New-York tribune., 1920-01-09
Guilty or Innocent?


The propriety Of the unexpected
exclusion, while an inquiry is con-
- Quoted. of five duly elected members
OF the Assembly depends on a ques-
ton Of fact. The Tribune exhorts
Its readers. disregarding all extra
i neous considerations, to concentrate
attention on this question Of fact.
- What is it? The issue is the SIM
pie one Of whether or not the sus-
pended legislators are "force" So
= cialists or not. Do or do they not
~ believe in the Bolshevik principle
that government rests not on free
consent, but on tyrannical violence?
II the five are "force" men they
may not be received as legislators.
4fhe law, the Constitution and the
5 whole fabric Of free institutions for
8 MQ their acceptance.
THE law of New York identifies as
SS felon- any one who ''by word of
sarouth or writing advocates, advises
s-or teaches the duty, necessity or
Epropriety of overthrowing or over
8 turning organized government by
9 force" He is criminal who "organ-
2 ICES or helps to organize or becomes
|. a member Of or voluntarily assem-
: hles with any society or group Of per-
& sons formed to advocate such doc
: trine"-namely, the one of force.
9 Democracy cannot argue with
: those who will not submit to the
: mandates of the ballot box. It can
! only meet them and overcome them.
sit does not tolerate plotters for
: monarchy. It shows no greater tol-
: erance to those who would introduce
Z similar tyranny under another name.
All despotisms look alike to it.
Are the five upholders of the force
doctrine? Do they work for such
scenes here as mark dark Russia?
Do they foment civil war. bloodshed
and universal misery? Or is the
fair effect of their conduct such as
to incite others to wreck and de-
stroy?
In their statement the five imply
they do not favor violence-that
they rely on the ballot and are ir
sympathy with the principles of the
Declaration Of independence. If so
they should be granted their seats
No sane American would deny then
participation in the work of gov
ernment merely because they are So
eialists. Speaker Sweet bungled ir
not sufficiently emphasizing neces.
sary distinction. AS Senator LusA
remarks, "Any person advocating
changes in our government, no mat,
- ter how radical or fundamental. by
orderly parliamentary methods, has
Is much right to sit in the Assembly
as any person who doesn't"
:. But there are two kinds of Social.
lists. OF which sort are Messrs
Waldman, Claessens ct al? DESPITE
their present vehement assurances
the matter is not clear. Their oreani.
cation in August last pledged itself
to the furtherance of revolution and
declared it's solidarity with the rev.
6lutionary forces Of Soviet Russia. y
Before that it urged it's members to
paralyze the prosecution Of the war
TO resist by mass action and to get
ready to wage a class war. Many
Socialists left the party when it thus
became anti-constitutional The ex-
cluded Assemblymen remained. So
FAR as known they did not repudiate
his policy. So doubt exists, no mat
~ what they now say, as to wheth-
~ they believe in the ballot box. 3
To prove their innocence they
khould be given full opportunity.
Hbt II guilty they are not proper
psrsons to make laws.
This country showed no spirit Of
s1mpromiss to the Tories who
Y x3shsd 70 restore norprchy, Wash
Inetos SUPPRESSED citizsn 1snss