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The shocking truth about the crackdown on Occupy - Article by Naomi Wolf on the Guardian
And what happened to Debs in the end? Did he get a lawyer?
Sorry, I must have missed this part earlier.
Upon being convicted, the elderly Debs gave, in my opinion, one of the greatest speeches of all-time, the beginning of which went:
Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.
Afterwards, Debs lost his appeal to the Supreme Court, who decided that he'd violated the Espionage Act because his intention was to obstruct military recruitment, and went to prison on 4/13/1919. In 1920, Debs ran for president from prison, receiving 913,664 write-in votes. He also wrote various columns and a book critical of the prison system.
Many people supported clemency for Debs, who was a model prison and was in declining health, but Wilson refused, stating he was "a traitor to his country." Eventually, however, his sentenced was commuted to time served by the newly-elected Harding effective 12/25/1921. Debs passed away on 10/20/1926.
Eugene Debs is one of the greatest Americans to ever have lived, in my opinion. He was a champion of the working-class if there ever was one. I highly recommend picking up one of his biographies, especially The Bending Cross or Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist.
Obstructing military recruitment? All those anti-ROTC campus protests of the 60's didn't land anyone a 10-year prison sentence on espionage. Looks like they wanted to get Debs out of the way. And that was well before all the socialist organizing during the Depression. What were they afraid of?
Comments
Upon being convicted, the elderly Debs gave, in my opinion, one of the greatest speeches of all-time, the beginning of which went: Afterwards, Debs lost his appeal to the Supreme Court, who decided that he'd violated the Espionage Act because his intention was to obstruct military recruitment, and went to prison on 4/13/1919. In 1920, Debs ran for president from prison, receiving 913,664 write-in votes. He also wrote various columns and a book critical of the prison system.
Many people supported clemency for Debs, who was a model prison and was in declining health, but Wilson refused, stating he was "a traitor to his country." Eventually, however, his sentenced was commuted to time served by the newly-elected Harding effective 12/25/1921. Debs passed away on 10/20/1926.
Eugene Debs is one of the greatest Americans to ever have lived, in my opinion. He was a champion of the working-class if there ever was one. I highly recommend picking up one of his biographies, especially The Bending Cross or Eugene V. Debs: Citizen and Socialist.