Joining the Northwest Intercollegiate Debating League

By the early 1900s, debating was one of the most popular student activities at the University of Oregon. Literary societies worked tirelessly to secure places for their members on the highly competitive university debate teams. Preliminary tryouts, held immediately after the holidays, would narrow the field to a small group of finalists, and only six debaters were ultimately chosen to represent Oregon.

In 1907–1908, the University of Oregon entered the Northwest Intercollegiate Debating League, alongside the State Universities of Washington and Idaho. Each institution fielded two teams — one affirmative and one negative — with debates held simultaneously at each campus. On the last Friday of March, Oregon hosted one of the three league debates in Eugene, while other contests were held in Seattle and Moscow.

The topics were serious and of national significance. In 1908, the teams debated the railroad rate problem, with Oregon’s negative squad winning in every case.

Participation in the league raised the stakes dramatically. Before its creation, Oregon regularly fielded three to five debate teams a year, allowing nearly anyone interested to participate. With the league’s arrival, competition grew much sharper and the prestige of holding a debate team position soared — securing a spot became a mark of honor and intellectual distinction.