Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-11-06 | Page 1 | Wilson Pardon for 'Gene' Debs Held Unlikely

WILSON PARDON FOR 'GERE' DEBS KELOMELY Procificnt Be ieves Clemency Would Establish Unwise Precedent Is Report WASHINGTON, Nov. 6.- President Wilson Is understood to have no Intention In-tention of pardoning Eugene V. Debs, who Is serving a ten years' sentence In the federal penitentiary at Atlanta for violation of the espionage act. The position taken ly the president, according to those who profess to know his views. Is that executive clom- i In such a case would le sutiirg a Lad precedent and would encourage others to oppose the government in the eent of another war. lcls Was coiniet.il at Cleveland on September 12, 1918, on three counts, a Jury finding him guilty of attempting to Incite Insubordination and di'y-alty di'y-alty In the mllltar) and naval forces. attempting to obstruct recruiting and uttering language tending to Incite, provoke and encourage resistance to the L'n.te.l States and to promote the cause of the euem) A pardon for Debs and others con-victed con-victed of violating the espionage act has le n urged by a number of organizations. organ-izations. Including the American Ped- ration of libor. which at Its last annual an-nual convention at Montreal Canada, authorized a committee to confer with Attorney General Palmer on the matter.