The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-03-31
DAUGHERTY HELPS DEBS AND
HIS CAUSE.

During the Wilson administration
we became accustomed to seeing
slackers, pacihsts and consideration.
DIRECTORS receive political preferment
in the government service and hon
orable discharges with fun pay ano
allowances for military service which
they refused to perform and We
thanked God when the end came to
that regime. Are we to witness un-
der the new administration the same
disposition to temporize with enemies
OF the government and minimize the
onense committed 10y men convicted
of political crimes?
When the friends of Eugene V.
Debs, now serving term of ten
years in federal prison following
his conviction on a charge of sedition.
applied to President Harding for a
pardon the president very properly
referred the matter to Attorney Gen
eral Daugherty for review before Civ
ing a decision. The next heard Of
the Debs case was when Mr. Daugh-
erty informed a group of newspaper
men that Mr.. Debs had been permit
ted TO visit him in Washington; that
they had conferred for three hours
over his case and that Debs had re-
turned to the prison at Atlanta; that
Debs had been placed on his honor
and had made the trip unattended by
a guard; that it was obviously inn
possible for him to visit Debs in pris-
on and it was therefore decided, with
the presidents approval to have him
come to Washington.
1t is safe to say that nothing in re-
cent times has given such shock to
loyal and law-respectng people of
the country; nothing has given such
direct and substantial announcement .
to the anarchistic followers of Debs, /
and nothing could have been devised
that would have been more pleasing .
to this notorious enemy of our gov
In the first place it was
not necessary for Debs to confer
with the attorney general His case
lad been reviewed by the supreme
court and an the evidence was avail
,ble But il the attorney general de
sired more light on the case he could
ave obtained it 10y sending a United
states district attorney to interview
)ebs in prison There was no more
eason for the attorney general hay
ng a personal interview with Debs
han there was for him 70 intervene
in any other criminal case.
'ut granting that it was necessary
or the attorney general 10 have
ersonal interview with Debs, there
.as certainly no Justification i'm Civ
lg him the distinction of travelling
yer the country without a guard 1t
as a proud day for Debs after
twenty-five years of violent opposi-
on to the government and fragrant
collation. of all laws in conflict with
is anarchistic ideas, to be invited by
he attorney general of the United
tates to step from behind prison
lrs and visit him in the national
,pital unattended by a guard lest
he distinguished prisoner might feel
Why should Debs be
Gated with any more consideration
ian a prisoner who occupies a felon's
n? He would have INSTRUCTED all
'eparation for war after our country
Id become engaged in the conflict
ID thereby have jeopardized the
res of thousands of soldiers and
nors and exposed our country to
e danger of conquest 10y Germany
The unusual consideration given to
lbs by Attorney General Daugherty
s caused many loyal people to be-
We that the next move will be
from the attorney
neral that Debs be pardoned. But
lether he is pardoned or remains
hind prison bars, the action Of the
torney general has greatly increas-
the prestige Of Debs and has given
encoarag cement 10 the reds
the country.