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
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.
