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About The Hesperian / (Lincoln, Neb.) 1885-1899 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1896)
TH K II KS I' r. I: I N s r ; ?l .i r,j s ii T 14 SI 0r Crack Debaters. IJAKER. GHEEN. OENNISOX. The final debate drew a largo audience last Friday night. The forensic part of the program was so long as to bo tedious despite the unusual excellence of the ar guments. The program opened with a piano' 'solo by Miss Nellie Cave. After the judges retired the audience was fa vored with a vocal solo by Miss Maud Hearing and a whistling solo by Prof. Lelimer. Mr. Maguire opened the de base on tha question: Resolved. That the law enacting power of Great Britian is superior to that of the United States. Mis speech gave evidence of wide reading rather than careful thought. His matter was not very well co-ordinated and a slight hesitancv somewhat marred his delivery. G. V. Green followed in a speech which had evidently been carefully thought out in all its details. Bo criticised his op ponent for taking a superficial view of the differences between the law making power of the two countries. The British or cabinet system is one in which the House of ('ominous, which unites in itself both legislative and executive power, is supreme. Our own or the legislative sy-stem is one in which power is distributed between the House of representatives, the Senate and the President. TheHouse acts as a check nponthe Senate, the Senate as a ceock upon the House, and the president as a check upon both. Our national policy cauujje changed only after mature dolib .. enftiJQEfng'land's changes with every btfjsgze of piiblic opiuion. The British s'ystfmcJiuses instability of government. England's law and constitution are "at the mercy of every wave of popular pas sion." Evorv temporary majority in the nation either overturns the ministry or plunges the country intp a general elec tion The English system fails to provide sufficient chucks upon socialistic tenden cies. It causes a dangerous concentra tion of power. The onlyreason why the House of Commons has not abused its power is that until recently suffrage has been limited. The system weakens the administrative dep xrtments. The minis ters are loaders of tho House and avo compelled to neglect administrative affairs. Our system pr educes stability. It doc not del ly measures en lorsed by public opinion but prevents those that would result from transitorv excitement. It furnishes better representation to the mi nority. Vll departments aiv nt here, a- in England, in the hanU of the party that haiv mo 1 al the time to be in the majority. The minority is not oppressed by the majority. The legislator is taught to feel his personal rospunibilily. which begets personal capacity and produces many great men instead of a few. )ur system produces a more democratic and more conservative government. Our system is st hum; where the English sys tem is weak, an I those points which se cure stability of government, safety against dangerous concentration of pow er and a thorough and business-like ad ministration of public affairs arc the points on which the welfare and h ippi moss of every people depend. Mr. Dennison's manner was so difler ent from Mr. Green's that he was net well received at first, but lie soon secured tho attention of th? audience and held it easily. Mu said democratic government has throe essentials: power to act, action in accord with public opinion, and re sponsibility to the people. These arc secured in the cabinet system. Oivil lib erty does not consist in mere negation; freedom is not obtained by denyingpow er to government. The American com mittee system divides power. No part of the svstem is strong and effective; the 'wm
