The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-21
Missionary Who Spoke in To-
peka Taken in Charge.
Accused of Violation of Federal
Espionage Act.
OTHERS MAY BE CALLED
Additional Cases of SsTalk" Re.
ported to Officials.
Preachers Remarks Designated
as "Disloyal and Abusive.~


Sunday evening he spoke from the
pulpit of the union church meeting at
Central Park school house.
Today Harvey E. Phillips, returned
missionary from Egypt, is under ar
rest charged with violation of the
espionage act as result of that same
sermon he delivered Sunday evening.
The arrest was made by C. C. Jack
son, assistant United States marshal,
on a warrant sworn to by C. E. Bar
thell, special agent of the department
of justice.
No Bond or Lawyer.
Phillips late this afternoon was still
in the hands of federal authorities at
the office of the United States mar
shall. He had not given bond which
was set at $1,000 and had not consult
ed a lawyer. The penalty for the Of
fense charged against him is from two
to five years in the federal peniten-
tiary and a fine of any amount the
government cares to set.
The complaint sworn out by Barthell
charges that Harvey E. Phillips, of To-
peka, did utter and publish disloya1
and abusive language about the form
of government of the United states
and other language intended to bring
the form of government of the United
Iy, and disrepute, and did utter and
publish language intended to incite.
provoke and encourage resistance to
the United States and to promote the
cause of its enemies and did by word
and act support and favor the cause
of a country with which the United
States is at war; to-wit, Germany.
The warrant was issued by Fred
Robertson, United States district at
torney on information gathered by
Bartheu at the investigation of Phil
lips held in Topeka Monday morning
The complaint specifically sets
forth two statements alleged to have
been made by Phillips in his sermon
Sunday evening, and includes also
other statements not named in the
complaint but set forth In the affi-
davits taken at the investigation. 81
Phil1ips's Statements.
The two statements specifically set
forth in the complaint attached to the
warrant sand accredited to Phillips as
being examples of the kind of lam
guage which brought the government
of the United States and the form of
the government and gave aid and
comfort to the nations enemies are:
''The idea of a war for democracy
is fallacy, because we shall all be
ruled by king eventually"
1.-The German hordes were sent as
scourge for the wrongs which the al
lied nations have permitted to be done
under their flags" ls,+
Poor Commissioner in 1t.
It was reported to the marshaPs
office today that P. w. Griggs, poor
commissioner for Shawnee county,
had made statement in the presence
| of Kenneth Raub and Thomas Hurley
| to the effect that 'the sermon
preached by Phillips Sunday evening
was the finest he had ever heard, and
that he agreed with every word of it. -
Persons from all parts of the city
who have read of the Preacher
/ PhilIips's Sunday night address have
leaped to take sides in the case One
| delegation of two men who said they
were sent to the marshals office by
| Phillips's family. were today trying to
i find some way in which the serving OF
the warrant could be delayed, $50 that
Mr.. Phillips might have time to intro
| duce further evidence."
This particular delegation was In
| formed that, the United States mar
shars office acts under orders from
| the United States district attorney
| and that if the warrant was issued Il
! would be served without delay of an!
| kind.
| The sermon delivered Sunday nighi
was repIete with reasonable utter
/ ances, according to the testimony o1
many persons given at the investfga-
ton held in the United States mar
/ shals office Monday morning.
/. That ''Boastful Song"
Phillips was accused of denominat.
ing the "Star Spangled Banner" q
| "boastful song" In fact, Phillips, a
the close of his sermon is reported BY
/ persons attending the church service:
of having announced his wish tina
instead of singing that boastful sonf
we usually sing, let US all rise while
recite Kipling's great poem, Lest We
! Forget This action was taken b,
Phillips in spite of the fact that it i.
4 customary for the Central Park unior
church services to be closed with tht
congregational singing of the nationa
i anthem.
| OF the many witnesses called to tn
mafshaPs office in the course of tn,
investigation Monday. not one of thar
i but substantiated the charges agains
4 Preacher Phillips in so far as tn
| words of his stateme ents in the sermon
were reported. But many of then
did attempt to excuse the sentiment
as expressed in the sermon on tn
- ground that The did not intend to b.
7; disloyal"
I: White Stands by Him.
One or two of the witnesses calle,
at the investigation. notably o. n
White of the Topeka Transfer an
| Storage Co., even went SO far as T.
state that Doctor Phillips's sermon
was fully justified by religious an
world history" White made the state
ment that the sermon ought to b
preached in every city in the world.
White asserted that he thought tn
sermon was splendid.
Other persons not called IN the in
vestigation have been vitaily inter
ested in the outcome of the sermon
since the first report of the investiga
ton was made. Some of these per
Vi sons were of the same opinion as c
! H White. tho the majority expresse
the view that the preachers senti
! ments expressed in the meeting a
= Central Park school Sunday nigE