ROLLICKING DEBATE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 32, 7 August 1934, Page 7

ROLLICKING DEBATE

TONIC FOR AUDIENCI

AMERICAN WINS AGAIN

DICTATOR OR DEMOCRACY?

Several hundred people were at the gyrnnasiuni of Victoria University Collego last night. Every one of them must have laughed more during that two hours than at any > other, function of the year. It was not professedly a comedy but the very serious; business of hearing decided the question1 whether the political salvation of the world lies in dictatorship or in. democracy. It seems' a terrible ' thing that ■an American student . should come and speak and conquer New Zealand audiences upon such momentous issues. Thanks to Mr. Bobert, K. Burns, Uew Zealand must' have a dictatorship, for in the judgment of Mr. "W. A. Armour and the Eev. Father Cullen, the judges, Mr. Burns triumphed over Mr. A. T. S. McGhie and Mr.. I. D.. Campbell, representing Victoria College, by-215 points to 177 out of a possible of 250. Perhaps there never has been a democracy; perhaps the only democratic system is the system of electing members of Parliament where might becomes law and the majority a dictatorship capable of postponing further functioning of' the democratic system ad inflnitum. The fact is that public speaking is a form of culture as beneficial as it is desirable, ■ and many a litigant, many an accused if not many an accuser may gain better service, many a principle of right gain clearer exposition in New Zealand because of this exercise of young orators.' Quips and sallies, stirring hakas, interjections mostly exceedingly apt and humorously critical, and frequent laughter leavened the proceedings. The American was the merriest of men; he acknowledged and enjoyed the wit- but never did he waver from- his arguments. He was more rapid and even, more spontaneous than on Saturday night and his tongue, his phrases,'and his reasoning were in' piston-like hai> niony. He did not begin formally, but, with a fund; of humour, coaxed sympathy till it was ripe for : formal emphasis. Then he-fastened his facts in workmanlike manner.' Mr. A. T. S. McGhie was not up to his best form, and often spoke like a parson. Mr. Campbell, who seconded the negative, was a facile speaker, more direct than Mr. McGhie, and ho excelled in the handling of statistics and facts. The American was readier, nimbler, more resourceful, and hia speeches gathered weight and momentum like a snowball. • : THE SPEECHES IN BRIEF. Mr. Armour complimented the .speakers on the cogency of their arguments and method of attack. The highest point was reached in the second-speech of Mr. Burns. The Victoria College team put up a good case but was not; so experienced. "I envy Mr. Burns that charm of appeal and his very happy little qualities of humour," said Father Cullen. ' Ho had dealt with the merry gentlemen at the rear with a pleasant smile, and yet proceeded unhindered with his debate. Dictatorship was government for the people, not by the people, said Mrj Burns. They were not concerned with the salvation of the world'a hundred years hence but today, when democracy, had failed to deal with unemployment, depression, and distribution in the midst of plenty. The man'in tho street might have an opinion, but where did he get it? It was"propaganocracy" or dictatorship. The former was concerned with special interest legislation and left the big problems untouched. Democratic government was a business fundamentally wrong, run in a manner no privato business : could . be. Mr. MeGhie' recited Lincoln's inters pretation of liberty and government. Experts were no moro.agreed than the people were. The. peace-loving of the world's people was the foundation oi: democratic rule and safeguarded wrong actions. Dictators were subject at a. single step to the guile of woman as Adam had been. Dictators came and1 went but the people went on for ever. Mr. Burns said \ he. suspected Mr. McGhie as a great lover of fables, fairy tales, and. ghost stories. It reminded him of the story of the little girl w*o, looking up to her grandfather after he had uttered a remark, asked: "Is that the truth, or are you just preaching?" When Mr. McGhie said democracy \vas meeting the problems of today he was like the lion tamer who grabbed the lion's tail. Democracy did not meet the needs of scientific government. No one had a right to be poor in.Russia; Italy was prosperous and stable; Turkey had progressed beyond prophecy. Dictatorships had plans; democracies played tweedledee4weedledum. ■ ; Mr. Campbell said that solution by dictatorship was doubly- suspect—a quack remedy when the body was sick. Russia was not an example of dictator-' ship but of: democracy today.' Was dictatorship or democracy the more subject to propaganda? Hitler was tha greatest propagandist. Italy's unemployment had increased from 4000 in 1928 to about 2,000,000. today,, an£ wages had dropped from £1 2s and 19H in 1929 to 16s and 13s in 1932. ; Closing for the negative, Mr. MeGhiai • asked who were competent to judge tha "competent dictators" —the people of the dictators? iThe world was a far fa* better place than it had been in thtf middle ages and was progressing. Closing for .the .affirmative, M>« Burns asked'why twenty-one; nations had deserted democracy for dictato* ship. They had no choice. . .