Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-05-10

SHALL 1T BE MOSCOW OR
WASHINGTON

asked Ruth as Jack was fixing his
glove and ball for the game tomorrow
"All know is that Freddie's uncle
got into some kind Of trouble during
the war and was out in prison. Now
! he is trying with a lot Of other men
| to get out and get the President to
forgive them for what they did. !
don't know just what they did"
"Let's ask Uncle Ted" said Ruth.
s'He will know"
GAN right, that's a good idea. He
owes us story tonight anyway"
"What is that about story y
asked Uncle Ted.
"You said you would tell us story
tonight and we want to know some
thing about these men in prison for
trouble during the war"
Nothing would suit me better
replied Uncle Ted. There are GER
tain influences trying to stab US in
the back today just as they tried to
stab the soldiers in the back during
the war. Every person yelling for
amnesty and saying that these men
who worked against the government
during the war are being kept prison
ers for the express of opinion or
for belief in free speech is stating
an absolute untruth. AL of these
! men are being held prisoners after
fair trial for violating the Law. and
for, trying to defeat the United
| States during the war. The very
least thing that any one Of them
did was either to speak or write a.
gainst the enforcement Of the draft
law, the only fair means ever devised
for raising an army.
II wonder how many Of the inno-
cent people who are seeking amnesty
for these prisoners know tina this
drive is being directed from Moscow,
the seat Of the Russian soviet gov
/ eminent that government which
runs red with the blood Of revolu-
ton Of the worst kind? The Com
munists who want to overthrow this
government by force have sent writ
ten suggestions to the United States
and ones Of them is signed by three
leading Bolsheviks calling for this
very amnesty drive. They know
that if they can be successful in gett-
ing these men out Of Jail and pardon
ed it will weaken the government
and greatly strengthen their cause.
"You have both heard Of the !. w.
1 W., the organization that has always
advocated and adopted violent meth
DDS. It has been proved again and
again that they have been and still
are trying to start revolution IN
4 this country "a revolution to be
\ brought about by violence. One Of
/ the best known judges in the country
4 has pointed out some Of the crimes
Of sabotage committed by members
of this organization at time when
our country was at war and needed
every bit Of assistance il the world
"What is sabotage?" asked Jack.
Sabotage, Jack, is the crime Of
wasting, iujuring or destroying pro-
4 perty. 1t is the lowest form of
crime because it is the destruction Of
those things which belong to the
man for whom you work and who
makes it possible for you to work
and live.
II want to tell you Of some things
those I. w. W. men died for which
they were given fair trial and put in
prison and for which they now want
to be let out and pardoned. In saw
/ mills they drove nails in logs so
4 that the saw was shattered when it
struck them. They cut the logs
! short that they were useless and had
to be trowh away. In apple or
chards they pinched the apples so
that they would rot in shipping In
| the grain fields of the West and
1 Middle West they placed sulphur
matches in the bundles Of wheat, oats
and other grains so that when they
were put through threshing mach
! ines they set the grain on fire. In
machine shops, factories and ship
yards they put emery dust, hard
substance used to grind with, in
machine bearings, running the mach
inery which cost thousands Of dol
lars and which was used in making
essentials to help us fight the war.
"But worse than all this, the re-
cords Of the court trying these men
show that some of these prisoners
deliberately misdirected or poisoned
food which was intended to feed ouI
army in France!"
| prison is too good for them, =
shouted Jack.
"T'll say it is, Jack. The trouble
(, is that most people, have gotten sc