Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-29
DEBS SPEECH READ
IN SOCIALIST TRIAL
Convicted Leader Sneered at
Supreme Court and Urged
Defiance of Law
B0ASTED OF B0LSHEvISM
BY the Associated Press

AfDany, N. H, Jan. %J.--bugene "
Debs's last speech before his voice was
silenced'' by penitentiary sentence Of
ten years for violating the espionage act
was read irto the record today at the
trial of the five. SUSPENDED Socialist as
semb'ymen before the judiciary COM
mittee on charges of disloyalty.
In his speech, made before Socialists
in Cleveland last March, Debs, declar-
ing he spoke "as Socialist, revolu-
zionist and Bolshevist," praised
Lenine and Trotsky ''as the greatest
statesmen in the modern world and ex-
pressed defiance of the laws of this
country and the Supreme Court.
The speech was distributed in pamph-
let form by t'the city committee of the
Socialist party Of greater New York."
according to John B. Stanchfield, COM
mittee counsel.
II am opposed to the system under
which we live." the speech said. 81 am
opposed to its government that compels
the great majority to pay tribute to the
insignificant few. | am going to speak
to you as Socialist, a rcvolutionist, a
Bolshevist, If you please. For the first
time in history the worker stands erect
and begins to shake off the manacles."
After paying his respects to those who
opposed Socialist principles, Debs con-
tinued in his speech:
with every drop in my veins l de-
spise their laws and defy them. ] am
appealing to you, the plain people. /
do not care anything about the Supreme
aI hayt-h eli hp-
spectacled old fossils, corporation
lawyers, all of them.
"They did not dare to declare the
espionage law unconstitutional. That
law, do I respect it? No! How fine to
do as Wendell Phillips said: When
they pass a law like that put it under
your feet. "
Mr.. Stanchfield also read extracts
from the constitution and DEGREES of
the worlds first socialist republic -
soviet Russia. Louis NJ. Martin, com
mittee chairman, declared it was not a
question of whether the Russian soviet
in the world" but whether ''it is to be
forced on us with violence.
The proclamation and war program
adopted Mt the Socialist convention in
St. Louis, 1917, which called for op-
position to war through "all means in
our power also was introduced.
The program urged opposition to all
proposed legislation for military and in
dustrial conscription and to all attempts
to raise money for war expenditures,
with the demand that ''the capitalist
class, responsible for the war, pay its
cost.
1.-THE people do not want the wal"
said the. proclamation. Ihey are
plunged into it by the. treachery and
trickery of the capitalistic class through
representatives in Congress. 1t is a
crime against the people of the United
States and of the world. No war is
more unjustitiable.
Algernon Lee. a member Of the New
York Board of Aldermen. then was
called as the days first witness. He
was questioned by Judge Arthur E.
Sutherland regarding the Rand School
of Social Science.
Mr.. Lee, who is educational director
of the Rand School. which is operated
by the American Socialist Society, was
questioned concerning the society's
source of income.
He testified that August Claessens,
defendant, was instructor in public
sneaking and fundamentals of So
cialism." He said Charles Solomon.
another defendant, was not n lecturer at
the school. but that the organization S
lecture bureau, u separate body. might
have made engagements for him.
A ola sh of counsel occurred while Mr..
Lee was on the stand. Objecting to in
PRODUCTION of a record Of conviction. of
the American Socialist Society for vio-
lation of the espionage act, because ap-
peal had been taken. Mr.. Stedman
started argument. Judge Sutherland
interrupted, saying:
II ask that this smoke screen be
eliminated. III.
Mr.. Stedman replied: II can either
try this case like Il lawyer or rut1an
and you can choose your own method.