New-York tribune., 1920-01-14
Books

"Debs" (Boni-Livcright), by David
Karsner, is biography which might be
read with profit by good many OF US.
1T is not an expert biography. More
over, it reveals its subject as a man of
decidedly limited intellectual capacity,
but it should serve to help US under
stand little better the development of
native-born American radcalism
We are a little too ready to accept
Gilbert's heresy that "every little child
who is born into the world alive is either
little liberal or a little conservative" )"
OF late, Americans have been content
to accept the explanation that radicalsm
is something as ingrained as original
sin. Nobody talks now of curing it. The
loud voices are those of men who want
to "break it's back" or "stamp it out /"
The fact has been forgotten that men
may have radicalsm thrust upon them.
Debs is such a man.
BY birth a Middle Westerncr, by an
cestry an Alsatian, by temperament the
gentlest of scntimentalists, Debs seems
the last man in the world to be found
among the ranks of the extreme Left
Wing of the Socialist party AS a mat
ter of fact, there is good deal of doubt
as to whether he has as yet progressed
that far, although his life is a record Of
steady and increasing drift toward
that boundary line Of our politics. In
passing sentence upon Debs Judge
Westenhaver said, according to Karsner,
that men of the power and influence
of Debs were responsible in a large
measure for 'other ignorant and un-
thinking foreigners getting into SINH
lar difficulty"
This is hardly a shrewd summary Of
the situation. Debs is spiritual kin Of
such typical Americans as Eugene Field
and James Whltcomb Riley, who we're
both his intimate friends, and who both
set forth their estimate and admiration
for his character in verse Indeed. we
find this man, who is carelessly set down
as wild-eyed foreign "Red," expressing
such homely and familiar sentiments as
There are two words in our language
forever sacred to memory, Mother and
Home Home, the heaven upon earth,
and mother, it's presiding angel"
He is not constitutionally rebel.
His radcalism was a development which
came comparatively late in life. In fact.
in 1885 he was elected to the Indiana
State Legislature on the Democratic
ticket. 1t is true that by this time
Debs had become vitality interested in
the labor union movement, and in 1894
came the Pullman strike, as a result of
which Debs was sent to prison for six
months on a charge of CONTEMPT of
court. There is no need of going into
the justice or injustice of that sentence
further than to say that it occurred ~
q time when the rights Of labor unions
were less jealously guarded than to-day
But at any rate, Debs came out a more
radical man than he went in. Neverthe-
less, it would still be difficult to class
him with the Left, since he was one OF
the chief campaigners for William .Ien.
nings Bryan in the campaign Of 1896
He did not become definitely associated
with the Socialist party until 1900, wher,
he ran for President on that ticket. He
again was the nominee in 1904, 1908
and 1912
During all those years he expressed
himself again and again us an advo.
cate of change through the medium OF
tho ballot Indeed, as late as Septem.
Der III, 1918, when he spoke in his own
defcnse during his trial under the es.
pionage act, he denied that he had ever
favored violence There Is no reason ia
doubt his word, for his speech was OK
cecdingly frank in it's admissions.
From what you heard in tho address