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Show SOCIALIST-S AKE ON TRIAL IN CHICAGO CHICAGO, Dec. 20 Professor Robert Rob-ert S. Lovett, can of the junior college col-lege of the University of Chicago, testified tes-tified for the defense today at tho trial of five Socialist leaders charged with conspiracy to violate the espionage law. . - He told of an address on tho war lie delivered at the auditorium at Chicago on tho evening of May 27, 1917, in response re-sponse to an invitation from Rev. Irwin Ir-win St John Tucker, one of the defendants. de-fendants. The witness explained I hat he was elected vice-president of the Chicago, branch of the People's Council for Peace. "I was Informed that the meeting was called to urge the government to state its war alms and terms of peace and to demand the safeguarding of certain fundamental constitutional rights, particularly the right of free speech," said Professor Lovett. "I consented-to 'preside and deliver an address, ad-dress, but before I agreed to this I read my address to Di Tucker and asked If it met with his approval. He said It did and I then insisted that every speaker at the meeting agree i with the principles I expressd. It wns agreed that this should be done and I presided and spoke at tho meeting." Professor Lovett said in his talk with Dr. Tucker ho did not hear him express any sentiments in regard to the war which might bo regarded as objectionable. "Did Dr. Tucker speak at the meeting?" meet-ing?" asketl Attorney Cunnea. "No; all he did was to make an ap peal for a collection which was later taken," replied Professor Lovett. On cross-examination the government govern-ment attempted to show that members of the Young People's Socialist league acted as ushers at the meeting and took up the collection. J. Louis Engdahl, the second of the five defendants, to take the stand in his own defense was called late In the day and his direct examination had not been completed when court adjourned. ad-journed. He said he was born in Minneapolis thirty -four years ago of Swedish parents par-ents and was a newsboy and bootblack boot-black while attending the public schools. Later he went to the University Uni-versity of Minnesota and became a newspaper reporter in Minneapolis. He worked as a newspaper man in Seattle, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Washington, D. C, and Philadelphia before coming to Chicago in 190D where he was employed on the Daily Socialist. He became a Socialist the year before. be-fore. In 1910 he was a delegate from the United States to the international Socialist congress held in Copenhagen where the principal Question considered consid-ered was war and militarism. Later he visited Carl Liebknccht In Berlin and attended a national convention con-vention of German Socialists. The witness said he had been editor of the American Socialist ever since it was established in July, 1914. He said he was in, solo charge of the paper and never consulted any of the defendants in regard to policies. He said he was only responsible to the executive committee of the National Na-tional Socialist party which engaged him. Engdahl assumed full responsibility for everything printed in the American . Socialist. He said he read every article ar-ticle submitted for publication and that he approved everything he passed! and printed in the paper. In an attempt to finish the trial before be-fore Christmas to enable the jurora to return home for the holidays. Judge Landis today considered the idea ol holding court Sunday but later discovered discov-ered It could not be legally done. Indications In-dications are that the trial will not be concluded until the latter part of 1 next week. 1 rtn |