DEBATE WITH
HOWARD.
First Time Howard Has Ever Lost To
Fist In The Forum

First Time Howard Has Ever Lost To
Fist In The Forum
In a battle royal whose dramatic
clashes and final result will not soon
be forgotten here, Fisk in her Eleven,
tn intercollegiate Debate, on April IS.
1917, unfolding the affirmative, won
the decision from Howard University
on the subject, Resolved. That the
compulsory arbitration of disputes De-
National Government should require
tween capital and labor, the constitu
tionality being waived"
Significance of The Victory
Although this was Fisk's eleventh
intercollegiate debate, and the fifth
triangular debate with Atlanta and
Howard Universities, Fisk has never
before won from Howard and has lost
almost consistently in these contests
with the other schools.
Feeling that these defeats were not
due to lack of ability on the part OF
Fisk men, but, rather, to the fact that
Fisk has had no regular coach for her
teams p.s is true of the other schools
depending almost entirely on the reg
ular courses in augmentation. the
students last year requested the new
President, DR.. F. A. Mckenzie to pro,
vide a coach for Fisk. The President
asked Isaac Fisher, the well-known
prize esayist, if he would in addi-
ton to the other duties he had agred
to perform at Fisk coach the debat-
ing teams. This was agreed to and the
Fisk team faced Howard for the first
time with the same preparation for
! the debate which Howard always has.
Teams and Judges
| The Fisk team was composed OF
Chas. n. King. II and Henry Hugh
Berry 'l9, as alternate. Howard's
Line up was composed of NJ A. Jack
son, rs and J. $. Hesip, II with R.
T.. Carey, Is and c. " Johnson, 10 as
alternates.
The judges were Judge A. G. Ruth
erford of the Circuit Court, DR.. H. B
SlChermerhorn of Vanderbilt Law
School, and Mr.. Arch Trawick, promi-
nent business man of Nashville.
opening the Battle
The program was begun with a solo
Song of the Flag" De Koven, by, Mr.
w. L. Daniel, after which the pre-
siding officer, Pres. Mckenzie, made
certain requests for the debaters and
announced the first speaker, Chas. N.
King of Fisk. A great crowd had gath
eredthe whole Fisk contingent and a
great crowd from the city For the
first time the school itself did not
know the battle lines and had little
idea of the kind of preparation her
men would show. Interest, therefore,
was above fever heat.
The Warriors
Mr.. King, easy. graceful, the pink r.
courtesy, and with power not dream
ed of even by his college mates, car
red his audience with him from the
start. He supported compulsory ar
bitration on the ground that existing
conditions in the industrial field de,
mand a remedy, and that compulsory
arbitration is necessary to preserve
the Union, Thre outstanding argu-
ments in Mr.. Kings presentation were
the proof he gave that strikes an :
lockouts had steadily increased in the
face of all voluntary methods of ar
! bitration of disputes be-
and labor in the United States his
mastery Indictment of strikes and
lc"kouts as "menac'ng the perpetuity
of the American Government; and
nj Of ha yNhr In, n
subject, require compulsory arbitra
ton. He showed that under right
definition of the phrase, the States
might set up and operate their own
boards of compulsory arbitration il
they cared to do so, thereby preserv
ing their own sovereignty in the
matter. but if they did not, the Fen
eral Government would establish
boards in all such cases and would
erect superior boards to arbitrate in
terstate disputes.
This system, analogous to the Fed
eral AID State judiciary, has not been
s1voc' ed in current literature ant
discussions. and it therefore took the
Howard team by surprise, being es
pecially stumbling block in the way
of Towards fighting Heslip, a war
rior indeed.
Mr.. Jackson opened the case for the
rapative land 1t was seen from the
first that he intended to demolish Mr.
Kings argument and disturb his bal
ance. But the latter had already up
set Mr.. Jackson who in leaving hi!
major argument to attack Mr.. Kings
novel arguments, lost his poise ant
fran''"Gj'y ri'cno'yded series lo
questions for the affirmative to an
sIe' HIS man contention was tina
voluntary arbitration is the prope
remedy ard he sought to minimize tn,
evils of strikes.
Proctor and King sat unmoved an(
smiling.
+ Henry Hugh Proctor. Jr., son of his
father, closed the main argument fol
Fisk. No one had ever heard of his
being disturbed in an argument; but
even Proctor was a revelation to the
audience. Turning to Mr.. Jackson
with smile and the most polite IT
of bow, he said to him: IF the gentle
man will not grow excited, before the
close of this debate he shall be an.
swered touching all questions which
go to the mreits Of this debate" He
proceeded next with the most exas-
perating GOODNESS to complete the case
for compulsory arbitration ON the one
ground that it is the next logical step
Ordinarily, Mr.. Proctors style is
purely argumentative; but ON this oc-
grew eloquent and persuasive, while
casion, as he waned to his subject ne
his gestures were easy and pleasing
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