Arizona republican., 1919-04-08
ATTORNEY GENERAL
 SAYS HE'LL OPPOSE
 CLEMENCY FUR DEBS
Palmer Reviews Socialists
 Case-Declares Executive Clemeney Would Be a Grievous Wrong to Nation

WASHINGTON, April 7.-Attorney 1 General Palmer announced in state ment tonight that he would oppose strongly any effort to obtain executive clemency for Eugene V. Debs, the socialist leader sentenced to ten years imprisonment for violation of the es- pionage act The attorney general said he had received several communica tions urging him to recommend elem ency for Debs.
 Mir. Palmer said he believed his duty in the Debs case to be clear, and was convinced that he would be doing a grievous wrong to the country and striking a blow at law enforcement" should he adopt any course which would interfere with the normal ad- ministration of justice in this case"
 The statement issued by the attroney general follows:
 Eugene V. Debs has filed no petition with either the president or the at torney general asking for the exercise of executive clemency. The facts in his case are such that I should not feel called upon to make any recommenda- tions in his case. Debs was convicted not because of the political or economic views, but because he plainly violated the law.
 ''On July IS, 1918, during the most critical period of the war, Debs made a public speech at Canton Ohio, in which he urged that wage earners re- frain from giving any aid to the Ameri- can nation in the war, asserting that the war was brought on and conducted solely in the interest of capitalists, told his audience that they needed to know that they were fit for something bet ter than slavery and cannon fodder, held up to admiration as martyrs to the cause of labor a number of persons who had been convicted for violation of the draft act, and urged wage earn CTS to stand together as class to pre- vent the success of our country in the war.
 In his address to the jury Debs said :
 q have been accused of obstructing | the war. I admit it. Gentlemen, I abhor war. I would oppose the war if stood alone"
 "He was given a fair trial by a jury. The charge of the trial judge was en- 1 inently fair, and on appeal to the su- preme court of the United States that | court by a unanimous decision affirmed the judgment of conviction. 1 Both prior and subsequent to the | de delivery of the speech mentioned l Debs had on numerous occasions pub l licly urged wage earners to adhere to 1 the so-called St. Louis program of the l anti-war faction of the socialist party adopted in April, 1917 This document asserted that participation of the United States in the war against Ger many could not be justified, branded the declaration of war by the Ameri- can government as a crime against the Il, aJa | that in all modern history there had been no war more unjustifiable, an6 urged continuous, active and publi, | opposition to the war
 Following the action of the supreme 1 court, the defendant has indulged il violent public criticism of the Ameri
 can courts of justice and practicall!
 defied the power of the governmen I to administer the law against him. II
 a public speech made at Cleveland
 March 12, he said:
 With every drop in my veins I de
 spise their law and defy them A fev
 days ago he declared that if an attemp
 Is made to imprison him he will hay ! general strike called in support 0
 his attitude.
 Tn this situation my duty is cieai
 Respect for the law and our institu 1 tiOnS is the basis upon which every ap
 plication for executive clemency mus
 rest. Open defiance of the law an
 threat of force to obstruct it's orderl
 administration call for only one an
 swer. The law must be respected an
 obeyed. To make sure of that, it mus
 be enforced. would be doing a griev ous wrong to the country and strikin
 a blow at law enforcement if I adopte
 any course which interferred with tn
 normal administration of justice this case"
 Application for a respite preliminar . to b petition for pardon was receive
 at the White House last week. At tha
 time, it was said the application Woul be referred to the attorney general. bt l that it had not yet been communicate to the president. The request wa . signed by Frank P. Walsh, Alan Der
 son and Charles Edward Russel.