Evening star., 1921-02-10
Editorial Digest
The objectionable Debs.

President Wilson's curt denied
| written across the recomme endation
| for pardon of Eugene V. Debs has
| received the "okeh" of the majority
| of the American press. Clemency
would have made "a mockery of the
| law the New York Mail (independ-
| enD believes. thus rejecting a senti-
ment that seems to be typical. On the
! other hand, however. there is an en-
phatic minority which disagrees with
| the President and, in the words of the
| Springfield Republican (independenD.
finds Mr.. Wilson's action '.inexpli-
cable"
Some feel that holding Debs is maxi
| ing "A martyr of him. and urging this
point the Rock Island Argus tdemo-
CratiC) states that Debs sinned no
worse than most of those who, simi-
larly convicted, have since been par
doned: and the paper asserts that 'if
a referendum were taken in the ma
ton Debs would win his freedom by
a large margin" Both the New York
Evening W orld tdcmocratic) and the
Chattanooga News Gndependent
democratic) call for IAN abatement of
war spirit" as tn" latter puts It,
The st. Louis ost-Dispatch inde-
pcndenD thinks that Mr.. Wilson has
'forfeitcd gracious opportunity"
for. while Debs was Justly SEN
fenced" it WAS n "war-time offenSe, a
wartime conviction and a wartime
expression of public opinion" Now
that the war is over and other of
tenders have been released, "the time
for lenience has come.''
Naturally, in the papers of radical
leanings comment is most bitter The
Minneapolis Star Gndcpendent), for
instance. declares that President Will
son has "assa ssinated democracy at
hnr ,,'' l,.- Il ri,,t, Of
who has been prosecuted for his po-
litical faith.
More tempered is The language Of
the Baltimore Evening Sun Gnde-
pendent democratic), which pleads
that what America needs most now
lis to forget the war and bring about
la co-operatiou on the part of all ele-
mentS in the country" and it doubt s
If the denial of clemcncy for Debs
and a continued agitation of the
movement to effect his release" will
serve this end The indianapolis News
independently declares that denial
came as "a surprise to some" for cit
was assumed that Debs had IL chance"
but it hastens to add that his offense
was serious and there was Il strong
element of willfulness in it,"
The Toledo Blade independent re-
pubIican) points out that there can be
no discrimination: The President
a
come some day shortly, but it must
come in company with that handed
out to all the draft dodgers. to all
the desertcrs, to all the men who fell
foul of the Army and Navy discipline
and were punished for it,
A ,ypi cal sentiment is expressed by
the New York Tribune (republican),
which represents the opposite view of
THAT held by the radical writers. To
the Tribune Debs is the true fanatic
type. and 'unm mca sured and extrava-
giant speech is his second nature"
His punishment must be admins
tered" under "a law vitally concern
ing the very existence of the nation
as warning for all time "to inf1am-
matory tongues tempted to imperil the
nation in it's hour of crisis
To this the Lynchhurg News tdem-
ocratic) agrees: 'Debs' crime was
one that deserved heavier sentence
does not repent of his crime, but
glores in it."
This feature Of Debs' 'unrepent-
ance" Is stressed by the Boston Tran
script Independent republican,. and
to yield to a drive for such a prison
ers pardon would. it believes. have
important and hurtful consequences
In the enforcement of law in the
future" The Buffalo Commercial (in-
dependent thinks the President is to
be commended. With this sentiment
the Port Huron Times Herald On
dependent) is in accord. as it believes
is every hundred per cent American
citizen regardless of party affiliation."
Answering the "war-is-over' plea
for Debs, the Newark News Unde-
pendenD grants the fact, but adds
that ''it is altogether another thing
to say that 80 early in the train of
the cessation of armed conflict there
should be bland forgiveness all
around" and the Cleveland Plain
Dealer Independent democratic)
thinks that Debs has not yet paid
his debt to the nation" and "Aneri-
cans will generally agree" that he is
still where he belongs"
The other argument. that the Of
fender is a political prisoner. is scoff-
ed at by the Elmira Star-Gazette
independently. which declares there
are no political prisoners in the
United States" and conviction Of Debs
was not made because Of any Of
Debs' political opinions. but because
Of definite overt acts against the gov
ternment of the United States"