The formal title, Statement to the Court Upon Being Convicted of Violating the Sedition Act, is just that—formal. But Debs' biographer, Ray Ginger, gave the speech a much catchier title, the "Bending Cross Speech."

Ginger used this term because of the allegory Debs employs at the close of this famous speech. He also used the same title for his biography on Debs. The idea that the stars in the heavens—or larger forces like Socialism— are trying to guide mankind to a brighter horizon is what sustained Eugene Debs.

When Debs spoke to Judge Westenhaven, both the court stenographer and a representative of the Socialist Party were recording his words. The speech was widely quoted and published under this official, dull heading…until Ginger's biography was published.