The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-27
SOCIALIST LEADER
DOES NOT REGRET
HIS WAR RECORD
Praises Soviet Government as
One Great Good Out of
World Strife-French-
man Answers sTiger"

Chicago, November 26.-Eugen,
Debs, leader of the socialist party
made his first public speech since
leaving Atlanta penitentiary here to-
day, and was given an ovation thai
DELAYED the start of his address fol
more than an hour.
Hundreds stood outside the hall fol
hours after fire guards had limited
the audience to 1000 people.
Jean Longuet, French socialist, II
whose honor the meeting was held
was overshadowed by the demonstra'
ton accorded Debs. Huge baskets OF
red roses tied with red ribbons, were
showered on him by his admirers, ano
after the meeting, the socialist ma
tfonal committee was forced to con-
ceal Debs in a small committee room
for nearly an hour to keep the walt
ing crowd from carrying MN away
With tears coursing down his cheeks
Debs begged the committee to let him
go out and shake hands with the
crowd, and once he forced his way &c
the platform, despite their protests
that his strength was unequal to the
strain.
Il am just recovering from the eff
fects of a speech / made almost four
years ago." Debs told the audience
at was record-making speech,
began il at Canton. o., and finished II
at Atlanta penitentiary.
But there is nothing to regret.
opposed the war and / still oppose
war. i would not go to war at the
command of any capitalistic country
on the face of this earth. l would
have saved the lives of the 10000
1xxrtn nnrighad the
battlefields of France to create 10000
new millionaires in this country.
smoke at Canton from deep sense OF
conviction. and after all. 10 years is a
very modest sentence for having an
opinion of your own in the United
States
ignoring the fight OF the socialist
PARTY leaders against the l. w. w
communism and the Russian soviet
government. Debs, declaring himself
q eisizen Of the world. embraced al
three in the ranks OF the defenders
of free speech,
"Out Of the war" he said, zone
great good came. quite unexpected tc
the ruling classes of the world. Thai
was the soviet republic.
He praised the 19 communists, in
Guiding William Bross Lloyd, whose
conviction under the Illinois anti
syndicalism law was upheld rev
DAYS and attacked the act under
which they were found guilty. as
disgrace to any state
Likewise, he said. he stood behind
the 20 communists, who are slated to
so on trial at ST. Joseph, Mich, to-
morrow. under similar law and
would fight for the freedom of the IS
war time prisoners, mostly members
Of the despised l. w w. who are
still in federal prisons.
wants Seif-Respect
II am almost ashamed" Debs ex-
claimed. ito be out of prison while
those men are still back of the iron
bars. Their continued Incarceration
is high compliment from the gov
eminent OF the United States. gov
eminent so cowardly it fears those So
men will overthrow it.
II would far rather" he continued,
.'be in Jail with my self-respect,
rather than on the street with gag
in my mouth. / despise and defy
their laws. | am not a citizen of the
United States, despite the fact that
/ was born Sand reared in Indiana.
Because l obeyed my conscience, /
lost my citizenship. but l would far
rather have it that way than keep my
citizenship and lose my conscience"
He attacked government by in
junction." and said that If he had
been in Chicago when the recent rail
strike injunction was issued, he
would have asserted my manhood by
defying it and the corporation law
YER judge that issued it"
Attacks CIemenceau
lean Longuet devoted most of his
address to an attack on Georges
Clemenceau and the peace treaty of
Versailles.
aClemenceau." he declared. mo
more represents France than Mr..
Schwab or Mr.. ]. Pierpont Morgan
sepresent the spirit of America.
att is for me great privilege
he said ito be able to put before the
American public, in contradiction to
MIR. CIemenceau quite different view
of the problems he is approaching.
"rhe fundamental cause of the pres
emit situation in Europe" he said, lis
the peace made in 1919. and this was
a natural result of the continuation
of the war until that time.
"The prolongation of the war" Mr..
I.onguet said, land the refusal of the
governing classes to try and reach
any peace by negotiation. their OBJ
climate policy of the knockout blow
Nstem. their refusal to accept, more
especially during the year 1917. the
various proposals trying to meet the
possibilities Of peace, have naturally
led Europe to a mad nationalism
when the peace treaties were con-
cluded, this mad nationalism domi
mated especially the victorious ma
lions of Europe. and even in America
The war psychology reached such a
degree that those statesmen of yours
who won a peace quite different from
the various treaties of the past, and
more especially Mr.. Wilson with his
- noints. found himself absolutely
nowerless against the intrigue of the
French, italian and British impe-
rialism'