You need to know that you are fit for something
better than slavery and cannon fodder.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday June 18, 1918
Canton, Ohio – Federal Agents Were on Hand at Nimisilla Park
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer of June 17, 1918:
DEBS URGES AID FOR BOLSHEVIKI FROM AMERICA
—–
Suggests Army of 1,000,000 Socialists to Help
Russia Resist Prussian Aggression.
—–FIGHT CAPITALISTIC WAR
—–
U. S. Agents Hear Speeches
at Canton Convention;
May Act.
—–BY C. R. MILLER.
Staff Correspondent Plain Dealer.
CANTON, June 16.-Hundreds of Socialists, including scores of delegates to the Ohio Socialist party convention which has been in progress here since Friday [June 14th], went on record today as being unequivocally opposed to “a war of capitalism.”
The Socialists of Ohio were urged to stand by the party’s program by Eugene V. Debs, three times Socialist candidate for president, who addressed the closing session of the convention which took the form of a picnic at one of Canton’s public parks.
J. J. Fried, Cleveland Socialist, said Debs had approved a plan for American Socialists’ co-operation with the Bolsheviki by sending an army of 1,000,000 men to their assistance.
Mr. Debs, after paying tribute to Socialist leaders, particularly to those of Cleveland who had “the moral course” to go to jail for the sake of their principles, praised I. W. W. members, referred to the Bolsheviki as “our comrades who have made Russia a land of living light,” and charged the purposes of the allies in the war is the same as that of the central powers-a desire for plunder.
