A hundred years ago, the greatest political show trial in United States history took place. It began in Canton, Ohio when the legendary socialist Eugene Victor Debs denounced U.S. involvement in World War I.
On June 16, 1918, Debs allowed all the elements of his democratic socialist faith to flow forth. Debs’ speech made it clear that there could be no socialism without democracy: “Everywhere they are moving toward democracy and the dawn; marching toward the sunrise, their faces all aglow with the light of the coming day. They are the Socialists, the most zealous and enthusiastic crusaders the world has ever known.”
Debs’ political strategy for advancing democratic socialism was straightforward: “To turn your back on the corrupt Republican and the corrupt Democratic Party – the gold-dust lackeys of the ruling class – counts for something.” Debs told the crowd “Do not worry over the charge of treason to your masters, but be concerned about the treason that involves yourself. Be true to yourself and you cannot be a traitor to any good cause on earth.”