Few remember outspoken leader of the labor movement, Eugene Debs opposed the Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson as the progressive candidate in the 1912 elections.
After four failed presidential runs, Debs decided to run for an Indiana Congressional seat. He campaigned on a pacifist platform of American neutrality in the First World War, and was elected. Once the United States entered the war, Debs was arrested for violating the Espionage Act after making what the district attorney of Canton, Ohio called an anti-war speech in 1918. Debs in fact only mentioned the war once, but that proved enough to have him sentenced to ten years in a federal penitentiary.
In 1920, Debs decided to run again in the US presidential elections. He campaigned from his jail cell and garnered over a million votes, which represented a respectable voter support in that day. Despite repeated pleas from Debs’ supporters, President Wilson refused to release Debs from prison. President Harding finally ordered him set free on Christmas Day 1921.
Eugene Debs was born on November 5th, which happens to be the day when New Yorkers have the chance to make progressive history happen by electing Bill de Blasio for NYC Mayor.
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For the PBS article, go to
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wilson/peopleevents/p_debs.html
Old news and it even kind of rings my old bell but I still found the (real I assume)details in the Debs story sobering.