New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
Hillquit's Stand
After We Went to War
Where did he stand?

Early in April, when war was de-
clared. Hllquit lost no time IN max
ing it clear that he was not Tor Amer
,ca. The man who called the vocation
90 soldier inherently degrading and
demoralizing" when soldiers were need
cd 70 carry on war refused on April
90 sav he was for the United States
AGAINST Germany. He and Allen Ben
SON were about to depart for st. Louis
TO attend the Socialist convention
Benson said;
"Now that there is a war and 1t rs
question Of whether the Cniteo
States or Germany is going to be de-
feated, / am for the United states.
ANY other position IS the
position Of an anarchist. An anaf-
chist is against all sorts OF govern
ment. | am not ! am for the gov
eminent Of the United States
Hllouit. predicting that his conven-
ton would not favor going to war,
said: 81 prefer that neither the United
States nor Germany should be de-
fested."
Then where did he stand?
On April ., the day the President
asked Congress for a war resolution
Hjllouit began opposing the draft, and
he has opposed it ever since. On that
dav Hillouit was delegated to attend
The St. Louis convention on pro-
gramme Of "unchanging opposition TO
military service and all forms of arma-
rnent and a national campaign against
the sending Of an armed expedition from
the United States should war be de-
clared.'
Could person accepting such a
charge possibly be for US?
Meaning of "Mass Actor"
Made Clear
Hinquit opened the st. Louis con-
vention with a ringing anti-war speech,
according TO "The New York Call" and
stood out strongly for the resolutions
on war. among which were "unyielding
opuosition 70 the war, conscription
and military training in the
schools"
In the resolutions finally adopted by
the ST. Louis convention-resolutions
then and later characterized as sedi-
tious and pro-German by many So
cialists who later withdrew from the
party-was q clause calling for mass
action" in opposition to a possible con
scription law. According TO John Spar
20, delegate appeared before the reso-
buttons committee and tainted the COM
mittee with its fear TO trust mass &C
ton citing as an illustration Of what
he meant by that phrase the fact that
in his state resolution had been
passed that on the day CONSUMPTION
should be declared all Socialist party
members should be summoned at once
TO assemble in their respective county
seats and intimated in the clearest pos
sble terms that they would by force
Of arms resist the attempt Of the au-
thorities TO enforce the law.
In other words, Morris Hillquit cham
pioned and voted for a resolution which
Socialists of this country understood
as a pledge binding them TO oppose the
draft act by force.
Was he for us or against US?
On May IL, 1917, "The New York
Call" printed plans for the first Ameri-
can Conference for Democracy and
Terms Of Peace, with which Hillquit
was prominently allied The conference
CALI signed by Hillquit, pledged itself
10 oppose all laws for compulsory mill
tary training and service" When the
conference met, the last of May, Hill
quit spoke and aroused the greatest
enthusiasm. A resolution was adopted
with a shout Of approval, declaring the
conseription act unconstitutional and
calling upon Congress TO repeal it be-
fore June 3, the day Of registration for
the draft. Before the same organiza-
tion Hillquit evoked cheers by advocat-