The Alaska daily empire., 1919-05-24
BERGER CONNECTS HIMSELF

We have a copy of the open letter sent to his Colleagues in Congress by Victor L. Berger, So- cialist Congressman Elect from Milwaukee who recently convicted for conspiracy to wdlfuy cause insubordinaon dsoyalty and refusal of duty in the military and naval forces in the service of the United States" and sentenced to twenty years in the penitentiary. The letter is given MT Bergers defense of himself.
 If Speaker Gillet had wanted any further than the proved and admitted, acts of MT Berger and his conviction and sentence, to justify his action in refusing to permit the Socialist to takG thEopA am office tas member of Congress, Mr., Berger's letter gives him the reason.
 MT. Bergers conviction based upon ser ies of editorials which he wrote and published in his paper, the Milwaukee Leader, in which he charged that the United States did not enter the war for democracy, for Belgium to prevent Germany from becoming menace to American institutions or for any other worthy purpose, but to prevent Ger many from achieving certain victory and thus the hesdeprecation of the value of the securities of Great Britain and the other Allies which Big Busi- ness had accepted in exchange for supplies. to prevent the from ending in Germanys favor quickly in order to aid the investors in muni- tion manufacturing plants to continue making large profits to prevent aboring people from striking otherwise causing trouble, to make easier the pur- pose of foistng absolute autocracy the Ameri- people in the government of President Wilson, to give for the establishment of big army in the United States which could be used against the workingmen and a market for war supply makers and to prevent Germany from becoming commercially superior to Great Britain and rival of the United States Another editorial attacked the draft" law, others said the war was waged specifically and directly in the interest of captal-that its object was profits, not democracy
 In his letter MT Berger says in many words that he retracts nothing and stands by everything that he said. Then he proceeds make further denunciations. He charges that the United States is owned by putocracy which has greater power here than in any other place in the world and he says nowhere in the world does it this power so un- scrupulousy.' He asserts that free speech" and a free press have been abolish in the United States He reiterates that the fought for Morgan and Company particularly and capitalists generally, and that it opposed by every decent American
 In other words, Mr. Berger's words corroborate what was proved at his trial, that he was for Ger many and against the United States during the war and they prove that he still thinks Germany ought to have been permitted to win the contest. that he was right in doing what he could prevent the United States from exercising her full strength to win the His contention that he was convicted because he Socialist is dsproved by his argu- ment in his own behalf.
 And to add hypocracy to the rest of his crimes MT Berger concludes his letter by the statement that he loves the United States. No sane man and normal could possible love such country as he describes the United States to be-
 If this anti-American had not been arrested con have been miscarriage of justice It would be dis making body of the United States