Alfred Wagenknecht and C.E. Ruthenberg receive a hero’s welcome on their release from prisoner for opposing World war One.

‘Cleveland Socialists Pack Hall to Welcome Returning Prisoners’ from Ohio Socialist. No. 47. December 18, 1918.

Acme hall was packed to overflowing Sunday afternoon by working men and women who assembled to extend greetings to Alfred Wagenknecht, Charles Baker and C.E. Ruthenberg, who were released from the Stark County Workhouse at Canton on Dec. 2. Baker could not be present on account of his having been inducted into the army immediately after his release from prison, but his name was coupled with those of Wagenknecht and Ruthenberg in the enthusiastic greeting extended at the meeting.

The afternoon’s program opened with the rendering of several selections by the Liedertafel Club orchestra, which were followed by a speech, of welcome to the returned comrades by Tom Clifford, who presided. Clifford’s speech was punctuated by repeated waves of applause as he hurled defiance at those who were endeavoring to disrupt the Socialist Party through persecutions.

Alfred Wagenknecht was the first of the ex-prisoners to speak. When presented to the audience he was greeted by cheers which lasted for several minutes.

He told some of his experiences as an early pioneer in the Socialist movement, and continued:

“Looking this afternoon into this sea of faces I know that you will rejoice with me that Socialism has been killed so effectively. This killing has been going on for many years now. Our friends who claim to possess all the intelligence because they possess all the wealth have left nothing undone to bring about our end. And see how well they have done the job. They have killed us so effectively in this country that each renewed attempt has developed our courage and increased our good humor. We have been killed so thoroughly in Europe that we had to take charge of Russia, Germany and other countries. And we are going to be killed so dead from now on that I assure you, we will soon have to run the whole world.

“These are wonderful days. They make me smile all the while. Nothing that can happen can discourage A dark cloud may arise here and there in the affairs of our movement, but even a few small dark clouds are necessary to break the monotony of our constant successes. Let us all smile for we have won the right to do so. In this battle of brains we are showing ourselves superior. For many, many years now we have carried on our campaign of education and it has been world wide. We have won in this battle of brains because we saw the need of educating the working men and women, we saw the necessity of developing ourselves intellectually so that we might some day conduct affairs humanely and righteously, whereas those who lay claim to all the brains have only given attention to their dollar chasing. The people are with us and it only remains for us to face forward and continue to show the way.”

An appeal for support for the Socialist press made by Comrade Wagenknecht brought out the remarkable fact that all but three of the persons in the audience were subscribers for the “Socialist News,” but in spite of this $55.00 worth of subscription cards were sold, one comrade paying $10.00 for subscriptions to be sent to others.

C.E. Ruthenberg was next introduced and was received with applause and cheers similar to that which greeted Wagenknecht.

“As I stand here looking into your faces again,” Ruthenberg said, in opening his address, “I wonder why men are put in prison? Does the ruling class hope to break their spirit? Does it hope to reconcile men who have fought for better things to the existing order by locking them behind stone walls and iron bars? Have they made men change their opinions by treating them like beasts? Have they made those who fight for righteousness and justice the friends of unrighteousness and injustice through persecution?

“As I stand here facing you, with the open portals of a prison not far behind me, I hurl into the faces of the rulers of society the defiance that all the prisons on the face of the earth cannot break the spirit of men and women who have in their hearts the hope and inspiration which the Socialist movement gives those who struggle for the achievement of its goal.

“Prisons do not break men’s spirit when they are upheld by the love of a great ideal. They make them more determined. They make them stronger. They make them harder. I went into prison as an enemy of the existing social order. It was its enemy because I was intellectually convinced that it was wrong. Its injustices had not stricken me down, but I saw the suffering of others, and I struggled against the cause of that suffering. Now I have felt the iron heel of the rulers of society and I am the enemy of capitalism no longer only because intellectually convinced of its injustices, but because it has made me suffer. I have felt its iron heel and when I strike back–and I will strike back every day of the life that is left to me–there will be in the strokes the bitterness and hardness which personal suffering has engendered.

“No, capitalism does not break the spirit of those it throws in jail. It makes them hard; it makes them bitter, some of the iron of the iron heel with which they are struck down enters into their souls and because of this their blows at capitalism are more deadly. Let them continue to put Socialists in jail and they will build for us an army of workers that will unflinchingly march forward, no matter what the cost in suffering and sacrifice, until the death knell of capitalism is sounded.”

The speaker then reviewed the developments in industry during the war and the reconstruction plans of the capitalists of the country, urging the necessity of a strong, working class organization in order to reconstruct industry so that it will yield, “food, clothing, homes to live in, education and recreation and the opportunity to earn these under conditions that would bring joy to the workers,” closing with an appeal for support for the Reconstruction Organization Campaign launched by Local Cuyahoga County, which resulted in a collection of over $300.00.

Following the speeches the meeting was adjourned until 7 o’clock, supper being served by the women members of the party. The evening program consisted of songs by the Liedertafel, violin selection by Comrade Hollas, songs by Miss Marie Rohde and speeches on “A Day in Jail,” by C.E. Ruthenberg and “Prison Experiences,” by Alfred Wagenknecht. Dancing followed till midnight.

The celebration will be long remembered in Cleveland as one of the finest affairs held under the auspices of the Local Socialist Party. Many comrades from other cities were present, to extend the best wishes of their locals.