New-York tribune., 1921-12-28
Apologies to Police After
Addressing a Crowd
i'm Washington Station
Without Getting Permit
Renews Attack
Against Warfare
Will Fight Strife With
Every Drop of Blood in
My Veins ; Starts Home

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.-Freed by
President Harding from Atlanta Fed
eral penitentiary, where he was serving
a ten-year sentence for making speeches
III violation Of the war laws, Eugene V.
Debs, Socialist leader, was rcprimanded
tonight by Union Station police here
for making a speech without permit
before leaving for his home in Terre
Haute, Ind.
Before boarding his train Debs adj
dressed a crowd of several hundred
persons in the station, including ad-
mrers who had come to say goodby,
expressing his gatitude for his recep-
ton in Washington and closing with
reiteration of his opposition to war and
belief in the force of love in the re-
demption of the world.
No effort was made by uniformed
police in the crowd to interfere with
the address, but Immediately upon it's
conclusion plainclothes man rushed
up to Debs and demanoed if he had
permit to speak in the station, and,
upon being informed in the negative,
declared:
"You have taken a great liberty'
Apologies to Officer
Debs, who had grasped the plain
clothes man by the hand under the i'm
preston that he was a wcll-wisher
apologized and said he had not known
he was doing wrong.
Debs went Immediately to his train,
but considerable excitement prevailed in
the crowd, due chiefly to the efforts of
newspaper men to learn the identity
of the plainclothes man. He refused
to give his name, but, after rather ex-
cited pickering with reporters, declared
he was the chief of police of the Union
Station and flashed a badge pinned to
his belt. He said he had had no spo-
clal orders with respect to Debs, but
that the regulations of the station for
bid speechmaking without a permit.
Debs's speech was his first platform
utterance since leaving prison.
81 wish" he said, "to do myself the
justice to return my grateful thanks
for the kindness shown me here.
also wish to express my gratitude to
the representatives of the press-thc
representatives of the Fourth Estate
whose courtesy, fairness and kindness
have been beyond expression.
Holds No Bitterness
Many disagree with me in an eco
nomic and social way, but we are all
human, and one touch of nature makes
the whole world kim"
Debs declared that he left Wasbino-
ton without trace of bitterness or
hatred adding "many hated me-
Gut that they. were entitled to their
feelings and the expression of them.
~ believe in free speech" he said
I'm the expression of these differing
opinions We find our way to higher
civilization"
He paid tribute to figures in history
who, he declared, had the courage of
their convictions, although forced to
sacrifice much of them, and referred
to Washington jefferson and Thomas
Palne, who first wrote the words
United States" as those who "at first
misunderstood, won an Immortality of
glory"
with every drop of blood in INV
veins,' he concluded, 81 am opposed
to war. Human life is too sacred :;
thing to be spent in bloodshed. Love
is the greatest force in this world
love will redeem us, love will save us
and write our names in the depths OF
civilization"
Reaches Home Tonight
Debs and his party are scheduled tc
reach Indianapolis at / 80 p. m. to-
morrow and proceed from there te
Terre Haute, planning to reach the
Socialist leaders home at about T
o'clock tomorrow night, in time for =
demonstration of welcome which is
said to have been arranged for him
With him on the train were his broth.
er Theodore, David Karsner,, his biog
rapher, and Miss Celia Trotter anc
Mrs. Bertha Hale White, both of the
Debs Freedom League.
Debs spent the day here seeing call
ers, being interviewed and resting
Among his visitors were Peter J. Mac
Swincy, brother of the late Lorc
Mayor of Cork; Frank Morrison, sec
rotary of the American Federation OF
Labor; Philip La Toilette, son of the
senior Senator from Wisconsin,; San.
tiago Iglesia, of the Porto Ricar
Senate. and Canutos Vargas, secretar,
of the Pan-American Federation OF
Labor.
Friends declared that an invitation
from the Soviet government to visi
Russia awaited Debs and that he prob
ably would accept.