New-York tribune., 1918-09-24
Socialist Candidate Ac-
cused of Violating Espi-
onage Act
Compared Allies
With the Hessians
Grand Jury Also Acts
Against John Reed for
Seditious Remarks

Indictments charging Asscmblyman
Abraham I. ShiplacoF and John Reed,
one of the editors of "Thc Masses"
with violating the espionage act, were
returned yesterday by the Federal
grand jury. Each indictment contains
three counts, and if the defendants are
found guilty they Will face maximum
penalty of sixty years in tic Federal
penitentiary..
The charges arc that Shipacotf and
Reed wilfully and fcloniously uttered
and published disloyal, scurrilous and
elusive language about the military
and naval forces Of tho United States
at meeting held under tho auspices
OF the Socialist party of The Bronx in
the Hunts Point Palace on September
~. This meeting was attended By
about 1900 persons, among whom
were many of Russian birth and cx-
traction. Assistant United States At.
torney Earl Barnes, who has charge os
tho prosecutions, also attended tho
meeting.
Quotes ShiplacnH's Speech
The part of the speech of Shiplacolf
which caused tho grand jury to take
action was that which referred to the
operation of the United States forces
guarding Vladiyostok, Siberia, for the
purpose Of safeguarding the country to
the rear Of the C1echo- -Slovaks. The
indictment quotes the Assemblyman as
follows:
Let us for moment imagine tnat
during that struggle Of America agains,
the autocracy Of England in l716, any
US imagine for one moment that any
other European country or American
country had come and tried to interfere
III our effort to straighten out matters
Tor ourselves the best way our fore
fathers lii this country knew how.
you will remember with what bitter
feelings your teachers have tried to
plant iii you a sort of hatred toward
the Hessians, those soldiers who came
from the other side hired to do the
work of King George III against the
American colonists. and those were
only the ragtag of the people; they
we're the hired murdcrers who came to
do the bidding of King George III.
Think how much better the Russian
people of to-day have q right to feel
against people who in the name of dc
mocracy, in the name Of everything
that seems sacred, come there to hand
out the same dose TO Russia to-day
that was handed out by the Hessians
to the American Republic"
Calls Allied Troops Brigands
The indictment against Reed charges
that at the same meeting in a speech,
when referring to Tic occupation Of
VladivostoN, he .hus expressed him
self:
This intervention that am talking
to you about is here not allowed to be
spoken about in any way other than
the government wants it to be spoken
about, but in every other country in
the world, in France, in Italy. this in
tervention is characterized very boldly
as a direct adventure OF brigands. In
its issue of August 6 The Manchester
Guardian, the greatest Liberal paper
in England, if not in tho word--not
Socialist paper, paper of the Liberal
Bourgeo sic characterized this inter
vontion in Russia IS absolutely moth.
ing but an expedition to recover for
The French banks the interest on the
national debt
Asserts Law Was Violated
The indictment further COMPLAINS
and states that at the time Reed made
the above quoted remarks the United
States was at war with The German i'm
perla government and that the state
ments constituted II violation of the
espionage act.
Reed st the time he gave utterancc
TO the alleged disloyal remarks vas out
on $1,000 bail, on charge of viola.-
ing the selective service act in. the
publicat;on of The Masses He was
taken in custody the day after the
Bronx meeting, and was released on an
additional bond of $4,000 Tor hearing
before Commissioner Hitchcock, which
proceeding has been superseded by the
filing Of the jnfictment
Shiplacon, who has twice served in
the Assembly, IS at presen, a candidate
for Congress from The Bronx on the
Socialist ticket. He WAS notified By
h!r Barnes last night to aDnear this