isa-normaladvance-1909-00360

Description:	360THE NORMAL ADVANCEI. S. Ns Great BeginningTHE INTER-NORMAL DEBATEThe Best Illinois Normal Could Offer Defeated by Indiana State NormalOn the night of May 21st, the Indiana StateNormal held the first inter-Normal debate inthe history of the school and won. This victory is significant since Indianas team defeatedthe representatives from Illinois Normal University—an institution that for ten years hasbeen holding debates with Oshkosh Normal,and according to the May Vidette, has wonseven of the ten contests. The Indiana debatersdid excellent work and we are proud of them.By their thorough and careful preparation,they have set a high standard for our teamsin the future.In constructive argument the honors wereabout even, but in delivery and final rebuttalIndiana clearly outclassed her opponents. TheIllinois team fully realized this fact and afterthe contest attributed their defeat largely tothe strength of our rebuttal argument. Amongother kind and appreciative remarks, the Illinois Normal paper has this to say on the pointof delivery. In delivery, the Indiana speakers were deserving of the higher praise. Theirvoices were clear, their bearing dignified, theirennunciation excellent.The question discussed was the Commissionfrom the Government for cities of 25,000 ormore. Indiana supported the affirmative. Herfirst speaker, Mr. Morrill, argued that the greatwork of the modern American city is administrative rather than legislative and that for thisreason a system of city government is neededthat is simple in organization, direct in opera-ation, and effective in fixing responsibility. Heheld that the Council-Mayor system is complexand cumbersome. It is characterized by greatdivison of responsibility and therefore is notadapted to the business of the twentieth century city. The Commission form, on the otherhand, is organized specially to do the workof the city, since it is simple, direct, and fixesresponsibility.Mr. Schorling, continuing the argument,showed how the commission form of government would decrease graft and corruption andattract more efficient men. Mr. Farris closedthe discussion for the affirmative with reportsfrom commission governed cities which provedthe remarkable financial success of this form ofcity government and showed that the mass ofthe people in these cities are fully satisfiedwith the new system.The negative admitted the failure of theAmerican city, but held that the evils could becorrected by modifying the existing system according to the plan proposed by the MunicipalLeague. They did not come out squarely, however, for any definite reform. Their argumentwas mainly theoretical for example theyclaimed that commission government tended tostate interference, yet produced no evidence asproof. On the whole their argument was wellorganized, and in regard to statistics was especially well presented.The affirmative took the safer stand on thequestion. They wrere ready at all times to present authority which could not be questioned.The negative, particularly in one case, reliedupon newspaper clippings which proved to betheir undoing in the final rebuttal.It was a first-class debate and it is only fairto our opponents to say that they presented astrong argument and that Indiana had a hardfight to win.ORATORICAL AND DEBATINGLEAGUEThe first years work of the Oratorical andDebating League has been highly satisfactory.The organization is not yet perfect, but the
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34390
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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