The Evening Herald

I. W. W. AGITATORS ARE INDICTED BY FEDERAL GRAND JURY: TRIED TO HAMPER U. S., ALLEGED

More Than 160 Leaders, Engaged in Alleged Nation-wide Conspiracy to Hinder Government, Are True Billed at Chicago.

ACCUSED RESIDE IN MOST ALL PARTS OF COUNTRY

Seditious Conspiracy-the Crime Next to Treason Within Meaning of the Criminal Code-Is the Charge Made.

By Associated Press
Washington Sept. 28 -More than 160 leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World engaged in the alleged nation-wide conspiracies to hamper the government in carrying on the war, have been indicted by the federal grand jury at Chicago. Indictments will be handed in to the court probably late today. Between 160 and 170 persons, resident in almost every section of the country are named in the indictments.

Seditious conspiracy the crime near to treason within the definition of the criminal code is charged. This offense is punishable by six years imprisonment, fifty fine or both. Indictments are understood to be based on revelations brought to light in the recent country wide seizure by federal authorities of documents and correspondence of the I. W. W. in approximately fifty towns and cities.

Far-Reaching Conspiracies

These documents are understood to have revealed the existence of conspiracies the most far reaching in its scope of any yet unearthed to embarrass the government in the prosecution of the war I resistance of the draft burning copper forests and in numerous other ways. A comparatively small number of men under direction to have directed the entire last long

of reiat here feet that in many instances the alleged ringleaders of thee ahti w dotitien o airtudlly guilty of treason but because of the narrowed definition of treason in the criminal code an in numerous court decisions to indict at was thought best to ask the grand jury to find indictments on the lesser charge ditog co

William Fitt the assistant at tornry general who had direct charge thoh the nation wide raid o Septem ber Was carried out without a hitch in Chicago today in porogal charge of developments

NAMES AND NUMBER OF DEFENDANTS WITHHELD

Chicago sept Indictments aaint W tepders were turhed in a federal grand jury here the afternoon Thenates ahd number of defendants were omitted ted from a statement Is Dn riet At torney thyne for what he termed the obyios reasen that a large number of the accused reside outside this federnl district ahd aie set to be arrested Hs stated that only leaders reaardeda directh culpable them heie hav heen named

The grand jury has completed its labor and reported to the United States district court The number of persons indicted and the nature of the accusations against them are not given to the public for the obvious reamn that the investigation has been incusive of a large number of the leaders of the Industrial Workers o. the World of whom about 100 will hase to be arrested

The prosecutions are under sections eighteen and thirty seven of the criminal code and under the espionage act only leaders in conspiracies ut thome personally culpable in connection with the perpetration of crimes against the United States are included ei as defendants

The astonishing feature which stands out at the conclusion of the investigation and which is well calculated to make patriotic persons shudder with alarm is the disclosure of the number of men engaged in the obstruction of the government wb r far beyond their aorial duties and obligations a to

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I. W. W. AGITATORS ARE INDICTED BY FEDERAL GRAND JURY: TRIED TO HAMPER U. S. ALLEGED

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openly advocate the most vicious forms of sabotage, particularly in industries engaged in furnishing war munitions.

"The activities of these defendants have been directed against what they conceived or pretended to conceive to be the misguided attitude of the world at large toward persons not possessed of property, the result being that this time of general stress and strain has been seized upon because, as they insist, the opportunity was here and was now presented to make effective those secret and covert processes of destruction which they traitorously employed while pretending to work. In other words, the assertion is that they can now make infidelity to duty more efficacious and destructive than would have been possible at any other conceivable juncture in the country's existence.

"Boiled down and stated in a few words, the propaganda of these defendants consists of these assertions:

"'First, we are going to take possession of the industries of this country because we want them.

"Second, because we need them.

"Third, because we are in this crisis possessed of the power to put it over.'

In addition there is running through all these endeavors a pronounced opposition to the support of the war in which this country is enlisted, the teaching being that whatever can be done to make the power of the enemy greater or our power of resistance less effective is a service to the organization.

The investigation and resulting indictments we believe will be entirely satisfactory to the general public of the country when the extent of the information gathered and the thoroughness of the investigation made can be divulged which will be within a few days.'

The statement was signed in addition to Mr. Clyne by the following attorneys for the government, William Fitts, who has been in charge of the whole government drive against the I. W. W.; Frank K. Nebeker and Frank C. Dailey.