———-
Hellraisers Journal – Thursday March 20, 1919
Eugene V. Debs Issues Statement Regarding U. S. Supreme Court Decision
From The Ohio Socialist of March 19, 1919:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SOURCE & IMAGE
The Ohio Socialist
(Cleveland, Ohio)
“Official Organ of the Socialist Parties of Ohio,
Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and New Mexico”
-Mar 19, 1919
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/ohio-socialist/060-mar-19-1919.pdf
See also:
Tag: Debs v. United States
https://weneverforget.org/tag/debs-v-united-states/
Tag: USA v Debs 1918
https://weneverforget.org/tag/usa-v-debs-1918/
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitive_Slave_Act_of_1850
Voices of Revolt, Volume IX
Speeches of Eugene V. Debs
-Page 84
International Publishers, 1928
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/parties/cpusa/voices-of-revolt/09-Eugene-V-Debs-VOR-ocr.pdf
THE SUPREME COURT-A TRIBUNAL OF THE RULING CLASS
(Statement issued March 10, 1919 when the U. S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction and sentence of Debs, quoted in David Karsner, “Debs: His Authorized Life and Speeches,” p. 56.)
THE decision is perfectly consistent with the character of the Supreme Court as a ruling class tribunal. It could not have been otherwise. So far as I am personally concerned, the decision is of small consequence. But there is an issue at stake of vital interest to the American people. It involves the fundamental right of free speech. With this our boasted freedom is a delusion and a farce…..
Great issues are not decided by the courts, but by the people. I have no concern in what the coterie of begowned corporation lawyers in Washington may decide in my case. The court of final resort is the people, and that court will be heard from in due time.
The decision just rendered places the United States where old Russia under the Czar left off. It is good for, at least, a million Bolshevist recruits in this country.
I stand by every word of the Canton speech. The Supreme Court to the contrary, notwithstanding, the Espionage Law is perfectly infamous and a disgrace as well to the capitalist despotism at whose behest it was enacted.
Sixty years ago the Supreme Court affirmed the validity of the Fugitive Slave Law to save chattel slavery. Five years later that infamous institution was swept from the land in a torrent of blood. I despise the Espionage Law with every drop of blood in my veins, and I defy the Supreme Court and all the powers of capitalism to do their worst.
All hail to the workers of America and the world!
The day of emancipation is dawning
Debs: His Authorized Life and Letters
-by David Karsner
Boni and Liveright, 1919
https://books.google.com/books?id=U9cPAQAAMAAJ
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=U9cPAQAAMAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA56
Also found at Internet Archive and at HathiTrust
https://archive.org/details/debshisauthorize00karsrich
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/004402827
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~