COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6493, 13 April 1908, Page 7

COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY

DISCUSSION ON THE TRANSVAAL

WAR

An audience of about two hundred per* sous was present at tho first meeting ;o< the victoria College Debating Society on Saturday evening, when a motion. "That England was justified in undertaking tho momt I ransvaal War” was discussed.. Air. Ji. 1. O Leary occupied tho chair, and announced that ,jn addition to the other, awards of tho society, at tho conclusion of the sea-son n priro of X2 2tf in books would ho awarded to the now speaker who showed the greatest improve* meat in speaking. The motion was moved by Mr H. E, Evans, and seconded by Mr E. E. Ruth* : {-Hurd, while tho opposition was led by Mr C. H. Taylor and seconded by Mr A. MaoDougall.

The movers contended that upon tho questions in issue England was in the right and the Boers were in tho wrong, j and that tho questions involved were . of sufliciept importance to warrant; England in undertaking the war for her own nrotcction; They further contended that ■■ England occupied towards tho Transvaal the position of suzerain towards vassal, and was therefore justified upon that : j ground, if upon no other, in intervening S for the ‘ purpose of securing political j ; rights for the Uitlandors in tho Trans- : ' vaal. They pointed out the dangers by , which England wap threatened at the time of tho Bloemfontein negotiations, and contended that there was the strong- '; est evidence of an intoiitiqfn on the part-,* of the Boers, not only to hectare absolute independence for themselves, but: also to add to their own. territory Britain’s possessions in Cape Colony and Natal. f ti Messrs Taylor and MaoDougall, .and thd# speakers who supported them, contended . that the British Government had-.; either knowingly undertaken the war for ‘ the express purpose of depriving tho Boers of their territory and of the immense profits to, be derived from tho gold and diamond mines, or that tho British Government'-:.., had boon misled bv tho capitalists of : the Rand and by the Rhodes ndmiuis(ration into an entirely wrong conception of the true state of tho facts, and ii that if it had taken proper steps to > ascertain tho position, tho war would ■; never have occurred. They gave an out- . lino of tho means which had been adopted by tho .capitalists for the purposeof securing control over tho press of tho 1 Transvaal and of England, and contend- • j ed that Englishmen, now that the war was past and there had been an oppor- _• timity of examining the matter in tlm ■ light of reason, were almost unammmjfrJ in holding that the war''could have been, ond might to have been, averted. Tho , ; defeat of tho Conservative Government shortly after tho war showed, they submit- i;; ted. that public opinion,had condemned its' South African policy. '■■■: A largo number of members took part ,j in the, debate, and at the conclusion the motion, on being put to the meeting, was declared lost bv 21 votes to 2G. Mr E. J. Eitsiiribbon, who judged the debate for the Dorpo™ of awarding noinls for tho Union Prize, pbired iho first five speakers in the following 'order® Messrs C. H. Taylor, J. Mason, I). S, ..: Smith. B. Kennedy, and T. Hove.n. Tho mover of tho motion did not lake part in the competition. 1 , ; . .'"'i') At the nest meeting .of the society, which will ho held on Saturday. Apr' 25th. the motion which will lie discussed is. "That novel'supremacy, is the only effective defence of the Emiiiro. y