Tag: Terre Haute IN

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part II

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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I have no country to fight for;
my country is the earth;
I am a citizen of the world.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday September 8, 1918
Terre Haute, Indiana – John Reed and Art Young with Debs on July 4th

From The Liberator of September 1918:

With Gene Debs on the Fourth

By John Reed
[Part II]
—–

EVD, w Reed n Young, Liberator, Sept 1918

It was on the Fourth of July that Art Young and I went to Terre Haute to see Gene. Barely a month before, the terrible rumor had gone round, chilling all our hearts- “Gene Debs is going back on the party!” That lie he nailed in the ringing statement published in the New York Call, and the Wallings, the Simonses, the Bensons cringed under the lash of his words…. Then came his tour through the middle states, menaced everywhere with arrest, violence, even lynching…and Debs calmly speaking according to schedule, fearless, fiery and full of love of people…. Then his Canton speech, a clear internationalist manifesto, and the Cleveland arrest.

“Gene Debs arrested! They’ve arrested Gene!” people said everywhere, with a shock, a feeling of pity, of affection, of rage. Nothing that has happened in the United States this year has stirred so many people just this way. The long sentences given to conscientious objectors, the suppression of the Socialist press, the indictment of editors, lecturers, Socialist officials under the Espionage and Sedition Acts-people didn’t seem to be deeply moved by these things; but the arrest indictment of Gene Debs-of Gene Debs as a traitor to his country! That was like a slap in the face to thousands of simple people-many of them not Socialists at all-who had heard him speak and therefore loved him. Not to mention the hundreds he has personally befriended, helped or even saved from every sort of evil….

“Gene Debs arrested! Our Gene! That’s going too far!”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part II” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part I

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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I have no country to fight for;
my country is the earth;
I am a citizen of the world.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday September 7, 1918
Terre Haute, Indiana – John Reed and Art Young with Debs on July 4th

From The Liberator of September 1918:

With Gene Debs on the Fourth

By John Reed
[Part I]
—–

EVD, w Reed n Young, Liberator, Sept 1918

“WHAT’LL it be, Mr. Sparks?” asked the drug-clerk, with the familiarity of common citizenship in Terre Haute, Indiana, and the respect due to a successful politician.

“Gimme a nut sundae, George,” said the lawyer, who lived around the corner on Sycamore street. Sparks is not his real name. He was dressed up in a new grey suit, adorned with a small American flag, buttons of the First and Third Liberty loans, and a Red Cross emblem. “Reg’lar Fourth o’ July weather, hey George?”

Through the windows of the drug-store Eighth Street looked extremely animated; with families trooping toward the center of the town, flags aslant in children’s hands, mother and pa in holiday attire and sweating freely; with patriarchal automobiles of neighboring farmers, full of starched youngsters and draped with bunting. Faintly came the sound of an occasional fire-cracker, and the thin strains of martial music from the parade. A hot, sticky wind blew occasional puffs of yellow dust up the street.

“Yes, we got a spell of heat all right,” responded George. “We’re going to close the store pretty soon and go up town to see the p’rade.” He scooped ice-cream and went on gossiping. “They say Gene Debs has got arrested up to Cleve-land….”

Everyone in the place stopped talking and looked up.

“Yes,” said the lawyer in a satisfied tone. “Ye-e-es, I guess from what the papers say Gene stepped over the line this time. I guess they’ll shut him up now.”

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: John Reed and Art Young with Eugene Debs in Terre Haute, July 4th, Part I” →

Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Speaks in Terre Haute to Socialists of Indiana’s Fifth District, Defends Canton Speech

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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I have no country to fight for;
my country is the earth;
I am a citizen of the world.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday June 25, 1918
Terre Haute, Indiana – Debs Defends Canton Speech

From The Indianapolis News of June 24, 1918:


DEBS MAKES DEFENSE OF
HIS CANTON SPEECH
—–

FLAYS PROFITEERS IN ADDRESS AT TERRE HAUTE.
——

PRAISES WILSON PROGRAM
—–

Special to The Indianapolis News

EVD, re Canton n DoJ, Huntington IN Hld p10, June 21, 1918

TERRE HAUTE. Ind. June 24.-Challenging any one anywhere to show him a Socialist who is a pro-German in the sense of being in sympathy with the German government in the prosecution of this war. Eugene V. Debs, former Socialist candidate for President spoke Sunday afternoon [June 20th] in the ball park here from a flag bedecked platform at a picnic of the Socialists of the Fifth district.

Debs branded as a “lie” the printed reports that he made seditious remarks in a talk last week at Canton, O. He praised the Bolsheviki of Russia, and praised President Wilson for his attitude toward the Bolsheviki.

He declared the Russian revolution to be the most stupendous event in history and predicted the success of the Bolsheviki.

Impatient for Results.

The trouble is the world wants the bolsheviki to give a perfect democracy within twenty-four hours time. Our Wall street would rather see the czar back on the throne than the working people.

All of the profiteers are against President Wilson. Every profiteer despises Wilson.

Debs made a defense of his Canton (O.) talk which is said to have led to a federal investigation.

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Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Speaks on “The Coming Nation” for Benefit of Terre Haute Central Labor Union

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Quote EVD, Modern Wage Slave, Terre Haute May 31, 1998, Debs-IA
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday June 8, 1898
Terre Haute, Indiana – Debs Speaks in Favor of Socialism

From the Huntington Weekly Herald of June 3, 1898:

EVD, New Time Magazine, Feb 1898Debs Talks at Terre Haute.

Terre Haute, Ind., June 2-Eugene Debs Spoke on “The Coming Nation” at the Opera House here [on Tuesday May 31st] to a large audience. The address was for the benefit of the Central Labor union, which has been organized on a stronger basis than ever before in the city. The receipts were large and the fund for the union’s new headquarters will be considerably increased. Debs’ address was an argument in favor of socialism.

———-

[Photograph added.]

From the Terre Haute Gazette of June 1, 1898:

Debs’ Lecture on the “Coming Nation”
—–

For the first time in the record of the ages the inalienable rights of man—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—have been usurped.

On July 4th, 1776, our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence by which the ruler descended form his sceptered throne, the gem of liberty was planted in eternal truth, the workingman stood erect in his heaven-decreed prerogative, freed from his bonds.

It was decreed by the infinite that man should stand forth the coronated sovereign of the world. The song of liberty is the song of the stars. There is no more appropriate theme and to wave the banner of freedom. No matter how nature may be decked with beauty, no matter if she sends forth a succession of glorious melodies, if liberty is ostracized and expelled, the world wheels round the sun a gilded prison, a blot to the Siberian sphere of the heavens.

Strike down liberty, no matter by what subtle art, and the world becomes paralyzed by an indescribable power. Strike down the fetters of the plain, and it becomes a new world through the almighty genius of liberty. Its works redeem the poor man from animal suspense and make of him a new being. In our courts the product of our political liberty is being realized to a gratifying extent. I believe in a few years woman will be franchised and we will elect the officers of our country by direct vote. The political democracy will be complete.

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Hellraisers Journal: Fond Farewell from Eugene V. Debs: “Edward Bellamy Was a Friend of Mine”

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Quote Edward Bellamy, New World, AtR p1, May 28, 1898
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Monday May 30, 1898
Terre Haute, Indiana – Debs Remembers Edward Bellamy

On the evening of May 28th, from his home in Terre Haute, Comrade Debs spoke fondly of his friend, Edward Bellamy who died of tuberculosis on May 22nd at his home in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts.

From the Terre Haute Express of May 29, 1898:

Mr. Debs on Bellamy

Edward Bellamy ab 1889, Wiki, LOC

It was with the most sincere regret that I learned of the death of Edward Bellamy. He was a very warm friend of mine.

When in 1888 the first edition of Looking Backward appeared, the name of Edward Bellamy flashed around the world. Of this epoch-making book it is estimated that fully 200,000 copies have been sold, and it has been translated into German, French, Italian, Russian, and many other languages.

Rarely has a book created such a profound impression on the popular mind. For years there has been agitation of the social question in other countries, especially in Germany and France, where a mighty international socialist movement was developing at a rate to arouse apprehension among the ruling class. Looking Backward was the first popular exposition of socialism in this country. Thousands read it with keen delight without being aware that it undermined the existing social order and paved the way for the social commonwealth.

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Hellraisers Journal: Eugene V. Debs Opines on Religious Laws, Religious Liberty & the Sabbatarian Penitentiary

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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Quote Debs Religious Bigots, Terre Haute Tb, Mar 1, 1908

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday March 6, 1908
Terre Haute, Indiana – Eugene V. Debs on Legislated Sabbatarianism

From the Terre Haute Tribune of March 1, 1908:

Progress by Prohibition

by Eugene V. Debs

HMP, EVD, Eugene OR Guard, May 30, 1907

Some well-meaning but deluded people think that all wickedness can be overcome and the millennium ushered in by prohibition. Anything they do not happen to like is bad, according to their ethics, and forthwith is put upon their prohibition list. These people strain at gnats and swallow camels. They throw a fit over a man taking a drink at 11:30 or playing a game of cards, but they are not concerned about wage-slavery, or child-sweating, which have a thousand victims where the saloon has one.

These people are not satisfied to be permitted to spend their Sundays as they choose, but they must see to it that others spend their Sundays in the same way. According to these fanatics, practically everything in town is to be closed Sunday except the churches. This means that Terre Haute is to be converted into a sabbatarian penitentiary. The gospel of gloom will then be triumphant and the spirit of bigotry and intolerance will seek other fields to conquer.

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Hellraisers Journal: Suffragist Picket Now in Prison & Susan B. Anthony Remembered by Eugene Debs

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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EVD Quote, Susan B Anthony, Pearson's Mag, July 1917

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday October 25, 1917
Occoquan Workhouse, Virginia – Photograph of Abby Scott Baker

From Indiana’s Richmond Palladium of October 22, 1917:

Suffragists, Abby Scott Baker, Prison, Rmd IN Pldm, Oct 22, 1917

Here are shown two photographs of Mrs. Abby Scott Baker, one of the most prominent women members of army set in Washington, recently arrested with other militant suffragists outside the White House and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in the workhouse at Occoquan.

The first photograph depicts her in evening dress, and the second shows her in the coarse uniform given her after she had begun serving her sentence. This uniform consists of underwear made of ticking, thick cotton socks, man’s size shoes with the soles worn through, and a blue gingham apron held at the waist with a string that also served as a corset. In the pocket of the apron she carried a comb and tooth brush, given her by the officials of the workhouse.

———-

DEBS REMEMBERS SUSAN B. ANTHONY

While the suffragists picketing the White House in Washington D. C. are being dragged off to jail, we offer this remembrance of Susan B. Anthony, whose long and unrelenting struggle for full citizenship these brave women carry on. The fond memorial tribute to Miss Anthony is gleaned from an article by Eugene V. Debs which appeared in the July 1917 edition of Pearson’s Magazine. (We urge our readers to seek out the entire article):

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Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs May Become First Socialist Congressman from Indiana

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday October 25, 1916
Terre Haute, Indiana – Mr. Debs from Fifth Congressional District

From the Logansport Pharos-Reporter of October 24th:

DEBS, SOCIALIST LEADER, NOW RUNS FOR CONGRESS
—–

Eugene Debs, Wilshire's Magazine, Nov 1905

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., Oct. 25.-Eugene Debs, twice Socialist party candidate for president, may become the first Socialist congressman from Indiana. He is a candidate from the Fifth Indiana district against Ralph Moss, Democrat and one of the authors of the rural credits bill, and Everett Sanders, Republican attorney of this city.

Debs is making a rapid-fire campaign. Contributions have come from Socialists in many parts of the United States and other countries. Many miners in the district are Socialists and Debs’ followers count heavily on his personality, which once carried him into the office of county clerk with more votes than all his opponents combined.

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Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs on the Proposed Platform of the Socialist Party of America

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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The industrial organization of the working class
is the foundation of the Socialist movement,
and without it Socialism is impossible.
-Eugene V. Debs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 13, 1916
Terre Haute, Indiana – Debs for Revolutionary Economic Organization

From St. Louis Labor of August 12, 1916:

On the Proposed National Platform
by Eugene V. Debs

Terre Haute, Ind., August 4

Socialist Party of America Button

Every member ought to read carefully the draft of the new platform of the Socialist Party recently submitted to the party membership for final action. The importance to the party and to our propaganda of a sound platform, a clear and ringing declaration of what the party stands for and what it stands against, cannot be overestimated.

The platform now before us doubtless had the most careful thought and conscientious attention of the committee that framed it and it is certainly well written, its propositions are clearly stated, and its indictment of capitalism and militarism strongly drawn; yet it would be expecting too much to find it free from objection.
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