Special General Meeting.

What appears to be the only special general meeting convened in the twenty-five years of the Society's history was held to consider a terse motion of no-confidence in the Committee elected at the last annual meeting. An obviously inspired report in the daily Press had announced that the subjects presented for debate, and the general conduct of the Society of late years, were so repugnant to the vast majority of students that it was intended to "depose" the Committee. This indeed seemed a comparatively simple task. The dull drudgery of second-term "swot" was nothing beside the sport of "dishing the radicals." A vigorous recruiting campaign raised the membership to over three hundred, and the attendance at the meeting was about two hundred, surely a record.

Messrs. G. A. Nichoils and H. J. V. James moved the motion condemning the present Committee, and were supported by Mr. J. B. Yaldwyn (recently resigned from the Committee). They objected to the regular discussion of Bolshevistic and Socialistic subjects, and particularly to the "direct" manner in which motions were framed. The College, they averred, had suffered a decline in the public estimation, and it behoved students to make clear that they were loyal. An "anti-Bolshevik" ticket had been prepared and circulated to ensure that our successors would be eminently "safe"; we refrain from publishing the personnel of the Committee-that-was-to-be.

A vigorous defence of the conduct of the affairs of the University Debating Society was made by members of the Committee and others.

Mr. J. W. Davidson pointed out that every effort had been made to have all viewpoints presented, and, while Labour and Socialist speakers had been invited, the Committee had invariably also invited representative speakers from other political parties. "No attempt to control student opinion had been made or would be attempted.

Miss Gardner effectively reminded the critics that their past interest in debating had been nil; and it was not unreasonable to suspect that their future interest would amount to the same total.

Another member of the Committee, Mr. R. M. Campbell, showed that University students the world over were interesting themselves in social and political questions. Any attempt to stifle or evade discussion of burning questions of the day would be utterly repugnant to the ideal of a University.

After further vigorous discussion, the motion was put to the meeting and rejected, the voting being: For, 76; against, 113.

The Committee is anxious to acknowledge its appreciation of "J.C.B.'s" timely letter on the final page of the last "Spike." This appeared, absolutely unsolicited on our part, just at the moment when it could be most effective in reminding us of some of the deeper issues involved in the controversy; and it contributed in no small way to producing that state of sweet reasonableness in which members were prepared, without being stampeded into any ill-judged decision, to hear both indictment and reply and to vote accordingly. We are looking forward keenly to the proposed visit of three members of the Oxford Union Debating Society. It is hoped that they will be here in February or March of next year.