A Manual of Debate

o touch with the resolution; to make all necessary explanations; and to state any definitions, limitations, or agreements which the audience and the judges should know. After these preliminaries, he should state the main point at issue with the utmost clearness. An admirable statement of the point at issue is found in the famous Argument on The Right to Trial by Jury, by Jeremiah S. Black, where, after a preliminary statement of the facts, Judge Black says: "Keeping the character of the charges in mind, let us come at once to the simple question upon which the court below divided in opinion: Had the Commissioners jurisdiction?were they invested with legal authority to try the relators and put them to death for the offense of which they were accused? We answer, No; and therefore the whole proceeding, from beginning to end,was utterly null and void. On the other hand, it is absolutely necessary for those who oppose us to assert, and they do assert, that the Commissioners had complete legal jurisdiction, both of the subject-matter and of the parties, so that their judgment upon the law and the facts is absolutely conclusive and binding, not subject to correction, nor open to inquiry in any court whatever. Of these two opposite views, you must adopt one or the other; for there is no middle ground on which you can possibly stand." (2) textit{Exposition. But he should do more than merely state the main issue of the debate. A certain amount of explanation is ...