Gunnison news-champion., 1919-01-31

DHes%@~ee> S0~S A~0ss
Victor L. Berger, the only Social
1T elected to the next Congress, has
been convicted By . jury, IN the Fed
eral Court ut Chicago. Of sedition and
disloyalty under the Espionage AcA
His conviction makes Il certain that
he will not be allowed TO take his
seat in Congress.
With him four other national lead
ers Of the Socialist party were con-
victed. They are: Adolph Germer,
national secretary Of the Socialist
party; William r. Kruse, national
secretary Of the young Peoples So
cialist Party" known as the "Yip-
sails; J. Louis Engdahl, editor Of the
American Socialist, and Irwin st.
John Tucker, q Protestant Episcopal
clergyman.
| Severe Punishme6lh
These convicted plotters against the
peace and dignity Of the United States
face terms Of Imprisonment ranging
from one to twenty years, and fines
of $1,000 to $4,000, or both fines and
imprisonment.
The defendants were tried under
the Espionage Act passed by Con-
gress in June, 1917, to put stop to
German and other traitorous plots in
this country.
| Defendants were accused Of wilfully
obstructing the recruiting and enlist
ment service Of the nation in time of
war. They did this by means Of
speeches, pamphlets, articles, cartoons
and other propaganda. They were
charged with causing "insubordina-
tion, disloyalty and refusal Of duty in
the military and naval forces" of the
United States.
Berger was shown to have been
born in Austria; Germer in Prussia.
Berger Self Convicted
| Berger's guiltiness Of the charge
of disloyalty seemed to be plainly es-
tablished by his own testimony. On
cross-examination he admitted violent
i opposition to the Governments war
4 program. He dehied that the sinking
Of the Lusitania was an invasion Of
American rights. He had said: "This
country has been plunged into war by
the trickery and treachery Of the ma
tional Administration and Congress"
and admitted it in court, saying that
he still held that view.
j Denying that he ever advocated
violence, he was confronted with this
editorial, signed by him, from the So
cial Democratic Herald:
"In view Of the plutocratic law
j breaking Of the present day, 1t Is
and hope of this country will fin
"a violent and bloody revolution.
6hAn<Nvn II nont. NJ thu 60n
900 Socialist voters and Of the
i 2,O00,000 workingmen who in
II stinctively incline our way, should,
besides doing still more thinking,
4 also have . good rife and the nee
essary rounds Of ammunition in
il his home and be prepared to back
mp his ballot with his bullet II
i necessary"
4 Asked IL he wrote that he replied,
II would say that to-day"
When he said in defense that $50
cialists are opposed to all wars" he
Twas confronted with proofs that he
had urged war with Mexico In 1915.
j He admitted that he had advocated
10 esrarA strike to prevent the nation
from preparing for war.
There were many more admissions
LOT the same sort.
When be said that "All wars are
lcapitalistic wars" he was asked Ia
name the American wars that were
|capitalistie. After much hesitation
lhe admitted that the Revolution, the
Civil War and the war with Spain
were "all right; but insisted that the
war with Mexico and especially the
lpreseut war with Germany were fol
The benefit Of capitalists.
How the Jury Locked 1t Il
After the trial the foreman told how
the Jury reached its verdict Of guilty
HE II thus quoted in the news dis
patches:
"We paid more attention to the
documentary evidence than to the tes-
timony," he said. 1--WE were unani-
nous in declaring the Proclamation
and War Program Of the Socialist
party, passed at st. Louis, to be q
traitorous document. Such grewsome
and scurrilous pamphlets as The Price
We Pay and why We Should Fight,
~ well as the strong anti-war editori.
ais in Bergers newspaper, The Lead
er, and the printed propaganda urg
ing opposition to the draft, convicte(
the defendants on their face.
"The fact that the armistice hai
been signed cut no figure in our de
alterations. The documentary evi
dence showed that these men had de
lliberately, in wartime, set out to hin
der the nation and help the enemy an<
had broken laws well known to them
We could zee nothing innocent in thcil
intent"
The United States Government re
CARDS this case as even more import
ant that the famous /. w. w. case il
which ninety-three leaders Of that or
9nnientiou were sentenced for disloy
a acts or utterances to terms Of I'm
Ipriesament Ringing from one to TWEEN
~ - ritaa lli.sr " l.s..