Argument (Negative). I. There is great danger of failure, for A. The students may not feel a sense of responsibility for the government. 1. In one case they failed to notice that an election had been omitted. (Nat. Educa. Ass'n. 1908: 291.) 2. They may hold it dishonorable to report a fellow student. (a) This was true at Williams College (Education, 22: 542.) 3. They may elect mischievous students in the hope of lax discipline. (Atlantic Monthly, 102: 676.) B. Officers may fail to take the right attitude, for 1. They may consider it too much trouble to hold office. (Nat. Educa. Ass'n. 1908: 292.) 2. They may use their offices (a) For the benefit of their friends. (Nat. Educa. Ass'n. 1889: 542.) (b) To take revenge on their enemies. (Cronson's Pupil Self-Government, p. 66.) (c) As a cloak for their own misbehavior. (1) Instance of hazing. (Education, 29: 336.) C. Many failures have been reported. 1. Illinois University (Nat. Educa. Ass'n. 1889: 542). 3. In South Carolina and Indiana. (Education, 22: 541.) II. There is a better way to prepare students for citizenship, for A. High-school students are not old enough to solve the problem of governing others, for 1. Many situations are too difficult even for teachers to handle wisely. 2. Teachers report that only 68% of officers can be called "good officers." (Nat. Educa. Ass'n. 1908: 292.) 3. Quotation from Earl Barnes (Nat. Educa. Ass'n. 1908: 293.) B. Bad government will cause disrespect for law and so produce bad citizens. C. A good teacher can usually secure the right attitude on the part of students under the present system. APPENDIX V (b), Brief Arranged for Two or Three Speakers The following brief shows how material may be partitioned for either two or three speakers. Resolved, That three-fourths of a jury should be competent to render a verdict in all criminal cases. Introduction. I. Definition. A. "Three-fourths of a jury" means nine of the twelve men constituting a full panel of jurors. B. "All criminal cases" includes those in which death is the penalty. II. History. A. The "three-fourths jury" has been used successfully in civil cases, and in some states for minor criminal offenses. III. Main Issue: Does the danger to society through bribery, disagreements, and disrespect for the law outweigh the danger of a mistaken three-fourths decision in the case of an innocent accused person? (Arranged for two speakers.) spect for the law, for A. It leads to disagreements. II. The three-fourths verdict is pect 12 men to agree any (Arranged for three speakers.) I. The unit rule is unreasonable. A. When there is conflicting evidence it is unreasonable to expect 12 men to agree any more than 72 men. B. It gives to an obstinate, bribed, or prejudiced juror the power to defeat justice. APPENDIX VI List of Debatable Questions with General References 1 I. Government Activity versus Private Enterprise. 1. Cities should own and operate their street railways. 2. The public telephone and telegraph lines should be acquired 3. The United States should own and operate the railroads. 4. The United States should establish a system of compulsory insurance. (This question may be narrowed so as to apply to accident, unemployment, or old age.) Intercollegiate Debates, IV, 303 (Accident); 377 (Old Age). Shurter, 173 (Accident); 102 (Municipal Aid to Unemployed); Brookings, 160 (Employment System of General Booth); 168 1 See Bibliography for complete titles of books. Each general reference contains special references on the subject. Almost all of these questions are treated also in Bliss's Encyclopedia of Social Reform. 5. Socialism is the best solution of our labor problems. Shurter, 170 and 176. Brookings, 129. 6. The United States ought to own and control the coal mines of the country. Intercollegiate Debates, I, 435. 7. The Federal Government should construct all irrigation works. Brookings, 144. Shurter, 69. 8. In American municipalities of 25,000 or over, a tax on the rental value of land exclusive of improvements should be substituted for the general property tax. Intercollegiate Debates, II, 127. Debater's Handbook (Single Tax). Ringwalt, 202. Brookings, 120. Shurter, 117. II. Democratic versus Representative Government. I. The initiative and referendum should be adopted in all states. 2. The direct primary should be used in nominating all candidates for elective offices in the state. 4. Judicial decisions should be subject to recall by the people. Debater's Handbook. III. Labor versus Capital. Intercollegiate Debates, IV, 61. 1. The movement of organized labor for the closed shop should receive the support of public opinion. |