Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-07
Of WAR
PRISONERS APPEAL
MAY BECOME ISSUE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
Copyright, 1921


Copyright, 1921
WASHINGTON, June 6-While
the Shrine bands are playing and
the national capital is in festive
mood, there's a little group of work
ers besieging the White House beg
ging some of the spirit of gladness
be bestowed on fifty-rwo men Ian
gushing in the federal penitentiary
not because they committed any
acts of violence, but because they
expressed thoughts deemed improper
during the war.
The markings of a real issue-one
on which liberals and progressives
, can be united, and one in which men
Like Senators La Toilette and Borah
are planning already to tour the
country-are to be found in the
cases of the fifty-two prisone4s.
Friends of the president are urging
him to pardon these men, as all of
them have served at least five years
already in jail, and have been pun
ished enough. Otherwise public
opinion will continue to be aroused
and an impression of lack of com
passion, if not injustice, will be con-
veyed by those who are ready to
make political capital out of the
cases.
Many Leaders Join Group
Senator George Wharton Pepper,
of Pennsylvania, Republican, who
by no stretch of the imagination
could be accused of sympathizing
with the I. w. WIS. and who yields
to no man in America in his pro-
testations of 400 per cent Ameri-
canism," has just finished an ex-
haustive study of the legal points of
these cases, and is in favor of the
release of the prisoners. Federal
Judge Pollock, of Kansas City, and
former United States Attorney Fred
Robertson, the former being the
man who sentenced several of the
prisoners originally, and the latter
! the man who prosecuted the same,
now have expressed themselves in
favor of pardoning the prisoners.
Meanwhile Caesar Tabib and Edward
! Quigley, two of the prisoners, are
said to be dying of consumption.
Why are they not released? Presi-
dent Harding is not usually accused
of being hard hearted. He has par
doned Eugene V. Debs, who certain
| ly said more things against the war
and did more to stretch the limits
of free speech to the breaking point
than any l. w. w. Why not the
others? These questions are asked
again and again by people inquir-
ing into the cases, but no answer has
come from either the White House
or the department of justice beyond
| the statement that the cases were
| being studied and something would
be done soon. Three or four months
have elapsed since this was said.
Meanwhile impartial lawyers are
examining the facts and merits of
the cases and are saying the gov
eminent has not proved any of the
men guilty of crime and that it is
apparent the government is holding
the prisoners for their economic
rather than their political heresies.
Nearly everyone of these prisoners is
an American citizen. Practically all
are of Anglo Saxon stock.
\ Other Countries Act
Prisoners charged with similar Of
lenses of written or spoken word
during the war in other countries
have long since been released. Some
of the American prisoners had SEN
ICllCCo VI lHCHlJ ycdlS IIllpOoSu vi
them. Sixty Protestant Episcopal
bishops, many Methodist and Baptist
ministers together with many wom
en- prominent in the League of
Woman Voters have appealed to the
White House to show clemency
The men in jail have promised to
obey the constitution when they are
released.
Attorney General Daugherty has
been away from his office on account
Of illness, the president has been
waiting for the department of justice
to recommend action. Meanwhile a
group of civil liberties workers are\
beginning to make martyrs of what
they term political prisoners" and
a campaign of picketing is in pros
pect with the usual annoying tao.
tics. President Harding is miners
ed in plenty of troubles as it is. He
has I'll precedent for releasing the
prisoners because he let Debs out
Will he give the La Toilette opposi-
ton and the bloc that will control
both houses of congress next session