Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-12-19 | Page 3 | Defense Opens in Berger Case

x DENSE OPENS II BERBER CASE Judge Overrules Motion to Take Case From the Jury. Adolph Germer, General Secretary of Party, Is First Vitness. CHICAGO, Pec. IS. The government vlo.-ird its caso today in the trial of Con-sr.-s.smcin-clect Victor L. Berber of .Milwaukee .Mil-waukee ami four other Socialist leaders churned with conspiracy to violate the espionage es-pionage law. Alter Jud'c Tandis overruled over-ruled a motion to tako the case from the v'j'Jiy and discharge tho defendants, the r .socialists began their case by calling f Adolph Gerinor, general secretary of the National .Social it t party, one of the dc- fenH-inta c a i i r. fir-ct wilnnso Counsel for the defento asked to have certain government testimony bearing on thu queviion of conspira- y excluoVrl from, l lie record. JiKige Ltandis reserved liis (1 ecisiriii. ;;erntfr did not get much further than " giving his ca rly personal hit lory heforc TV court adjourned. lie s-aid he was born in Kast Prussia, derninny, thirty-wix years ago, and was brought to this country by his parents in December. 1 8SS. His father was a coal miner and the. family f-e tiled In ra'-e-villc, 111. Gennr attended the public, and parochial schools and then went to work in the coal mines. In he was a delegate to the World Conference of Miners, held at Amsterdam. (Jermor said he became a Socialist in 1U00 by joining the Socialist Democratic party, which later became, the National Socialist party. He paid lie first met Berger in 10u3, He was elected general secretary of the National Socialist party in 1916. He described the details of the party's organization organi-zation at le-ns-th. arid told of John Sargo's resigning from the executive committee after the St. Douis convention in May, when the parly adopted the proclamation procla-mation and war program which caused factional strlfo in the organization. Soldier Recalled. In closing its case, the government recalled re-called Arnold Schiller, a soldier, formerly former-ly a clerk in the office of tho National Socialist party offices in Chicago. He gave testimony in regard to John K. Bleischmidt, a brother-in-law of William Krusse, a defendant, who had charge of the making out of conscientious objectors' ob-jectors' affidavits at Socialistheadi-uarters in Chicago. The evidence showed that Bleischmidt registered for the draft at his homo in Jersey City, but disappeared when called tor military duty, and was classed as a. deserter from the army. 1'anl V. Roth in be rs, an employee of the Illinois state food department, and Max Burlow, a printer, told of alleged anti- ' war sentiments expressed by Adolpli ier-mer ier-mer ai a meeting held in Chicago, August 3 0. J PIT, which afterward resulted in Oei-mer's Oei-mer's arrest.' M". C. J-Ianley, formerly chief investl- gaior ior me American .rroieciivu leaj-ut; in Chicago, told of a conversation he bad with Ocrmer when he was brought to the federal building after bis alleged antiwar anti-war tpeech on tho "night of August 10, 1917. To Continue Speeches. C "I asked him," said I fa nicy, "if lie 1n-"v 1n-"v tended li continue to make such speeches. He said he expected to continue to deliver de-liver speeches on the subject. He said he was not the only person who held those views about tho war. He said Colonel Theodore Roosevelt had expressed similar opinions in statements published in the newspapers, f denied the truth of this slatemcnt, and there was considerable talk about it. Germer faid this country was d rigged into the war to help our England." En-gland." J. V,. 7-Iarris, former managing editor of the Milwaukee leader and at present with the Milwaukee Journal, was recalled for further cross-examination by the defense. "He was shown an article published in the Milwaukee Journal, in which the Milwaukee Milwau-kee Deader was attacked for alleged dis-loynlty. dis-loynlty. The article wan read to the Jury to show that the witness was at present employed em-ployed by a newspaper hnstile to the Milwaukee- Leader, of which Mr. Berger is editor.