The Washington herald., 1921-12-26
DEBS GIVES UP
PULLMAN SEAT
TO AID RUSSIA
Donates Prisoners Stake
Of S. to Sacco and
Vanzetti.
REGRETS LEAVING
2,3OO COMRADES
Declares He Will Expose
Vicious System That
Cages Victims.

GREENvILLE. S. c. En- Route to
Washington with Eugene V. Deos),-
Dec. 25.-As Gene Debs rode toward
Washington on Christmas Day on
some mysterious mission having TO
do with his acceptance os the free
dom given him by President Hard
iT &. ne eased back on the plush seat
in the day coach and talked of At
, lanta prison. where he spent two
and one-half years. and CT the 2.3oo
men who learned to love him as a
friend and fellow prisoner and to
respect him as a moral leader. Debs.
however. made no assertion Of his
leadership. There was no need 70.
The prison officials long ago conced-
ed the influence Of the thin little So
cialist over the other men locked up
With him for transgressing the law.
Refuses Pullman Seat.
Debs was riding in a day coach
from choice. The government had
given him the money to buy a Pull
man seat, but he had decided to 10
nate the sum to the Pusslan fam
inc relief fund. The IS which the
government awards to every prisoner
as stake for a new start in life,
he had decided to turn over to the
fund for the defense of the two Ital-
ian radical murderers. Sacco and
Nanzetti. whose conviction in Mas
'achusetts caused the bombing CT
the home of Ambassador Herrick
in Paris.
My only regret in leaving At
lSnta prison is that 1 leave bshind
800 men who love me-" Debs said.
They were my comrades for two
and one-half years. They love me,
and l love them. But l must hurry
along to Kate-my wife. She Is
waiting for me in Terre Haute. ]
suppose she is anxious"
Anxious About .Kate.-
Had anyone-had the newspaper
men?-hesrd anything lately about
Kate? Debs wanted to know. He
was uneasy about her. having heard
she was I'll. Assured that she was
in fairly good health, Debs went on
with his discussion of prison life.
His eyes flashed with the light Of
the mans tremendous enthusiasm
for his fellow men as he described
that farewell scene when 1900 com
victs were permitted to gather In
front Of their cells to cheer him as
he passed down the corridors
toward the warden's Office to be
freed
Tt was great" Debs said, with
his peculiar, patient smile. "No
person ever had a bigger send-off
And those fellows meant it, Man
know what's in their hearts.
have learned the beauty in the
characters l know that they would
tap their very veins to do me a
good turn. There is in Atlanta
prison as fine a spirit as blooms
anywhere in the world And, for
my part, l will devote my time and
energy and whatever power I may
possess in exposing to the word
the viciousness Of the system which
has for its motive the reformaticr
Of mankind by placing him behinl
prison walls 1t is all wrong
Would Dismiss Prison Guards.
There is a much better way, the
application of the Golden Rule. II
had my way | would throw away
the keys to all prisons. ] would
dismiss all guards. OF the $500
comrades I left behind me | would
{ stake my life that not a single one
would disobey any rule OF attempt
to make their getaway were I the
warden notwithstanding many Of
those poor fellows are as INNOCENT
81 wrongdoing as = they would
never betray me, ] know.
Man is the only animal that
cages victims OF his system"
Here Debs paused to stipulate
that the conditions in Atlanta
prison are very good.
e.. 10 haf =
trr than in many other prisons.
know because I have been in jail
before The prison officials were
as nice to me as they could be.
They extended me no special IA
vors. would not have accepted
them had they been Offered to me.
But the system is wrong.
His Best Chri.tmas Eve.
Il never enjoyed a Christmas eve
in my life as,I enjoyed that one. II
was an inspiring occasion to me, as
] stood in the prison auditorium ad-
dressing my comrades. 1 made a
spontaneous speech. 1t expressed the
very depths of my soul. as 1 have
learned to feel it within those prison
walls. There we're men of all classes.
> denominations and colors-negroes.
\ white, Indians and Chinese. gathered
there the night before Christmas.
and IL was a scene and an expert
ence that 1 shall never forget until
my last breath. Their hearts beamed
from their faces. They were happy
and they were sorry. 1 was .secur-
ing my liberty and going away from
them"
And in going away. Debs. who is q
very tired man. having spent q
sIeepless night, chose to put up with
the discomfort of the day coach
and forego the comparative luxury
Of the Pullman in order to help
the Russians.
Accompanied by Brothers.
Debs was released from the prison
shortly before noon on Christmas
Day and Immediately whisked to the
railroad station in Warden Dyche's
automobile His brother, Theodore,
and some few friends were waiting
and are accompanying him to wash
ington. Before the prison gates
Debs posed for the newspaper and
news reel photographers and. on ar
riving at the railroad station. posed
again, this time with r. II. Tedder.
engineer of the locomotive which 10