New-York tribune., 1918-09-23
Nearing Followers
Cheer Demand for
Negotiated Peace
Socialist Candidate for
Congress Attacks Gonpers
and Eufogizes Debs
Rose Stokes ON Hand
1000 Persons in Beethoven Hall
Hear that 81. w. w. Can't
Be Suppressed"

One thousand persons who crowded
Beethoven Hall, 210 Fifth Street. YES
fcrday afternoon to attend a Socialist
rally chcered wildly when Scott Near
ing, Socialist candidate for Congress
from the 14th District, declared that
labor IN England Is demanding "peace
by negotiation" and that soon the
workers Of the other Allied countries
would be joining in tho demand.
Nearing eulogized Eugene V. Debs,
praised the I. w. w. and denounced
Samuel Gompers as "the head of
American labor who Is beinr enter-
tanned by the British government. which
Is in conflict with British labor"
In France, Italy and England there
IS now going on tremendous social
upheaval," said Nearing. "Only In
Russia are the workers in control. and
the capitalist class in all the other
countries Is trying to wrest that con-
troll from them rs we'll as trying to
keep the workers Of their own coun-
tries from getting in control.
Decries Class Struggle
We are told that we thrive on the
class struggle, that we would not be
without it if we could ! am opposed
to 1T and | want to see it abolished.
The only way it can be obtained is to
reduce two classes into one That can
be done only by eliminating one of the
classes, and the working class cannot
be eliminated. Hence we must elimi-
nate the parasite class. Only those
who work shall share in the fruits Of
labor He who won't work neither
shall he eat.
IN England the workers realize that
this is true, and this fall they are 60
ing to vote on whether they shall have
peace by negotiation and not peace bv
victory. They are going to demand,
also, that the workers of the Allied
countries shall settle the terms of
peace"
Nearing said it was idle to try to
suppress the |. W: w. by putting the
leaders IN in jail. The l. W. w. repre-
sents 100000 or 100000 people who
have no home. no families and who
wander from place to place to seek
work. They were created by the capt.
talist class"
Attacking Mr.. Gompers, Nearing said
he was sent to Europe "with the
avowcd purpose of winning the Italian,
French and British workers over to the
policy of fighting the war to the bitter
end
Compers and British at Odds
But said the speaker. "Mr. Com
pers is beginning to realize that he
does not speak the same language as
they do. A country that has been in
the war four years does not speak the
same language as country which has
been IN il only year and half"
Rose Pastor Stokes told of her,expe-
rience at the Debs trial in Cleveland
when she was fined S25 for applauding
Debs in court. She declared that the
jury was composed Of men who aver
aged seventy years of age and each Of
whom had an average income of $50
900. She said in the courtroom was q
painting representing Justice pointing
at table on which was inscribed the
commandment, "Thou shalt not kill"
"f Jesus Christ came here now and
tried to preach that gospel he would
he found guilty of treason" said Mrs.
Stokes. "That is all Debs tried to do.
When looked at him in that court
room it seemed to me that a light
shone from his face, so that if he were
IN dark room that light would have
illuminated the darkness. He is sixty
four years DID, and if he is sent to iail
he probably will die there. 1t is the
Socialists duty to elect men like Near
ing to prevent Debs going to iail."