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W.E.B. Du Bois argued that capitalism creates a safety valve by unifying workers with their exploiters, but there is no evidence that the public wanted war. The government had to work hard to create a consensus, using propaganda campaigns, drafting young men, and punishing those who refused to enlist. Despite these efforts, Socialist parties drew large crowds protesting the war and profiteering. In municipal elections of 1917, Socialists received significant support, with candidates receiving 22% of the vote in New York and 34.7% in Chicago. The government formed an American Alliance for Labor and Democracy to unify sentiment in the nation, but rank-and-file working-class support for the war remained lukewarm. In response to dissent, Congress passed the Espionage Act in June of 1917, which provided penalties up to twenty years in prison for obstructing recruiting or enlistment services, although it was used to imprison Americans who spoke or wrote against the war.