Evening journal., 1921-12-27
.DEBS TELLS Way
TOEND ALL WAR
Socialist Would Place Those
Who Declare War in
Trenches
SEES FUTILITY OF
ARMS CONFERENCE
BY LAWRENCE NJ. BENEDICT
CU. p. STAFF correspondent)

Gu. +. stair Correspondent)
WASHINGTON. Dec. 27.-T h e
Washington arms conference is futile
and will be a nat failure, Eugene V.
Debs. Socialist leader just out OF the
Federal prison at Atlanta. told the
United Press in an exclusive inter
view today.
THE conference is little more than
a waste OF breath" Debs said. 1T
win not end war because It does not
go into the causes of warfare"
Debs had just come from the
breakfast table. He had to run the
gauntlet of admirers and newspaper
photographers who have been on his
heels every minute since he arrived
and then led the way to a side re-
ception room.
This is the women's room" he
said "and maybe we can be alone
here"
Dcbs draped his six foot four
frame over the davenport His kind
ly manner Suddenly disappeared His
face hardened. his eyes ginted.
81 had not intended to do any
Il have proprieties to observe and
/ do not want TO capitalize my pres
ent notoriety' but the arms confer
ence may be ended in a few weeks
and then anything l could say would
be too late.
81 will tell you what I think about
the arms conference.
TN all the history Of mankind, p"
he said, mo people Of any nation
have ever declared war on the
people Of another nation with re-
spect to that inexpressibly wicked
and wanton human slaughter called
war.
The people who are the victims
Of war have never been consulted
or considered. Modern wars. without
exception, especially the world wide
massacre recently concluded, have
been declared and waged by the
ruling classes to further their own
selfish and material ends
There are two certain ways OF
ending war and no others. The first
to compel those who are for war ia
get into the trenches themselves
and have their bodies shot into tat
ters. The other is for the people
absolutely TO refuse to go to war
unless they declare it themselves.
In either case. not another war
, would over again brutalize and dis
grace mankind and shock and hor-
6 rify the world
ITO discuss disarmament without
reference to the actual causes oi
: war such as the Washington con.
e ference is doing, is little more thar
- a waste OF breath and the inspira
C tion OF hopes raised by the confer
ence are foredoomed TO disappoint
{ ment. Nations are but composit,
g individuals and as long as they ar,
/ disposed to fight they will fight. an,
they will fight as long as they ALLOW
! their ruling masters to lash then
! into a frenzy OF miscalled patriot
ism and drive them into the sham
bles for destruction.
J TT all the battleshiDs and submar.
{ ines and other equipment Of naval
s warfare were sunk to the bottom OF
; the sea, every modern nation could
l almost instantly arm itself in thi.
] day and generation for the mos
] disastrous and destructive warfare
e the world has ever seen. To abolish
e war by disarmament involves moth.
ing less today than the utter abol.
! ishment of modern chemistry"
Debs said he could not. divulg,
2 what transpred at the conference,
n with Harding and Daugherty and h,
81 refused TO deny or affirm the con.
{ tention OF friends that he was sum
n moned 20 have the riot act' read Z
him. His friends charge that the
% administration wants Debs to give NJ
I preaching the Socialistic doctrine.
e Debs said he was not at liberty I,
4 discuss other subjects at this time.
{ The Socialist leader would no
h confirm the statement OF his friend
that he would soon start a cam
= paign for general amnesty for al
n political prisoners still in jail.