The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-04-01
Five Vacant Chairs" In New York
Assembly When Body Votes to Expel
All Socialist Legislators AT Early
Hour Today After 22-Hours Session

ciallSlS Louis Waldmnn, August
Claessens, Charles Solomon, Samuel
4. de Witt and Samuel Orr. all Of
New York City, the entire delegation
OF their party In tho New York as.
sembIy were expelled from the leg.
lslnturc today.
The majorities In favor OF unseat'
ing the men, suspended on the open
inc day OF the legislative session on
charges OF dlsloyalty were substan.
tiated.
Voting came after % hours Of orn-
tory, parliamentary wrangles and fill
clustering. Owing to the fact that the
men were expelled after midnight on
March 81. there can be no special
elections TO TN their seats in the us.
scmbiy unless an extraordinary se3.
sion Of the legislature Ia to be con-
Nened.
Some asscmblymcn who had voted
TO unscat Waldman Claesscns and
Solomon east their ballots In favor
Of roseating de Witt. and Orr on the
ground that the evidence had not in.
criirinated them beyond establishing
their adherence to the doctrines and
platforms OF the socialist party. AS
semblyman Roosevelt voted against
expulsion, having argued with the
assembly during the night that It had
no right to exclude the party.
By its action the assembly estab-
lished a precedent, as never before
has an entire party delegation been
elected from any legislative body.
Party lines disappeared in the vet
| ing. The democratic minority, which
was supposed to be pretty well united
| in favor OF reseating the socialists,
polled n majority OF one vote in favor
OF oxpelling Waldman, Claessens and
Solomon, the democratic vote on these
! Icing IS for unseatng and II for
restoring them to their former legis-
latiyo status. Twenty one democrats
voted 10 reseat De Witt and Orr,
while IA favored their expulsion.
The republicans, by n division Of
rs TO IL. voted to unscat Waldman.
Clanssens and Solomon. and on the
De Witt orr votes they stood SO TO
20.
When the assembly adjourned, af-
ter the seats Of all five socialists had
been declared vacant, II had been In
continuous session 30 hours and 30
minutes.
The final chapter lacked the thrills
that many Of the spectators had ex.
pected. Speaker Thaddeus c. Sweet
closed the debate at 9:3G a. m, and
within two minutes the calling Of tho
roll had been begun in tho case Of
Louis Waldman.
The chamber was crowded with
spectators from the time the assem-
bly, convened at 1890 a. m, yester'
day until long after midnight. Many
of the visitors remained throughout
The night and heard the assembly re-
cord it's verdict.
70 the memho - Of the lower house
the session was trying. The house
was operating under close call.
which meant that none was allowed
to leave the outer portals OF the
chamber without q pass, signed by
!
were brought to the members by the
pages.
Waldman and Solomon remained at
the capitol throughout the delibcra'
tions. Both appeared to be highly
amused nj the proceedings and smiled
frequently. The other three men un-
der fire We're not present.
At the conclusion OF the speech Of
Asscmblyman Martin c. McCue, 4
democrat, in which the socialist rnem'
bers were called by such epithets as
traitors" 'curs," and whipped
dogs" Wadman sent u note 70 No
Cue reading as follows:
"Marty: BE good sport and move
that | be given the floor to answer
you. VIII you do it?i
Assemblyman McCue did not reply
q In the early morning hours while the
: debate was slowly dragging its weary
way towards roll call, Waldman
) and Solomon appeared. in the Mid
e way" as the main corridor between
the assembly and senate chambers is
, known A little band OF newspaper
, men and senators who had organized
. Il Midway Choir" greeted them with
song familiar In the sixties, but
, with words adapted to modern condi-
ticns.
There viii be five vacant chairs"
The suspended assemblymen ack-
nowledged the greeting with smiles
and hand-cappings.
The early hours Of the delibera.
tion, were marked by outbursts OF
personal bitterness and nnimosity
which cropped out in chickering's and
wrangles over parliamentary techni-
calitles in the course of an attempt
: by the democrats to postpone cons!d-
Grafton Of the case today, when 1t
would be too late for Governor Smith
q to call special elections to al the
vacancies resulting from the expect.
ed unseating Of the five men.
Minority Leader Donohue, and his
collar les were said to feel that 1t
would subject the executive to unnec.
essary embarrassment to call or re-
D fuse to call the special elections
L During this stage Of the proceed
8 ings the department. Of the assembly
o at times approached the disorderly.
= Exchanges Of personalities between
f1..k,.,.l - ro.. vr,u~n