Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-09
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tey MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiREI
Chicago, Jan. S.-Five leaders of
the socialist party were found guilty
by a jury after five hours and fifty
minutes deliberation in Federal Judge
lands court today of conspiracy to
violate the espionage law by deliver
ing public speeches and circulating
published articles with the wilful in
tent of causing INSTRUMENTATION, dis
loyalty and refusal of duty among the
military and naval forces of the
United States and with interfering
with the recruiting service and the
enforcement of the selective draft
law
The men found guilty are:
Victor l.. Berger, congressman elect
from Milwaukee and editor of the
Milwaukee Leader.
Adolph Germer, national secretary
of the socialist party.
j. Louis Engdahl, editor of the
American Socialist, official publica-
tion of the socialist party
William f, Kruse, national secre-
tary of the Young Peoples Socialist
league.
Rev. Irwin st. John Tucker, social
list writer and lecturer, former di-
rector of the literature department
of the socialist party and author OF
''The Price We Pay" "Why We
Should Fight and other anti-war
pamphlets.
The convicted men face prison
terms of from one to twenty years. a
fine of from 81 to $1,000 or both, at
the discretion of the trial Judge. who
will fix. the punishment later.
Move for New Trial.
Attorneys for the defendants inn
mediately presented a motion for a
new trial Judge lands fixed Janu-
airy 23 as the date when he will hear
arguments on this motion. The five
defendants were taken in custody in
the court room but few minutes
later released on their old bonds of
$4,000 each. Seymour Stedman, chief
counsel for the defendants, declared
that the case will be appealed to the
United States supreme court if neces-
sary to keep his clients out of prison
The jury halted in its labors for
five minutes at 11;45 a. m. out of re-
spect to the memory of Theodore
Roosevelt. Out in the corridor the
defendants, their lawyers and friends
were ordered by the bailiffs to re-
move their hats while the city paid
it's respect to the former president
and statesman.
With the exception of Berger, who
appeared nervous, the defendants lis
tened to the reading of the verdict
without sign of emotion.
Berger said: 1.-THE verdict is q sur
prise to me. I was certain that the
jury would acquit us on the case
made out by the government. | am
no more guilty of this charge than
the Judge on the bench. have been
a citizen of this country and stood for
the. principles for which l have been
tried for thirty-seven years. Now If
/ am to be prosecuted for them / shall
accept my fate like man.
Berger Most Important.
OF the five socialists tried here for
violation Of the. espionage act. Victor
l.. Berger of Milwaukee, publisher of
the Milwaukee Leader and congress
man-elect, was regarded as the most
important. ALL however, are promi-
nent in the leadership of the socialist
party in America.
Berger, tall and broad shouldered,
was born at Neider- Rebbuch, Austro-
Hungary, in 1860. was educated at
Budapest and Vienna and when fl
nancial reverses overlook his family
emigrated with them to the United
States.
He edited German language papers
and finally established the Leader,
printed in English. He was a pioneer
socialist organizer in this country. He
served in the sixty-second congress
and was the first socialist ever elected
to such an office in the United States.
He and Eugene V. Debs, after the
failure of the famous American Rail
way Union strike of nearly thirty
years ago, formed the groundwork of
the socialist party as national or
ganization. Debs. who led the strike,
did all in his power to bring men,,
hers of the labor organization into
the socialist ranks. Debs was SEN
fenced to ten years imprisonment last
summer at Cleveland for violation of
the espionage act. The case is on
appeal Debs was the orator and
continuous presidential candidate of
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