These were the essential parts of the speech which Debs made at Canton.
He was indicted. On Monday, September 9th, the case went to trial in
Cleveland.
I happened to be out West at the time, and on Sunday, September 8th, I
had the opportunity of spending the afternoon with Debs and his attorney
and of hearing him review the case. The case was discussed, the
attorneys presenting the various possibilities. Debs made it quite clear
that there was only one thing he could do and that was to repeat his
Canton speech. He said, "I have nothing to take back. All I said I
believe to be true. I have no reason to change my mind. I have no reason
to change my position." His lawyers and he knew on Sunday that the
following week would see him sentenced to the penitentiary.
He spoke of it in his quiet way as his simple opportunity to serve the
cause. He said that he had always felt like a member of the rank and
file, and now he had his chance to travel along the road the ordinary
man had to follow, under ordinary circumstances--to go right on along
the road and ignore the difficulties that were ahead. He was an old man,
broken in health, facing, without flinching, without budging an eyelid,
a possibility of twenty years in jail.
I remember leaving the Hotel that afternoon and walking down to the
station and saying to myself: "If that man can behave as he does, there
is surely no excuse for us younger chaps," and I felt then as I have
felt ever since that I never in my life came in contact with so radiant
a spirit as I did that afternoon when Debs was getting ready to take his
place in the Federal Court and receive a penitentiary sentence.