The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-05-14

the vice-presidency, went to Detroit
and there in the Court of Chancery |
filed a Bill of Complaint in which
ne alleged and offered to prove to
the civil court that the arrested work
ers advocated the overthrow of the
United States Government and cap
italism "by the use of direct or mass
action"
The first man he named in his Bill
of Complaint was under arrest, or on |
bail after arrest, on a State Criminal
Syndicalist warrant which charged
that he belonged to an organization
that proposed to conquer and destroy
the government by direct or mass
action; the criminal warrant quoting
as evidence to this effect certain
language from the Manifesto adopt
ed by the Communist Chicago Con-
vention. In Stedmans Bill of Com
| plant, which he served upon this
man as quickly as it could be pre-
lpared after the arrest, Stedman made
the same charge that was made in
the criminal warrant, and quoted as
evidence the same passage from the
manifesto of the Communist Chicago
convention that was quoted in the
criminal warrant.
;, The workers under arrest for de-
portation were held on virtually the
same ground as that of the Criminal
Syndicalist law-the ground that they
belonged to an organization that
advocated the overthrow of the gov
ernment by force and violence. Sted-
i, man applied his Bill of Complaint
q against these, too; he alleged and
: offered to prove to the civil court
, that they advocated the destruction
! of the United States Government by
! "direct or mass action" and that
4 they were members Of an organiza-
o tion with that aim.
k 1t was the purpose Of Stedman, not
q actually to participate in the criminal
!, prosecution or deportation of the ar.
g rested Communists, but to take time
$ ly advantage of their arrest, by max
: ing against them the same charges
O that they had to face in crinrina
T.. hearings. AS consequence of in
~ eliminating answers or failure tt
h answer his charges, Stedman hoped
!. to obtain possession of the defend
10 ants property. To take this advant
v age he untruthfully alleged to tn
+ court in writing:
" "That. -. the defendants. -. wer'
s. expelled from the Socialist Party O.
d the United States because amont
le other things, they advocated the us'
of direct or mass action, as tn
primary and principal means of Sc
10 curing a change or destroying tn
ie capitalist system and the presen
lie form of the government of tn
Is United States. 49," (From court re
!. cord).
:, do not mean to dispute whethe
~ the Left Wing Socialists of Michigan
y (later known as Communists) di'
- advocate tie overthrow of the gov
ernment and the capitalist system b,
direct or mass action. Stedman seem
to have proven that they did. Blu
s. his allegation that their advocating
the overthrow of the government
ar was the reason for their expulsion
Of from the Socialist Party of Americi
iy is false.
if How II Came About.
ct A short review of the matter i
as necessary. The real reason of tn
II, expulsion of the Michigan Socialis
,g Party is neither the reason appear
as ing on the official records of tn
.ic Party's National Office, nor tn
l." reason that Stedman gave the Cour
in his Bill Of Complaint.
st The Socialist Party was thrivin
re organization in Michigan, energetic
tn quick and progressive. The Russia
IS working class revolution had a pro
he found effect upon its thought. Part
.; activities intensified rapidly in tn
vo winter of 1917-1S, and the organi
L, zation looked about the city of Det
Ie- roit To find suitable building I