University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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I ,, I IIIIIIIIII I IIIIII llIIml II HI IIII .IIIIII III I IIIIIIlIIlIIIIIIIIlITIIIIIIHKIIHIWLI'IIltlllk Ill 'mmlllnnlUI'llUlI1WI IIlllI'Il'llllnll'llllllh'llllllll'mHllIhlIVIIWIHHIMIHHVIIIIIIMIIIHHIDWI'I'IHIJ'IUIIIIHILJDI'INIWUIII 'IIllllllllwI IIWHI' I mmmmmw I H J'M, l: Mlnmnnuwl WWW I Hm ' '1 I I 1, IIIIImIIIlIIIIIl ll WWII, I JWW uIm IIImmI I IIIIIIIIII W In intercollegiate debating Chicago fared in 1908-9 very much as it did the year before,being Victorious in one of its two contests. There was an increase in satisfac- tion, however, for every member of the Central Debating League likewise won and lost. Besides, Chicago defeated hIiChigan, this year, for the first time since 1906. At the beginning of the debating year, Chicago was handicapped by what has always been a serious drawback in the local situationeonly twenty-one candi- dates appeared. To offset this, several of the contestants were men of ability and considerable experience, as a result of which those Who survived the trials ranked above most Chicago teams in efficiency. The teams were composed of Clarence A. Bales, J. W. Hoover and Paul 1V1. 0,Donnell, who were assigned to the lVIichigan debate at Ann Arbor; W. J . Black, I. E. F erguson and Heber P. Hostetter, Who were retained for the North- western debate at home. OiDonnell was the only one Of the siX who had before represented Chicago in debate, having been a member of the winning team of 1908 against Northwestern. The question, ttResolved, that bank issues secured by commercial paper are preferable to those secured by bondsf, was peculiarly timely on account of the Widespread interest in banking reforms following the panic of 1907. The great difliculty with this question was its seeming one- -sidedness. From a logical stand- point the bond system appears almost indefensible and the system of commercial paper far superior. T herefore, it was thought that the affirmative would prob- ably win against Northwestern and that the negative would probably lose to LVIich- igan. The result was just the opposite. By taking advantage of the presumption in favor of the present system from its existence in this country for forty years, and by attacking certain practical difEculties in the application of the aHirmative plan to our peculiar conditions, the negative easily defeated lVIichigan. The affirmative against Northwestern put up a stout argument but the judges decided against them. In fact the negative was successful in all three contests of the league. To the losers as well as the victors is due great credit, for all worked earnestly and helped one another with many valuable suggestions This cooperation, ever a feature of Chicago s debating 1n the past, was Caespecially noticeable, this year, in the defeat of lVIichigan. IIIIIIIIII IHIIIIW IIIIMHI W InmI IIIIIIIIIII' -II-muml IIIII-Imuulm Nllvlilll' :l'lmllvl'l 'II IIHHIIW 142