The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-05-09
N a t j O n a | Convention
Opens in New York
Speech by HilIquit
NOMINATION OF
DEBS ASSURED
Inauguration of a New
General Strike in
United States is Fore
cast BY Foster

New YorN. May S.--"We have moth
ing to apologize Tor ia connection
with our stand in recent years
This was the keynote Of the social
ist national convention which open
ed here to0a&- expressed by Morris
HiliQuit i'm a bitter and unCompromls-
ing speech in which ne assailed Presi-
dent Wilson as pacihst who drew
US into the world : most frightful
war" the anti mlhtarIst' who i'm
posed consumption upon the country
IN the war and the .idealst and
humanitarian who "inauEurated
reign Of intellectual obscuritism
moral terrorism and political reaction
the like Of which this country had
never known before
The convention room Of the pala-
tial Finnish hail on Fifth avenue.
garlanded win American flags and
red roses and decorated with the
pictures Of Karl Marx and Frederick
Engals, the founders Of modern
socialism, and q huge oil portrait Of
Eugene Y. Dehs who is now serving
term Of ten years in the federal prison
at Atlanta for violation OF the cs-
rionaEe act. echoed and rc-echoed
With thunderous approval of Hil]quitt
passed from fervid defense Of the
Socialist partys stand during the
war "a the caustic attack on the presi-
dent
THE morbid national psychology
which he has helped 10 create has
produced such atavlstic political
types as Palmer, Burieson. Sweet and
Lusk" Hnlquit continued IT has
advanced to places OF honor politi-
| cal rnountebanks like Ole Hanson.
| but has put into prison stripes the
| nobiest and fruest type of America
manhood, persons like Eugene Y,
! Dehs and many or his less conspicuous
| fellow prisoners
Al the mention 4of the name of
! Debs. American Socialist martyr and
| hero" the delegates and crowd
that TANNED the rear of the hal and
| the gallery, stood up ard cheered
| for several minutes The demon
strat1on left no doubt that the con-
vention will nominate Dehs for presi.
! dent His name was or every man S
lips II Vas the most stirring event
/ Of the whole cav even greater than
that which followed in The afternoon
I session wnen VIM. Z Foster address
cd the convention.
! ON the invitation Of New York
state Chairman S. John Block. Foster.
/ leader of the unsuccessful steel strike
a few months ago. addressed the dele
I
its feet when he declared the call
! ing Of the next steel strike Wouldd be
( the signal for the start Of 4 general
strike movement in the United States.
When the big strike comes out
! there said Foster, speaking Of the
. steel district we want all the rail-
road men. miners and everybody out
with us
The unions themselves are re-
| sponsioe Tor the loss OF the LAST
strike" Foster said And when the
unions lose a strike They lose heart,
! This is the time the capitalist steps
| in to spread lies among the men, but
! we have put stop to that now and
| issue our own bulletin 10 nail every
/ one nj them
| Another demonstration was ac-
corded Edward G. Theodore. labor
/ prime minister of Queensland, Aus
/ tralia, who declared that the great
mass of American workingmen was
! inarticuate and that the Socialist
! party Of America was their only sal
walton.