New-York tribune., 1921-12-24
Debs Refused to Fight
against Prison Sentence
offered No Eunlessce VIXEN Ar-
rested in 1913 on Charge Of
Cpposing II. s, War Efforts


rested in 1913 GA Charge Of
Opposing q. S. War Efforts
Eugene V. Dchs was arrested on June
30, 1915, at Cleveland, for having vio-
lated the espionage act. The charges
against him were:
Attempting to cause characterization
dlsloyalty. mutny and refusal of duty
in the military or naval forces; at
tempting to obstruct enlistment and
opposing with words the cause of the
United States in the war.
These charges grew out of speech
which Debs had made at Canton, Ohio,
on June 16, in which re was quoted as
saying that the purpose of the Allies
in the war was the same as that OF
the Central powers, to have urged his
hearers to show that they were ''fit
for something better than cannon fod-
DER and to have declared himself as
guilty Is Mrs. Rose Pastor Stokes, who
had been found guilty a few weeks
previously of violating the espionage
( act.
When he was finally put on trial in
Cleveland on September 10 Debs did
not deviate from his promise to the
Canton audience that he would not try
to establish his innocence, if arrested
for what he had said about the espion-
age act and the war. His attorneys
submitted no evidence. Only Debs him
self spoke.
II have no dispute with the evidence
presented by the government" he said,
mo criticism for the counsel for the
prosecution. | would not take back u
word Of what | believe right to save
/ myself from the penitentiary. ] am
accused OF crime, but l look the court
in the face, ! look the jury in the face.
| look the world in the face, for in
by heart no accusation of wrong testers.
Admits Truth of Evidence
81 wish to admit the truth of all
that has been testified to in this pro-
ceeding. have no disposition to deny
anything that is true. I would not, ii
| could, escape the results OF an ad-
verse verdict. [ would not retract q
word that | have uttered that I believe
to be true to save myself from going
to the penitentiary for the rest of my
days.
Debs was found guilty on September
IL of attempting to incite insubordina-
tion in the military and naval forces of
the nation; attempting to obstruct re-
cruiting and uttering language tend
ing to sincite, provoke and encourage
resistance to the United States and to
promote the cause of the enemy.
Although he was liable to twenty
years Imprisonment and $4,000 fines,
he was sentenced to only ten years in
the penitentiary. The case was ap-
pcaied, but the conviction was sus-
tanned unanimously on March 10, 1919,
by the United States Supreme Court.
In his opinion Justice Holmes said
nfter ci317,,r Dpbc'c t0t tC 70 ~
jury when he said: II have been ac-
cused of obstructing the war. I admit
it. Gentlemen, | abhor war. I would
oppose the war if I stood alone" that
1.-The statement was not necessary to
warrant the jury in finding that the
one purpose Of the speech was to op-
pose war. and that the opposition was
so expressed that its natural and in
tended effect would be to obstruct re-
cruiting.v On March 81 the Supreme
Court reaffirmed its decision by deny
ing Debs rehearing.
Debs began to serve his sentence on
April 13, 1919, and since that time the
news papers have internationally con-
tanned accounts of protests against his
Imprisonment by radicals and liberals
appeals to former President Wilson
ard President Harding for clemency,
and declarations by organizations like
inc AInEIlVIn ACGlou aSdillSl SUN aC-
ton.
Declined to Ask for Pardon
Throughout all the agitation Debs
pcrsistenty declined TO ask for
pardon or retract what he had said to
obtain one.
When it was announced at the White
| House that Wilson would not pardon
him Uebs, on February I, 1924, said:
81 understand perfectly the feelings Of
Wilson. When he reviews what he has
done, and when he realizes the suffer
ing he has brought about, then he is
being punished. II is he, not |, who
needs a pardon. If | had it in my
power | would give him the pardon
which would set him free.
81 am glad that I will not be in
debted to Woodrow Wilson for my
liberty. For him to pardon me would
about as If Benedict Arnold were to
pardon George Washington. | have
stood for the ideals of democracy and
Woodrow Wilson has betrayed them
Dcbs g, oke these words after he had
stood for the Presidency of the United
States AS the Socialist party's candidate
for the fourth time. About u million
votes had been cast for him.
Immediately after the Harding ad-
ministration took over the reins OF
government the Debs question came NJ
once again. On March "a Debs came
to Washington unguarded to see At
torney General Dangherty to talk over
his case. He returned to the Atlanta
penitentiary the same day, but was
pledged to secrecy and refused to dis
cuss wha. had transpired. Later il
became known that a pardon with
, reservations had been tentatively dis
, cussed This Debs refused Since tha!
time nothing official about the case
, has been said although agitation foI
, Dobs S release was kept up until the
I last.
: Irn,rfIs Wnif is, Ynin