New-York tribune., 1920-09-22
Dewitt and Orr Quit the
Chamber After Valid.
man, Claessens and Sol
omon Are Expelled
Action Is Called
Sweets Revenge
Religious Issue Raised ON
Floor; Cuvillier and
McCue Hotly Assailed
Fronl a ston Corrcspondent

From StoF Correspondent
ALBANY, Sept. 21.-The Assem-
bly, tonight for the second time ex-
PEELED three of the FIVE Socialist
members.
Immediately thereafter the re-
naming two Socialists, who had
been seated by vote of 81 to 4s,
resigned their seats, characterizing
those who had voted to eXpel their
colleagues as un-American, and de-
claring that they could not sit in the
Assembly.
Assemblymen Samuel Orr and
Samuel Dewitt, of the Bronx, were
the two Socialists who resigned.
Assemblymen August Claessens,
of Manhattan, leader of the Social
list delegation; Louis Waldman, of
Manhattan, and Charles Solomon, Of
Kings, were formally expelled.
The vote of expulsion was 80 to 45.
Adler Pleads for Five
Assemblyman Simon L. Adler, of
Rochester, Republican floor leader:
Assemblyman Louis Martin, Of
Oneida, chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, and Minority Leader
Charles D. Donohue all pleaded for
the reseating Of all five men.
Republicans charged that Speaker
Sweet was inspired by q spirit of
revenge for having been relegated to
private life by the Republican party.
Several Republican members of the
body declared on the floor of the AS
sen1bly that the ousting Of the So
cialists after they had been re-
turned by their constituencies would
mean the possible defeat of the
party in this state.
For brief time it looked a. if these
statements would cause enough Repub-
lcans TO desert Sweet to insure the
rcscatlng Of all five Socialists, but
opponents Of the Socialists, supple.
mentcd by friends of William Barnes,
circulated through the chamber and
when it came to the baloting their
success was manifest.
Waldman, Claessens and SoIonon
were first expelled. Then votes we're
taken on Orr and Dewitt When they
were seated by practically the same
vote that the others were expelled by,
Assemblyman Martin G. McCue. Of
lammany Hall, who had voted go expel
all i've, moved that all be seated
McCue Charges Inconsistency
81 voted to cxrel ALL" said McCue.
IF one or two are innocent all are
innocent. If two or three are guilty
all arc guilty. This seating of two and
'ustlng OF three is pure partisan poll
ncS. Don. let us make fools Of our
selves. Don't let us make ourselves
ridiculous. You can't seat two and
expcl three and explain your ncon-
sistency to the people"
McCue moved to reconsider the vote
by which Waldman was ousted, but
was defeated.
Chairman Martin, who presided at
the trial Of the Socialists, in making q
the Socialists had been expelled at the
winter session after trial because
they were members Of a party which
had constitution containing un-Amer-
lcan provisions, but that all these OBJ
Jectlonable clauses had since been clim-
mated, and that therefore all five were
entitled to their seats
"The decision last spring." he said,
was that their affiliatien with the
Socialist party as it was then .eonsti-
tuted rendered them unfit to sic in an
American Legislative, body: That was
the only finding of the Judiciary Com
mittee. and the only finding on which
the Assembly voted. There was no
charge against any of them personally
As individuals. no personal guilt was
charged against them. Since then their
organization has complied with our
Constitution and our laws. We have
no right to exclude them. My legal
conclusions are that we cannot vote to
unseat these gentlemen on the ad-
mitted facts"
Dewitt Attacks McCue
After Chairman Martin finished AS
semblyman Dewitt, who is an engineer
and served as a lieutenant during the
war, was recognized.
Swinging around till he faced Assem-
o!SntH McSue, VINO mas made ms l8V-
ing as saloonkeeper, he said:
Il have heard Mr.. McCue make q
spread-eag!e speech and wave the flag.
| did that during the war when I was
not working for our army as an en-
c'neer. But that was the time to make
such speeches. And want to tell you,
Marty McCue, that I sold more Liberty
bonds than you showed glasses Of beer
across your bar. You and your kind
here are subverting the principles of
American government and the Coasti-
tuition in voting to expel any of these
Socialists. But 60 ahead, since you
are so minded. and steal our seats
from us. But we will appeal again. as
we appealed last Thursday, 20 the final
court OF appeals, the American eiee-
torate."
McCue flushed crimson. The crowd
broke into a storm of cheers. Speaker
Sweet raped for order, but the crowd
continued its applause.
After the final vote was taken the
five Socialists left the Assembly cham