Historical Perspective: Debs ambivalently 'receives' fifth nomination for president
Rob Robbins
Historical Perspective: Debs ambivalently ‘receives’ fifth nomination for president
By Mike McCormick Special to the Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — On May 29, 1920,
Terre Haute native Eugene V. Debs participated in a unique event in American
history.
As Convict 9653 in the Atlanta federal penitentiary, Debs was
formally tendered the nomination of a major political party for president of the
U.S.
It was the fifth time Debs was chosen his party’s candidate at its
national convention, which ended in 1920 at Madison Square Garden in New York
City on May 14.
Clad in blue denim — the traditional prison garb provided
to inmates at Atlanta — Debs received but did not accept the commission. In a
carefully-worded and slowly delivered address, he “accepted the honor” paid to
him by his beloved comrades.
The official notification took place in the
office of Warden Fred G. Zerbst after Debs was allowed to meet privately in the
May sunshine for nearly an hour with a group of Socialists especially chosen to
deliver to him the fruits of the convention.
Accompanying them were
photographers and motion picture film makers.
In the first meeting since
his imprisonment on April 13, 1919, at a federal prison in Moundsville, W.Va.,
Debs embraced Seymour Stedman, the Socialists’ vice-presidential nominee, and
Dr. Madge Patton Stephens, a founding member of the Terre Haute chapter of
Socialist Party of America. Each brought him a bouquet of roses.
A
respected civil liberties lawyer from Illinois, Stedman was a co-founder, with
Debs, of the Social Democratic Party of America (1897) and a co-founder of the
Socialist Party of America (1901).
Stedman had a consistent history of
opposing unjust causes. An occasional candidate for public office in Illinois,
he was a vehement opponent of the Ku Klux Klan. Though they often were aligned
together, Stedman and Debs did not always agree. Among Stedman’s clients was
multimillionaire Rose Phelps Stokes, eventual co-founder of the Communist Party
of America.
A physician specializing in the treatment of “chronic
diseases,” Madge Patton Stephens maintained an office downtown Terre Haute.
Madge and her husband, Wallace, an undertaker, resided at 203 Van Buren Blvd.,
in Edgewood Grove.
Other members of the honor committee were long-time
Terre Haute resident James Oneal, author, associate editor of the New York Call,
a daily socialist newspaper, and a member of the National Socialist executive
committee; Julius Gerber, secretary of the Socialists Party of New York; and
Otto Branstetter, secretary of the National Socialists executive
committee.
At first glance, Debs appeared healthier than his visitors. He
had been transferred to the maximum security prison in Atlanta from Moundsville
in June 1919.
“Prison pallor” was conspicuous by its absence. His face
was tanned a bright brown. He was lanky, slightly stoop-shouldered, wearing
prison sneakers and pink flannel socks.
The “official ceremony” was
delayed until Warden Zerbst could transport prisoner Joseph Caldwell, former
secretary of the Socialists Party in Rhode Island, to the site. Caldwell had
been sentenced to five years at Atlanta on the same charge that had nailed Debs
following the latter’s remarks in Canton opposing the war June 16,
1918.
Caldwell was warmly received by the visiting group.
Then, as
Warden Zerbst watched with a smile, Mr. Oneal arose:
“Comrade Debs,” he
began, “in the struggle of humanity for liberation its advance couriers have
often spoken from a felon’s cell. In the long roll of liberators, your name has
been added to this glorious list.
“The felon of one age becomes an
emancipator in the view of posterity. Socrates, Christ, Bruno, Savonarola,
Lovejoy and John Brown have trod this path. History will reward its judgment of
you, dear Comrade, as one of them.
“In an hour of passion and autocracy
you spoke as they spoke. You defended the human mind unchained and the right of
ungagged expression of opinion. You incarnate the best ideals and traditions in
American history and the hopes of humanity.
“With affection too profound
to express in words, in the name of the Socialists of the United States and many
thousands of other liberty-loving men and women, we tender this nomination to
you!”
When Oneal finished, Debs arose quietly, glancing from
face-to-face.
“Mr. Oneal, and Comrades,” he began, “you will understand
that in my present situation I am unable, on account of prison rules, to issue
any formal acceptance of the honor you have kindly and generously tendered to me
on behalf of the Socialists Party.”
Debs reviewed each previous time he
had accepted presidential nominations: 1900, 1904, 1908 and 1912. He said he had
accepted them “only for the good of the party.” He was persuaded to become a
candidate in 1920 to reunite opposing elements in the party.
“I have
always been a radical but never more so than now,” he concluded. “The Socialists
Party must be a party of workers, not a party of politicians. I am heartily in
favor of the Russian revolution and think we should support it with all of our
power.
“With all my heart I return my thanks and appreciation for the
honor you have done me. I may not be able to join you in the activities of the
campaign but you can rest assured that, if I am here, my spirit will breathe out
through these bars so my comrades will know my heart beats with
theirs.
“We should withhold any criticism in this campaign. I am sorry
recently to read the speech of a comrade attacking Congress. I shall not attack
them (sic). I know that they are as sincere in their position as we are in ours.
There are mistakes made on both sides.
“Extremists have denounced me as a
traitor but I shall not denounce them. We can develop a united party but we
cannot do it by criticizing those who disagree with us.”
Thanking those
present once more for attending, he sat down, ending the ceremony.
In
July 18, 1920, Debs announced, through U.S. Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer
that he no longer would accept interviews with correspondents. It was affirmed
that Debs individually received more mail than the rest of the prison
population.
After his mail was read by prison authorities for security
purposes, it was bundled and sent to brother Theodore Debs, his private
secretary, in Terre Haute for distribution and response.
~Catherine Pulsifer~