New-York tribune., 1920-01-14
Two Drastic Views
The Assembly as Criticized by Op-
posing Camps
To the Editor of The Tribune.

posing lamps
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: We, progressive Republicans
who have long looked to The Tribune
as a strong agency in keeping alive
the principles of Theodore Roosevelt,
feel compelled to express our disap-
proval of your editorial in Sundays
There is a class of men in public life
whose theory seems to be that the
way to deal with an evil in our midst
is to disapprove Of it mildly, but to
refrain carefully from assaling it lest
its adherents be in some manner en-
couraged by the attack. Of this school
Mr.. Hughes seems to be the dean. In
1916 he put the theory into practice
in an attempt to "pussyfoot" his way
around the German peril at home and
abroad, the net result of his effort
being four more years of Wisconsin,
Now he becomes the protagonist of
the "pussyfoot" method of dealing
with domestic disloyalty. Has any
thing happened in the last five years
which gave so much aid and encour-
agement to the "Reds" as this public
decla ration by man of Mr.. Hughcss
prominence in favor Of a place in the
sun for the representatives of party
whose platform is sedition, one of
whose Presidential nominees is in
prison for uedition, whose sole elected
Congressman is under sentence for
sedition?
These are drastic times and re-
quirc drastic measures. A thrill of
admiration must have come to every
true American when he read that the
New York Assembly had suspended
(not expelled, as Mr. Hughes seems
to think certain Socialists-elcct pend
ing their trial on charges of dsloyalty
to the government. Every lawyer (but
Mr.. Hughes) knows that this is proper
procedure, and every fair man will
await the outcome Of the trial before
condemning Speaker Sweet and his as
sociates. Mr. Hughes, by gratuitously
injecting himself into the controversy,
has decided the case in advance, al
though he once was a judge.
We look to The Tribune to stand
now, as it stood in 1916, for open and
downright Americansm, for frank and
fearless dealing with every evil that
threatens our nation, and we feel a
sense of personal deprivation in the
fact that it has failed in this instance
to do so.
WALTER A. SHUMAKER.
II. MOVES GREENE.
WIN. M. CROWTHER.
AUSTIN S. MAXIM.
R. c. LUTZ.
Northport, N. Y, Jan. ~, 1920.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: AS an American, as one who
helped America win the war, as an
active member of my community, wish
to protest with all my life's force
against the autocratic, un-American
and Prussian conduct of Speaker Thad
deus Sweet, and the un-American As
sembly for unseating the five Socialists
who were elected by large majorities,
whose character and conduct were not
questioned when first they were elected
in 1917.
Without trial, without a chance for
defense, and in most czaristic fashion,
were these representatives of the peo-
pie manhandcd. History will record
that those who purported to protect
our institutions were those who really
betrayed them.
Who is causing all this unrest? Not
the professional agitator, but the
money-eyed paytrioteers, political muck
rakors, bcllicose politicians, whose only
object is graft and notoriety.
Reaction is now in control over the
entire country. Already our personal
liberties as we'll as our fundamental
rights are lying prone in the wake of
this reactionary wave.
can see the establishment of a mill
tary dictatorship and the downfall Of a
democracy that was never put into
effect. ROBERT L. LESLIE.
New York, Jan. 8, 1920