The Washington herald., 1921-12-26
DEBS IS ON WAY
TO CAPITAL TO
SEE DAUCHERTY
May Refuse conditions"
Upon Which His Free
dom Hangs.

ATLANTA, Ga, Dec. 25.-l am
going to Washington to confer with
Attorney General Daugherty regard
ing q condition of my release which
I cannot now divulge," said Eugene
V. Debs, freed after two and half
years of Imprisonment, through the
executive clemency of President
Harding. "and then 7 am going to
my dear little wife in Terre Haute
as fast as the train will take me"
The Socialist leader, smiling.
happy and apparently in good
health, was standing on the plat
form at the station here, waiting
for the 1880 train to the Capital.
Hurried to station.
Up to the last moment the prison
officials had maintained strict Sc
crecy as to the hour for his release.
Even after a bright Christmas morn
ing breakfast with Warden d. E.
Dyche, IL was announced that Debs
would once more be taken back to
the jail. Instead he was "smu ggled
out OF the gates and hurried, with
Theodore Debs. his brother. and one
or two friends, to the station. Here
there was another surprise, for in
stead of taking the train for Terre
Haute, the former prisoner boarded
zone bound for Washington. But in
spite of the small gathering present
to welcome him to liberty, the occa-
sion lacked nothing in enthusiasm.
Debs gripped the hands of the men
fervently and kissed the women JOY
fully as they welcomed him.
God bless you ALL" he repeated
over and over again. "I know what
you have done for me, and I appre-
ciate il more than l can ever say.
Whatever his mission in WASH
ington, il was plain that Debs
heart and mind were with ''Kate
in Terre Haute.
Greetings to All.
81 wish I might send the train
faster than it usually goes" he
said Send my greetings to my
good friends and comrades at Terre
Haute. ! shall see them before long.
I wish them. one and all my COM
rades throughout the world the hap
piest and merriest Christmas pos
sible. God bless them
There is much mystification over
the conditions" hinted at by Debs
under which the Communication of his
sentence has been made effective,
hut even the closest friends of the
former Socialist candidate for Pres
ident professed to he ignorant of
any terms" that might haze sur
rounded their leaders release.
There was keen disappointment.
however. that Debs was not per-
mitted to leave the penitentiary on
Saturday, enabling him to reach
Terre Haute on Christmas. The
delay undoubtedly was due to the
necessity of the "side trip" to
Washington.
The conditions" of Debs' re-
lease, about which he intends to
confer with Attorney General
DauGherty. it may be stated au-
dom comes as pardon" or as a
straight Communication Of sentence.
II the former, Debs will go back
to prison rather than accept it,
holding as he slwss has main
tanned. that he did no wrong and
therefore should not have been i'm
prisoned. He is willing to accept
a commutation unaccompanied by
any qualification or intimation as
to his guilt or innocence, but a
pardon. as such, carries with IL the
suggestion OF guilt, and acceptance
OF IL would constitute tacit admis-
sion of wrong doing.
Knowing Debs' principles and the
stand he has taken repeatedly. his
friends are not surprised at his in
tention to take up this issue with
the government as matter of prin-
ciple.