The New York herald., 1920-01-26
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RABBI DENOUNCES
BAN ON SOCIALISTS
DR.. Schulman Says Assembly
Is Arousing Undue Sym
pathy for the Party.

The socialist trial at Albany and the
passage of the national prohibition amend
ment were attacked by Rabbi Samuel
schulnan, preaching yesterday at the
Temple Beth-El Fifth avenue and Seven
ty-sxth street, on 1.-The Dangers to Amer
| lean Liberty
After declaring it the duty of every one
, to speak freely his views and help make
public opinions, he continued
: IF any one of these men has committed
, crime there is a way to reach him. But
, American liberty, the contention that men
: duly elected to a Legislature can be ex.
, cluded because Of their political opinions
4. sympathies or aspirations. When we read
; the charges made against these men we
} are amazed. They are threatened with ex-
+; pulsion because of their political phi
/ lcsophy.
The issue has been made very clear a
/: political party in this country is being
declared unfit in any way to participate ir
/ the government of this State though the
representative of the party may have
Deen duly elected And thus their const;tu.
encies are disfranchised
Declares Hostility to Socialism.
1t goes without saying that am opposed
10 socialism. / regard it as unwise as I'm.
just. as inexpedient, as impractical. as
contrary to the belief in the individual in.
tiative and energy which have made our
country great even believe that social.
ism Is destructive of American liberty. be.
cause it would make the individual alto.
gerher too subservient to the government
But whatever our opinions on socialism
may be, we must hold that it is the great.
est danger to American liberty to attemp,
10 crush IT. by the forcible methods EN-.
poyed by those who seek TO expel members
or the Legislature who are Socialists
Any one that knows human nature and
that is acquainted with history will see in
such methods a foolish fanaticism which
can only increase the prestige of the party
which 1t intends to destroy because. the
masses of men will have the issues con-
fused From the outburst of protests we
can already see what undersclyed SYM
pathy the Socialistic party has obtained
ana unless the Legislature changes its
tactlcs we cen look forward to ;In increase
OF the adherents of socialism at the next
election. Even such a militaristic state as
Prussia did not succeed in crushing social
tSn How foolish it is. therefore, for
Americans TO become recreant 10 their tra-
ditions of liberty and have recourse "a
force.
Calls Legislatures Spirit "Unworthy."
In suspending the five Socialist mem
bers after they had been allowed to take
their oath of office and participate in the
organization of the Assembly the Legis-
lature acted in spirit unworthy of the
sacred traditions of American freedom OF
thought.
ITS spirit was particularly bad in arbi-
trarily refusing permission 10 men OF ma =
tonal reputation, as n committee of the
Ear Association Of this city. to intervene
and 10 represent the interests of the public
and the principle of representative gov
crnmept which are at stake in the re-
Inarkahe trial now going on in Albany.
''Rut not only freedom Of thought is
threatened i'm this country. The danger to
liberty which is shown by political reac-
ton has also been increased by the tre-
nendous change in our American thinking
which has made IL possible for an amend
lnsnt to be adopted which is the greatest
Interference with personal liberty yet at
tcnpted in this land. T hope that the Su-
preme Court of the United States will find
= way, because of the great constitutional
questions raised. to declare the eighteenth
amendment not yet adopted.
las long as IL is in the constitution IL is
our duty as law abiding citizens to obey
il and to do nothing to violate the law OF
The land. But do not hesitate to say that
such a national regulation of the life of
the individual is contrary to the traditions
of American liberty and is a dangerous
step on the road which will lead to it's com-
pIete destruction.