Hollis Closes Affirmative Side

M. C. Hollis followed Bowers and closed the affirmative side of the debate. He concerned himself chiefly with the objections which Americans raise against the League of Nations. He maintained that people in the United States admit the idealism of the League but object to it for certain practical considerations. These objections he endeavored to sweep away.

The statement that America would be controlled by the vote of the British Empire is false and absurd. The objection to Article X is not insuperable, for the European nations are willing to strike it out of the Articles of the League. America cannot maintain that she is not interested in the actions and policies of the other nations of the world. The Monroe Doctrine and America's participation in the world war make any such statement absurd. She cannot object because the League is linked up with the Treaty of Versailles because Article XIX provides for the alteration of existing treaties.

League Big Enough on Own Merits

He pointed out that the League of Nations is, at all events, big enough to be considered purely on its own merits and quite aside from personal feelings or national politics. The arguments in favor of it are universal. He closed by declaring that President Harding sees the necessity of international organization. Why not see that organization in the League of Nations? Why does not America embrace the League and by her influence and prestige correct its mistakes and make up its deficiencies, laying aside her own feelings for the sake of world betterment?

Harmel Last Speaker of Evening

Harmel, the last speaker of the evening, treated the question from the standpoint of the United States. He stated that America can not afford to abandon its traditional policies and its sovereign rights by entering the League, and that the conditions in Europe today do not merit the sacrifice. He maintained that America can serve the world far more effectively outside of the League than if she were in it. To bear out this point he added that the United States can point to a remarkable series of achievements towards the promotion of international peace since the inception of the League. The League had previously admitted utter failure in dealing with the same problems which America successfully solved. "Disassociated from the cauldron of Europe's political affairs", he concluded, "the United States can lead into a new and brighter era of international relations.