Practical Argumentation | Page 5

Government of Russia has no Right to Exist." In
legislative proceedings the subject of argument is found in the form of
a bill, or a motion, or a resolution; in law courts it is embodied in
statements called "pleadings," which "set forth with certainty and with
truth the matters of fact or of law, the truth or falsity of which must be
decided to decide the case." [Footnote: Laycock and Scales'
Argumentation and Debate, page 14.] In college debate it is customary
to frame the subject in the form of a resolution, and to use this
resolution as the title. The generally accepted form is as follows:
_Resolved,_ That the United States army should be permanently
enlarged.
Notice the use of italics, of punctuation marks, and of capital letters.
In all kinds of argumentation, whether the proposition to be discussed

is clearly expressed or not, the arguer must keep his subject constantly
in mind, that his efforts may all be directed toward a definite end in
view--to convince and persuade his audience. In debate the speaker
should plainly state the subject, and constantly hold it up to the
attention of the audience. This procedure renders it impossible for an
opponent to ignore the question and evade the real issue.
Only those who are debating for practice experience any difficulty in
obtaining a subject. In the business world men argue because they are
confronted with some perplexing problem, because some issue arises
that demands discussion; but the student, generally speaking, chooses
his own topic. Therefore a few suggestions in regard to the choice of a
subject and the wording of a proposition are likely to be of considerable
service to him.
The student should first select some general, popular topic of the day in
which he is interested. He should, for several reasons, not the least of
which is that he will thus gain considerable information that may be of
value to him outside the class room, select a popular topic rather than
one that has been worn out or that is comparatively unknown. He
should, moreover, choose an interesting topic, for then his work will be
more agreeable and consequently of a higher order. Of this general idea
he must decide upon some specific phase which readily lends itself to
discussion. Then he has to express this specific idea in the form of a
proposition. As it is not always an easy matter to state a proposition
with precision and fairness, he must take this last step very cautiously.
One must always exercise great care in choosing words that denote the
exact meaning he wishes to convey. Many writers and speakers have
found themselves in false positions just because, upon examination, it
was found that their subjects did not express the precise meaning that
was intended.
Moreover, in phrasing the proposition, the debater should so state the
subject that the affirmative side, the side that opens the discussion, is
the one to advocate a change in existing conditions or belief. This
method obviously corresponds to the way in which business is
conducted in practical affairs. No one has reason to defend an

established condition until it is first attacked. The law presumes a man
to be innocent until he is proved guilty, and therefore it is the
prosecution, the side to affirm guilt, that opens the case. The question
about government ownership of railroads should be so worded that the
affirmative side will advocate the new system, and the negative will
uphold the old. It should be stated thus: "_Resolved_, That all railroads
in the United States should be owned and operated by the Federal
government." This obligation of adducing evidence and reasoning to
support one side of a proposition before an answer from the other side
can be demanded, is called burden of proof. The "burden" always rests
upon the side that advocates a change, and the proposition should be so
worded that the affirmative will have to undertake this duty.
One more principle must be observed: nothing in the wording of the
subject should give one side any advantage over the other. Argument
can exist only when reasonable men have a difference of opinion. If the
wording of the proposition removes this difference, no discussion can
ensue. For instance, the word "undesirable," if allowed to stand in the
following proposition, precludes any debate: "_Resolved,_ That all
colleges should abolish the undesirable game of football."
From the preceding suggestions it is seen that the subject of an
argument is a definite, restricted thought derived from some general
idea. Whether expressed or not, the subject must be a proposition, not a
term. In debate the proposition is usually framed in the form of a
resolution. This resolution must always be so worded that the burden of
proof will rest upon the affirmative