Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-05-15
DEBS NOMINATED
FOR PRESIDENT
BY SOCIALISTS

NEW YORK, May 13.-Eugene v.
Debs, federal convict No. 2,253, was
nominated by acclamation for the
presidency of the United States at
the Socialist party's national conven-
ton here today.
Seymour Stedman, of Chicago, gen.
eral counsel for the party, received
the nomination for vice president
over Mrs. Kate Richards Hare, Of
Kansas City, now serving a peniten-
tiary sentence for violation of the
espionage act. The vote on the first
ballot was 100 to 26. This later was
made unanimous.
After twelve minutes, the demon
stration was still at it's height. The
applause, after being continued for
singing of the "Internationale." The
cheering then was resumed, mingled
with strains of the "MarseiIlaise"
and Hymn of Free Russia
Debs is in the federal penitentiary
at Atlanta, Ga.
He began serving a ten-year SEN
espionage act April IS. 1919, when
he entered the Moundsville, w. Va.
federal pentitentiary after all appeals
in his behalf had failed. He was re-
moved to the Atlanta prison last
June.
Debs is 65 years old. His presi-
Dental nomination today is the fifth
his party has given him. He was a
Democrat before he became a Social
list. In the late seventies he served
two terms in the Indiana legislature
and figured considerably in local
politics before that. He once was a
candidate for congress from the Fifth
Indiana district. In 1894, from May
to November, he served a sentence in
Jail for contempt of court in an Illi-
knowledged leader Of the Socialist
party in this country.
His present Imprisonment resulted
from governmental investigation of
a speech in Canton, Ohio, on June 16,
1918, which led to his arrest two
weeks later for opposing the war and
urging labor to cease all activities
which in any way tended to prolong
it.
Every atom of influence and energy
in the Socialist party went into the
fight to keep DebS out of Jail, but
the United States supreme court and
Attorney General Palmer turned
the American Federation of Labor
convention, in June, 1919, after heat
ed debate, voted down a resolution
which favored clemency for him:
The name of Debs as head of the
Socialist party in America" has gone
around the world. Soviet Russia
sought his release in appeals to this
government through diplomatic chan
nels, and he was slated" by Moscow
communist congress in March Of last
year to be "the future soviet presi-
dent of the United States" With
n r - 10 -
June was elected an honorary pres1-
dent of the Korean labor congress.
Radicals in the Socialist convention
here today received their second de-
feat at the hands Of the conserve
tives, when an attempt to substitute
a soviet form of government in the
United States, was defeated by
vote of IA to 55.
The platform drawn by the conser-
vatives headed by Morris Hillquit,
was being considered and the pre-
minor changes when Irwin st. John
Tucker moved the substitution of the
radical program.
In the debate which followed Tuck
er characterized the Hil1qu1t platform
as surrender Of the Socitlist party"
ed him by declaring the radical plat
form a "soap box speech, closely APP
preaching anarchy"
William Kruse, Of Illinois, in at
lacking the HiIquitt platform, said It
could be Endorsed without change by
n third party headed by Johnson and
LaFollette.
DEBS. IN PRISON HERE,
NOT TO SPEAK IN RACE
Eugene v. Debs, nominated by the
Socialist party for the fifth time for
president Of the United States, will
speak no word in his campaign as
a prisoner, he declared this after
noon at the federal prison.
prison regulations forbid a pris-
oner's taking part in any controversy
or to speak anything that might
arouse a controversy" he said. THE
prison authorities have been as kind
as could be and 1 would not say
word that might stir comment to
their discredit."
When informed he had special au-
thorization to talk he said, Yes. I
can understand why that would be.
though I cannot say why"
Your campaign, then, must be
conducted without your assistance
unless it results in your release
through public sentiment or other
WISE" it was suggested.
Yes, that's it." he assented.
A pleased smile lighted the prison