Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-01
NOT GUILTY Plea
ENTERED BY DEBS
Socialist Leader Held I'm.
der $4,000 Bail, on Es.
pionage Charge
HOPES TO FURNISH BOND
BY the Associated Press

=
Cleveland, O., July 1.
Eugene V. Debs, who was arrested
here yesterday charged with viola
ton of the espionage act in a speech
in the Socialist State convention at
Canton, o.. June .16 pleaded not guilty
TO all ten counts of the Indictment
when arraagned before Federal Judge
d. c. Westenhaver at 10 o'clock this
morning.
Attorney Morris Wolf. representing
Mr.. Debs, waived the formal reading
Of the indictment with the under
drawn later to test the validity of
the Indictment.
Bond Fixed at $4,000
Judge. Westenhaver fixed bond at
$4,000 and tentatively set the date of
trial for July 30. Mr.. Wolf said bond
would be furnished during the day.
Debs received many kilograms of
coincidence today from all parts of the
country. He spent last night in Jail.
The arrest. which occurred as Debs
was about to address a Socialist meet
ing, resulted from a secret indictment
returned by the Federal Grand Jury
Saturday. 1t is understood the indict.
ment contains ten specific counts
under section three of the espionage
act as amended May 16 by the pas
sage Of the sedition bill. and was the
outcome of a speech delivered at the
ntolt tgx Ct,% H., ra
two weeks ago. If found guilty, the
defendant faces a penalty of twenty
years Imprisonment and $4,000 fine
and costs on each count.
Following an announcement of
Debs' arrest, more than $1,000 was
raised at the meeting for a fund to
ward his defense.
Sixty.seven Men. Arrested
Sixty-seven men were taken into
custody by police at the gathering
Fifty-f1ve were unable to produce
classification cards and twelve were
detained for other reasons.
In the Canton speech Debs declared
the purpose of the Allies~in the war is
the same as that of the Centra
Powers; he urged his hearers to know
that they were At for something bet.
ter than cannon fodder: he declared
himself as guilty as Mrs. Rose Pastor
Stokes, who was recently convicted o.
violating the espionage act, and h,
praised the Bolshevik and the l. w. w
:. Debs refused to make any statement
regarding his arrest.
Bliss Morton. special agent of the
bureau of investigation, Department
of Justice; Federal Agent John F
Sawkin and members Of the American
Protective League have been workins
on the case since the delivery of the
Canton speech.
Edwin s. Wertz. United States al
torney for the northern district o
Ohio, and Assistant Attorneys Josepl
c.. Breitenstein and f. B. Kavanagl
will handle the case for the Govern
ment.
Following the arrest. Mr.. Vert
made this statement:
mo man is too big to be held re
sponsible for his acts under the espion
age act or any other law Of the Unite,
States"
Eugene V. Debs was quoted in hi
Canton address as having asserted tina
"the purposes of the Allies in tn
war are the same as those of the Ger
trail Powers - plunder." He EN-
phatically denied, it was charged, tina
he had repudlated the st. Louis plat
form, which pledges opposition to con
scription and Liberty Bonds, and h
went on to assert that Socialist
must stand more firmly than ever TO
their principles"
Furthermore, Debs, in addition {
paying tribute to Socialists who hay
gone to Jail, praised I. w. w. member
and declared himself to be as guilty a
Rose Pastor Stokes, who was recent
convicted of violating the espionag
act. He promised that he would nc
try to establish his innocence if Al
rested on a similar charge.
Being in Jail is not new experienc
for Debs. AS head of the America
Railway Union he was arrested
Illinois for the holding up of Unite
States mail trains in the great wester
railroad strike. It was during thi
strike that John r. Altgeld, the Go,
ernor of Illinois, who pardoned til
Haymarket anarchists, refused to us
Illinois State troops to prevent dis
orders or protect the mails. Wher,
upon. President Cleveland sent a ds
tachment of regular army troops I
Chicago.
Debs was convicted and served
term in Jail for contempt of court |
violating an injunction. 1t was whi
in jail that he was converted to s
cialism by Victor Berger, since then
Representative in Congress and no
under Indictment himself.