The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-01-11

Washington Christmas season in
the capital of the American imperial
republic. Attorney General Sargent,
an old man about to surrender the of
flee with which he has never become
really acquainted, announces that
there will be no Christmas pardon list
in the federal prisons this year. Re-
publican Ex-congressman Langley
gets a pardon, 4and Republican Elk
alien Custodian Miller gets a parole,
but the sentiment of the days of es-
pecial good will among men must not
be pleaded for ordinary persons.
Just few years ago-was it six I?
= Christmas in Washington was
marked by President Harding's parole
of Debs. Millions of Americans had
wished for the great liberator's re-
lease. Tens of thousands had petit
toned for it. Chief Justice Taft had
done what he could, in bitterness at
the contempt which Debs had brought
upon his anti-labor record, to keep the
socialist martyr in Jail. Had not Debs
himself said, as he crossed the thresh-
old of Moundsville Prison, ct enter the
prison doors flaming revolutionist? 2"
!! f! /!
Possibly the easy going Harding
became ashamed of the thought of
Debs behind the gray walls of the
federal penitentiary. All over the
world great writer's were speaking of
his heroism in the long war against
wars. Perhaps Harding had had call
ed to his attention this passage from
Hewlett's "Open Country: cit is
doubtless necessary that there should
be frequent crucifixions. 1t seems to
be the way of the world. A man to
whom the truth is blazed as clear as
noon goes out into the streets filled
to the lips with his revelations. Snug
citizens avoid him, put up their shut
tiers and lock their doors; dogs bark
at his heels; the ribald gather, one
throws stone.
"Then comes the storm upon him, in
which he falls, battered bleeding, with
glazed eyes. There's an end of the
blasphemer who dares question the
established order, who says that use
and wont are not sacred at all, but
hoary in iniquity.
Having slain him, they learn that
he was a god, and his revelation law
of nature. Up goes statue, and his
words are read as gospel. That's
S how we get on in this quaint world
a climbing to the stars on the heapeC
bodies of our heroes and sages."
: ! s!
And so Debs came from prison tc
the capital, an dcalled upon Attorney
General Daugherty, who treated hin
e with the harshness of his own guilt
e and then he spoke kindly to Harding
: who smiled but thought him crazy.
: This holiday time the Unitarian
e church, where Chief Justice Taft is {
d boosted pew holder, is showing NOV
e ing picture, "Ben Hur," which is the
c story of the Carpenter of Nazareth
and the leprous political prison of the
I Romans in Jerusalem and the whip
It ping to death of political prisoners il
II the galleys of the Roman war fleet
o The political offender who was lee
= through the streets of the Judean cap
- ital was revolutionist who employed
o new weapons-the gospel of human
is brotherhood and peace. He was exc
o cuted, after the mob of his own peopl,
: had been stirred up to demand hi
death. And yet, in time, his gospel o.
le brotherhood upset hundred thrones
% as it put the human race far forward
J on its way.
= II !
= IF were to engage in satire,
:, Debs said with his rarely beautiful
II smile, as he rode to prison in thu
r spring of 1919, 81 would say hov
5 strange it is that have been organic
Q ing labor for forty years yet now an
: being taken to prison by union men,
e He was glad that his life time O.
% self-sacrificing effort had helped t
It make the tran crews union men. HI
4 knew that most Of them were homes
Christians, familiar with the story 9
the Carpenter. 1t seemed strange tina