Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-23
DECLARE CUSTER
OF SOCIALISTS VOID
Expelled Legislators Had Not
Received Their Certificates
Of Election
FIVE MAY BE RESEATED

Albany, y. V. Sept. 23.-Assembly-
men are considering a question which
arose late yesterday regarding the
validity Of the action in ousting three
of the Socialist members of the AS
scmbly Tuesday night.
Louis NJ. Martin. of Oneida. chair
man of the judiciary committee, said
that as the Socialists had been ousted
before they had received certificates of
election. il they should again present
themselves before the secretary Of state
with their certificates he might be
obliged to swear them in again.
Legality Of the custer proceedings
was challenged by William f. Snyder.
clerk of New York county. who de =
clarCd that under the election law no
person can be sworn into an elective
office unless he can present certificate
of election. None of the five Socialists
had such certificates when they came to
Albany Monday morning, and were
sworn in as assemblymcn.
The law prcscribcs that the county
clerk of county has twenty days in
which to issue a certificate of election
after. regular election and ten days
following n special election.
Not having such certificates, they
wprc noi qualified to take their oath,
and their oath Is still null and void.
il Is argued. The claim is now made
that as the five were not members of the
Assembly the custer proceedings have
no legal standing.
Louis Waldman. one of the expelled
Socialists, asked concerning what he
and his companions would do in case
it should be found that further action
was necessary, said: ITS their move
next
He said that he did not think the
Socialists would bother about tcchni
caltcs, as they were fighting for q
principle. but said perhaps some of the
Republican leaders might take that de =
vclopment az a "chance to crawl out
of the hole.
Tpon the return of the ousted So
cialists to New York today the matter
would be presented to Morris Hillquit,
the party's attorney, he said.
Chicago. Sept. 23.-(By A. P.)-
Otton Rranstettcr. executive secretary
of the Socialist party, issued a state
ment today characterizing the New York
legislators who expelled three of the five
Socialist members as "the worst enc
mics of representative government and
of orderly and pcaceable processes OF
adjusting grievances through political
action
THE parties responsible for the re
cent Wall street explosion with its ter
rible loss of innocent lives, should be
hanged" Mr.. Barnstetter said. but
if they should be hanged for the destruc
ton of lives and property, what pun
ishmeut should be meted out to these
New York Legislators who, by their acts,
are attempting to undermine the very
foundation of the government, and
whose course, if persisted in. will make
certain a long series Of such outragcs
as the Wall street explosion, and
eventually civil war?
'On this issue the Socialist party is
the defender Of law and order. and
representative government in the New
York Legislature is the traitor to Amer
lean institutions and is advocating poll
cies which lead to violence and blood
shed. As formerly. we rest our case
with the American people, satisfied that
ultimately they will properly rebukt
the Albany traitors and restore repre-
sentative government in the state of New
York.