Arizona republican., 1918-12-20
SPARGO RESIGNED
 FROM SOCIALISTS BECAUSE PRO-HUN
Pronounced Party "Un-
 neutral, Un-American"- Germer Denies Practically
 All Charges-Has Excuse

CHICAGO, Dec. 19.-Letters from John Spargo, in which he declared that the attitude of the socialist party since the beginning of the war has been 'unneutral, un-American and pro-German," were read to the jury today by counsel for the government during the cross examination Of Adolph Germer, general secretary of the national socialist party. at the trial of five socialist leaders for violation of the espionage law.
 Spargo in one letter said that the call for the St. Louis convention of the party. held in April, 1917. at which the proclamation and war program platform were adopted, read as if it might have been written in the Ger man foreign office. He protested against the conventions being held in St. Louis, "one of the largest German cities in the United States" Spargo was a member of the executive com mittee of the national socialist party, but resigned in May, 1917, and later was sent abroad as a member of a labor commission by President Will son.
 Adolph Germer, a defendant, was on the witness stand all day and was still 
 | adjourned.
 The name of Frank P. Walsh. former head of the federal industrial relations commission, and until recently joint chairman with William H. Taft of the | federal war labor board, was brought into tre case by Germer He said that | Walsh, Clarence $. Darrow and Sey- mour Stedman were present at a meeting of the executive committee l of the national socialist party in Chi cago in July, 1917, at which the es- pionage law and certain literature be- | ing distributed by the organization l was discussed.
 Protest U. s. Suppression | He said taht a committee composed l of Walsh, Darrow, Stedman, Engdahl and himself was named to go to Wash 1 ington to protest against the action of the postoffice department in sup | pressing the American socialist. Germer admitted that millions of | copies of pamphlets, declared by the government to be seditious, had been distributed by the socialist party. Among them were the St. Louis con- vention proclamation of war program, The Price We Pay,' and "Why Should We Fight" by Rev. Irwin St John l | IuthtT, anu DONH NitH W dI, Sdlu lO have been prepared by Victor L. Ber- ger and Adolph Germer, defendants, and "John M. Work,' member of the executive committe of the national socialist party.
 Germer testified that no copies of the leaflet. Horrors of war" were sent out after April 1917, but admitted that oth- CT pamphlets ordered suppressed by the government had been distributed for several months after the federal off cials had condemned them.
 I Attorney Seymour Stedman read to Il the jury a decision delivered by Federal District Judge Rose of Maryland, July l IT, 1917, declaring that the pamphlet "The price We pay,'' was not a violation of the selective draft law, and said that the socialist party officials on trial had been guided by this ruling in sending out its alleged anti-war literature. A speech delivered in congress by Representative William F. Mason oi | Illinois, urging the repeal of the se- lective draft law, was read into the rec ord by Attorney Stedman.
 Germer Denies Everything
 Germer, in his direct examination denied ever having received any money from German sources to oppose war
 He said every dollar expended was
 contributed by the membership of the socialist party.
 He denied responsibility for alleged anti-war articles published in the American Socialist, although admitting
 he was business r ger of the paper
 He said the conduct of the editoria.
 policy of the paper was directed by tht
 executive committee of the party an6
 Louis Engdahl, the editor.
 Germer said he never advised any 1. one not to register under the seIectivt
 draft but on the contrary had told {
 number of persons who came to hin
 that they should obey the law. , He denied ever having conspiret with any of the other defendants tt violate the espionage law.
 Questioned in regard to speech h
 delivered in Chicago, August 10. 1917 { which resulted in his arrest, Germe
 denied every statement attributed t. ! him by witnesses for the government :, T read from signed article by The (Continued on Page Two)