The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-12-28
DEBS REPRIMANDED
FOR MAKING SPEECH
WITHOUT A PERMIT
Union Station Police at Wash
ington Calls the Socialist
Leader to Account.
DECLARES HIS LIPS
ARE NOT YET SEALED
Is an Enemy of the Capitalistic
Class and Expects to Fight
Them to the Last.
az The Assoelated Pressl

WASHINGTON, Dec. Freed by
President Harding from Atlanta fed
eral penitentiary, where he was serv-
ing a ten year sentence for making
speeches in violation Of the war laws,
Eugene ". Debs, socialist leader. was
reprimanded tonight by the Union sta
tion police here for making a speech
without a permit before leaving for
his home in Terre Haute, Ind.
Before boarding his train Del5s ad-
dressed crowd of several hundred
.mirers who had come to say good -bye.
expressing his gratitude for the re-
Iception in Washington and closing
with a reiteration Of his opposition to
war and belief in the force of love in
the redemption of the world
No effort was made by uniformed
police in the crowd to interfere with
Ills address but Immediately upon it's
conclusion a plain clothes man rushed
/ up to Debs and demanded if he had
a permit to speak in the station, and
upon being Informed in the negative,
declared
9u nays IdhGiA 54iJIt ~
Del5s, who had grasped the plain
clothes man by the hand under the
impression that he was a well-wisher
fapologized and said he had not known
/ he was doing wrong.
Debs went Immediately to his train
but considerable excitement prevailed
in the crowd. due chiefly to the efforts
t of newspapermen to learn the identity
I of the plain clothes man. He refused
to give his name, but after rather ex-
Ecited pickering with reporters, de-
clared he was the chief of police Of
the Union station and flashed badge
PINNED to his belt He said ne had had
no special orders with respect to Deibs
libut that the regulations of the station
forbid speech making without per-
nit
Debs' speech was his first platform
utterance since leaving prison.
Il WISH" he said, ito do myself the
justice to return my grateful thanks
! for kindness shown me here. / also
wish to express my gratitude to the
representatives of the press--the rep
resentatives of the fourth estate
whose courtesy, fairness and kindness
,has been beyond expression"
Many disagree with me in an econ-
omic and social way" he added, but
we are all human and one touch of
nature makes the whole world kin
Debs declared that he left Washing
ton without a trace of bitterness or
hatred adding that many hate me"
but that they were entitled to their
feelings and the expression of them.
II believe in free speech he said.
Tn the expression of these differing
opinions we find our way t. higher
civilization"
He paid tribute to figures in history
who had, he declared. had the courage
of their convictions. although forced to
sacrifice much for them and referred
| to Washington, Jefferson and Thomas
Paine, "who first wrote the words
limited States" as those who "at first
misunderstood, won an mortality Of
glory"
with every drop of blood in my
i veins" he concluded, "I am opposed
] to war. Human life is too sacred a
thing to be spent in bIoodshed. Love
| is the greatest force in this world love
viii redeem us, love will save US and
write our names in the depths Of civ
1iIization.'
Debs and his party are scheduled tc
reach indianapolis at 1:30 o'clock p. M
| tomorrow and proceed from there tc
Terre Haute planning to reach the SO
cialist leaders, home at about Z O'Clock
/ tomorrow night in time for demonstra-
tion of welcome which is said to have
been arranged for him With him on the
train were his brother, Theodore. David
Karsner, his biograpIer, and Miss Celia
Trotter and Mrs. Bertha Hale White
both Of the Debs freedom league.
! Debs spent the day here seeing callers
being interviewed and resting. Among
his visitors were Peter ]. MacSwiney
brother of the late Lord Mayor Of Cork
Ireland; Frank Morrison, Secretary Of
the American Federation of Labor. PhiliI
! La Toilette son of Senator LaFollette o.
wisconsin, and canutos Vargas, Secre-
tary of the Pan-Ameriean Federation o.
Labor
/ Definite plans for the future Debs de
clared, must await his return home and
his readjnstment to changed condition:
IContinued sn cage 4nreel