Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-24
Robert Gibson Rayburn, is,
Son of Evangelist, Eighth
National Champion.
JIMMY MOORE OF D. C..
TAKES FOURTH HONOR
Three Ballots Required in Decid-
ing Contest-Spokane Boy
Third-Bingham Speaker.

Robert Gibson Rayburn of Newton
Kans., 16-year-old son of a Presbyterian
evangelist, last night won the oratori-
cal championship of the United States
in the final meeting of the Eighth Ma
tional Oratorical Contest in Constitu-
ton Hall
Miss Ever Louise Conner of Chicago,
Is years old and the only girl in the
contest finals, won second honors and
was proclaimed official alternate.
William J. Codd of Spokane. Wash,
also Is, was third in the rating &C
corded by the official board of judges.
Jimmy Moore, Washington's 15-year-
old Western High School entrant, cap
tlred fourth place in the final rating.
on the first ballot he tied for third
place and the second and third votes
of the judges eased this gallant little
speaker into fourth position.
Three Ballots Required.
Three ballots were required to deter
mine the winner, so closely rated were
the contestants in last nights finals.
Schoo!ed in the extreme test of extern
poraneous speaking. the seven orators
who comprised the finalist field in the
contest this year were unanimously
pronounced by contest officials as the
most consistently high-grade group of
Young speakers yet to contend for the
championship.
By virtue of his victory last night,
Young Rayburn won the silver trophy,
which was presented to him, following
the announcement of the results, by
John HAYS Hammond, internationally
famous engineer and prominent patron
of the Oratorical Contest since its
founding AS champion of the United
states. Rayburn will be this country's
spokesman in the international flnais
in Constitution Hall here next october
when the best high school orators OF
Europe and pam America viii contend
for the world championship.
In the midst of the student oratory
In last nights contest meeting, Sena-
tor Hiram Bingham of Connecticut
sounded warning against the dangers
which. ne said, bureaucratic govern
ment presents to the principles Of lib
erty and indiyidualiSrn upon which the
Constitution Is built. The United
States, the Senator declared, IS suffer
ing from too much government ana
its legislation is effected too readily by
emotionalism rather than by sound
thinking.
B. Restriction 10 Nation.
These present-day tendencies, he as
Z kerted. will ultimately restrict the
growth and development of the Ma
!. ton" because they represent the Wis
& dom of the present rather than the
b possibilities Of the future" In the con-
sclusion Of his opening address. Senator
bingham. who last year was member
OF the board of judges OF the contest,
urged an understanding and an ap-
probation Of the principles on which
the Constitution Is based.
Rayburn's victory was won on two
speeches. The first, prepared Grafton
on The Tests Of the Constitution. .
was delivered in six minutes, and the
second. an extemporaneous address on
The Conflict Between Jefferson and
Hamilton" was barely presented within
the allowed four minutes. The time
keepers whistle. as a matter OF fact,
sounded just as he uttered the final
word of a concluding sentence.
The results of the judges decision
were announced by Newbold Noyes, as
sociate editor of The Star, the sponsor
ing newspaper Of the contest in Wash
ington and the neighboring counties OF
Maryland and Virginia. The pronuncia-
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