VICTORIA COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 229, 22 June 1921, Page 3

VICTORIA COLLEGE DEBATING SOCIETY

The Victoria. University College Debuting Society held a successful debate in the College gymnasium on Saturday evening. Thd motion for discussion wns. "That the people of Ireland should bo given fullest liberty to deiormiue their own form of Government.’ Messrs, r. G. Haigh and C. Q. Pope supported the motion, and Messrs. G. O. Cooper and H. M'Cormick opposed it. Mr. Haigh stated that the English and Irish were distinct peoples, and that consequently the Irish had a right o determine their own form of government. The Allies hnd said that they were fighting for the rights of small nationalities, but they had ignored Ireland Ihe majority of the people in Ireland desired self-determination. Ulster constitute! only a small minority, and there were minorities in all new States. j Mr. Cooper said that he was in favour of self-determination for tho Irish when they showed themselves ready for it; but from the way affairs wore proceeding in Ireland at present he did not consider that they were ready for it yet. It must bo remembered that Lnglish trade and capital had greatly aid« Ireland to advance from a dcplorab state to her present economic position. Despite this fact, the Irish people could never forgot their past wrongs nnd Ihe Sinn Feiners fostered this spirit of hatred. Ho believed that the remedy for the present state of Ireland lay in education. , , , . After numerous other speakers • lino expressed their views on the subject, the motion was put to the meeting, and declared carried by one vote. The Bev. H. E. Bellhouse acted as judge, nnd placed the best five sneakers tn tho following order:—Messrs. MarfinRmitli, P. J. Smith, Cooper. Sheaf, nnd Haigh.