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Show FEDERAL JURORS HOLD QUITE FOR U.SlfiJTE Indictment Returned in Chicago Ag-ainst Victor L. Berger, Wisconsin Socialist So-cialist Party Leader. MINISTER IS ALSO HELD FOR TRIAL Accused Men Charged With Conspiracy to Violate Espionage Law; 26 Overt Acts Cited. CHICAGO, March 9. Victor L. Berger, former congressman from Wisconsin; Adolph Germer, national secretary of the Socialist party; the Rev. Irwin St. John Tucker, a Chicago Socialist; J. Louis Engdahl and William F. Kruse were indicted in-dicted by the. federal grand jury today, charged with obstructing recruiting, encouraging en-couraging disloyalty and interfering with the prosecution of the war. The indictments, returned February 2, but withheld by District Attorney Clyne, charge twenty-six: overt acts. It is charged those indicted conspired to violate vio-late the espionage act by speeches and articles printed in certain publications. Kngdahl is editor of the American Socialist So-cialist of Chicago and Kruse is editor of 4ho Young People's Socialist magazine, maga-zine, which is published here. Mr. Berger, who is a candidate for nomination for United States senator from Wisconsin on the Socialist ticket, In announcing his platform this week said if elected he would work for the passage of a resolution by congress directing the president to summon warring countries to an immediate armistice and peace conference. con-ference. His platform also calls for the withdrawal of American trops from Europe Eu-rope to procure absolute 'security for this country." The Wisconsin senatorial election will be held April 2. Seymour Stedman, counsel for the National Na-tional Socialist party, issued a statement tonight in which he expressed the view that "war profiteers and monster capitalists capi-talists are most Interested in this prosecution." prose-cution." Charges Conspiracy. Mr. Clyne stated that those indicted conspired to violate the espionage act "through public speeches, articles written writ-ten in certain newspapers, among others the Milwaukee Leader and the American Socialist, and through certain pamphlets, pam-phlets, among others a pamphlet entitled 'Proclamation and War Programme,' a pamphlet, 'Down With War,' a pamphlet 'The Price We Pay,' a pamphlet 'Why You Should Fight,' and by means of cartoons, car-toons, illustrations, pictures, etc.," to do the following: First When the United States is at war willfully to cause insubordination, disloyalty and the refusal of duty in military and naval forces to the injury in-jury of the service. Second Willfully to obstruct the recruiting and enlistment service to the injury of the service and of the United States. Character of Speeches. The indictment sets forth that the speeches, etc., were such as persistently dwelt upon the evils and horrbrs of war without mentioning any consideration in favor thereof and upon desirability and necessity of avoiding and stopping said war and opposing further prosecution thereof at all costs and regardless of the patriotism of said persons constituting the military and naval forces of the United States. Tho indictment charges twenty-six overt acts. Engdahl was former editor of the American Socialist, official organ of the National Socialist party, which was discontinued dis-continued last September after it had been deprived of its second-class mailing privilege. At present lie is editor and owner of the Eye Opener, a Socialistic publication, issued in Chicago. He is an active worker of the Socialist party. Mr. Berger. a Socialist, is a candidate for the nomination of that party for United States senator from Wisconsin. There will be an election April 2 to elect a successor to the late Paul O. Hosting of Wisconsin. Kruse Is editor of the Young People's Socialist Magazine, published pub-lished in Chicago. It Is alleged among (Continued on Page Two.) ' GOO JURY HOLDS SEMITE CANDIDATE (Continued from Page One.) other thlnps that this publication teaches the young idea not to shoot. Charges Politics. ! 'Mt is a political move, pure and simple," sim-ple," said Victor L. Berg-er, when informed in-formed of his Indictment by a federal ; grand jury in Chicago this afternoon. ; "They were afraid of my candidacy for ! United States senator in Washing-ton and j took this step to see that I was not I elected. But instead of injuring my ' chances, they have made my election certain." cer-tain." Mr. Berger had not been arrested up to a late hour this evening'. Statement by Attorney. Seymour Stodman, counsel for the Nation;'. Na-tion;'. I Socialist party, issued the following follow-ing statement tonight: The books, papers and documents of our national office have always been open to party members and the public pub-lic officials. For six months the federal fed-eral authorities have been watching and frequently sea roiling to find something of a criminal nature, and have gone all over the country to find statements by irresponsible and I detached Socialists to lie used against j the officials of the party. Apparently it is considered neces- ! sary to place the American Socialist party on trial. If the truth comes ; forth as a result of tills case, I believe i the public will realize tha t the war ! profiteers and monster capitalists are j the most interested in this prosecu- j tion. I believe tiiat the evidence will i siiow this prosecution to be an a t-taok t-taok on working class political action, a tragic proceeding, in view of the ' rens of thousands of Socialist boys In j the national-army. Attack on Free Speech. SnL ;alis:s consider this an attack j upon the freedom of speech and the riht of a minor 'y t convert the ' majority. You may rest secure In the opinion that these defendants will, prove themselves innocent of the violation vio-lation of any law of this government. govern-ment. Socialists are the one class of citizens citi-zens who believe in a lawful, orderly order-ly change through education and political po-litical action. They are presumptuous enough to believe that the policy of the government, in war and out; the attitude of the president, in war and out, are subject to criticism. Socialists the world over have opposed op-posed war and the system that makes , war inevitable. We do not consider opposition to a condition or policy as equivalent to breaking or violating' the laws of the country. The reason for the suppression of the indictments was not explained at the district attorney's office. "The government felt that the announcement an-nouncement should be made at this time to develop other angles of the case," Mr. Clyne said. Pamphlets alleged to have been distributed dis-tributed by the men named in their alleged al-leged efforts to hamper the government are made a part of the Indictment, which consisted of forty-one typewritten pages. Besides public utterances, Berger, as editor edi-tor of the Milwaukee Leader, a Socialist newspaper, is alleged to have been responsible re-sponsible for articles appearing in the publication which, it is alleged, are in violation of the espionage act. |