Unsafe for Democracy: World War I and the U.S. Justice Department's Covert Campaign to Suppress Dissent PDF
Preview Unsafe for Democracy: World War I and the U.S. Justice Department's Covert Campaign to Suppress Dissent
Unsafe for Democracy E studies in american E thought and culture Series Editor Paul S. Boyer Margaret Fuller: Transatlantic Crossings in a Revolutionary Age Edited by Charles Capper and Cristina Giorcelli Observing America: The Commentary of British Visitors to the United States, 1890–1950 Robert P. Frankel Picturing Indians: Photographic Encounters and Tourist Fantasies in H. H. Bennett’s Wisconsin Dells Steven D. Hoelscher Cosmopolitanism and Solidarity: Studies in Ethnoracial, Religious, and Professional Affiliation in the United States David A. Hollinger Seaway to the Future: American Social Visions and the Construction of the Panama Canal Alexander Missal Unsafe for Democracy: World War I and the U.S. Justice Department’s Covert Campaign to Suppress Dissent William H. Thomas Jr. Unsafe for Democracy World War I and the U.S. Justice Department’s Covert Campaign to Suppress Dissent William H. Thomas Jr. the universit y of wisco nsin pr ess This book was published with the support of the Evjue Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of The Capital Times,and the Anonymous Fund of the College of Letters and Science atthe University of Wisconsin–Madison. The University of Wisconsin Press 1930 Monroe Street, 3rd Floor Madison, Wisconsin 53711-2059 www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/ 3 Henrietta Street London WC2E 8LU, England Copyright © 2008 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,inanyformatorbyanymeans,digital,electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a Web site without written permission of the University of Wisconsin Press, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles and reviews. 1 3 5 4 2 Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thomas, William H., Jr. Unsafe for democracy : World War I and the U.S. Justice Department’s covert campaign to suppress dissent / William H. Thomas, Jr. p. cm.—(Studies in American thought and culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-299-22890-3 (cloth: alk. paper) 1. World War, 1914–1918—Protest movements—United States. 2. Peace movements—Government policy—United States. 3. United States Bureau of Investigation. 4. Freedom of speech—United States. I. Title. II. Series. D639.P77T56 2008 940.3´1—dc22 2008011973 To my grandparents The world must be made safe for democracy. from President Woodrow Wilson’s 2 April 1917 speech to Congress requesting a declaration of war against Germany Contents Illustrations viii Acknowledgments ix Author’s Note xi Prologue 3 1 Setting the Stage 9 2 Methods and Ideology 31 3 Policing the Clergy 68 4 Policing the Left 89 5 Policing Wisconsin 110 6 Vigilantism 146 Epilogue 172 Appendix: Biographical Information of Justice Department Investigators in Wisconsin 179 Notes 183 Bibliography 223 Index 239 vii Illustrations The Reverend Wilhelm Schumann 15 Advertisement from the Committee on Public Information 23 Alexander Bruce Bielaski 26 Thomas Watt Gregory 29 Lillian Burkhart Goldsmith 53 Willard N. Parker 122 Jessica Colvin 125 Bishop Joseph M. Koudelka 128 Victor Berger poster 144 Life cartoon 150 Life cartoon 152 Cass County Democratfront page 165 Rockwell City Gazetteeditorial cartoon 174 viii Acknowledgments Many years ago, Ellis Hawley read my proposal for research in Jus- tice Department records from the First World War, and his advice steered me toward this project. Allen Steinberg skillfully helped me convert this initial blueprint into a completed dissertation at the Univer- sity of Iowa. This work has also benefited greatly from the generosity and expertise of Kenneth Cmiel, Shelton Stromquist, Herbert Hoven- kamp, Linda K. Kerber, T. Dwight Bozeman, Anuj Desai, Athan Theo- haris, and Michael Pfeifer, all of whom read the work in progress, in whole or in part, and offered their thoughtful recommendations. Colin Gordon provided me with judicious evaluations of my chapters, and Arthur McEvoy helped me sharpen and refine my arguments. I wish to thank my editors at the University of Wisconsin Press, Gwen Walker, Adam Mehring, and Paul Boyer, for their enthusiastic support and their expertguidance,whichhavemadethisabetterbook.Iamalsoindebted to my copyeditor, Mary Sutherland, for her meticulous review of the manuscript. Librarians and archivists at a number of institutions provided gen- erous assistance:theStateHistoricalSocietyof Iowa,theUniversityof Iowa Libraries, the Ann Arbor District Library, the Bentley Historical LibraryattheUniversityof Michigan,theMarnieandJohnBurkeMe- morialLibraryatSpringHillCollege,theBaltimoreCountyHistorical Society,theArchivesandRareBooksDivisionof theUniversityof Cin- cinnati,theJohnB.SearsLawLibraryattheUniversityof Buffalo,the WisconsinHistoricalSociety,theUniversityof WisconsinLibraries,the Universityof WisconsinArchives,theMaxKadeInstituteof theUni- versityof Wisconsin,theGeorgetownUniversityLibrary,theMoorland- SpingarnResearchCenteratHowardUniversity,theNortheasternUni- versity Libraries Archives and Special Collections Department, the ix
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