New-York tribune., 1920-04-02
Majority for Unseating
Waldman, Claessens,
Solomon, Dewitt, Orr
Surprise Even to Sweet
Condemn Attack
On Col. Roosevelt
Extra Session To Provide
For Special Election Is
Smiths Reported Plan
From a Staff Corresponden.

From Staff Correspondent,
ALBANY, April latter twenty two
hours of debate, the Assembly to-day
expelled the FIVE Socialist Assembly
men, who were ousted by Speaker
Thaddeus c. Sweet January z.
Assem- blyman August Claessens and
Louis Waldman, of New York, and
Charles Solomon, of Kings. were ex-
PEELED by vote of 116 to %.
Assemblymen Samuel A De Witt and
Samuel Orr, of the Bronx, were ex-
PEELED by a vote OF 104 to 40.
There was only one absentee-As-
semblyman George NJ. Tyler, of On.
tario
The debate, which began at 1890
noon yesterday, ended at 9:3S O'Clock
this morning.
Balloting then began. The resolu.
tior calling for Waldman's expulsion
was first voted on When the clerk
announced the result, Speaker Sweet
proclaimed;
The resolution having been duly
passed, declare the seat of Louis
w amman vacant.
Brief and scattering applause
greeted the announcement.
The resolutions recommending the
expulsion Of the other four Socialists
were then put to vote Claessens
was next to be ousted. Then fol
lowed Solomon. De Witt was fourth
to be cast out. Orr was voted on
last.
AS the Speaker declared the seats OF
Claessens, Solomon and De Witt vacant
the members maintained an oppressive
silence. But when he pronounced Orr
legislative outcast along with the
other four there was another brief mo-
ment Of handclapping
The big clock in the rear Of the
chamber pointed to the hour of 1926
The weary members of the Assembly
hcavlng slghs of relief. dragged them
selves out OF the chamber.
Sweet Attacks Roosevelt
The debate was closed by Speaker
Sweet, who made what many members
Of the Assembly later characterized as
an unworthy attack on Colonel Theo-
dore Roosevelt.
To this attack Roosevelt could no.
reply, for under the rules of the AS
sembly Nhen the debate is closed by
either the majority leader or the
Speaker, nothing further may be said
on the subject
Colonel Roose cit had angered Swee,
by refusing to line up with him. and
up to the last minute Sweets friends
tried to prevail on Roosevelt not to
speak against the ousting of the five
Socialists and not to vote to rcseat all
five But to the pleading Roosevelt
was deaf, maintaining that the custer
was crime against representative gov
eminent.
Sweet. by inference, charged Roosc-
welt with being false the doctrine
of Americanism LAID down by his
father. Roosevelt sat silent with
blanched checks and square set jaw
as he heard Sweet quote from his
fathers speeches on Americanism to
bolster up the case against the Social
lists.
Lobbyists. who usurpcd the chairs
assigned to newspaper correspondents
and mSMbcrs Of the Assembly, led the
applause as Sweet finished.
Colonel Declines to Comment
Roosevelt. when he realized that
under the rules he could not speak
considered issuing a statement in reply
to Sweet, but later decided that he
would not dignity Sweets attack by
single word of comment.
"Roosevelt is too charitable" was
the comment OF several members of
the Assembly.
Speaker Sweet said Assemblym
Maurice Bloch, one of the members of
the Judiciary Committee which tried
the Socialists, "s-ruck Roosevelt below
the belt. 1t was not a fair blow"
This after DON Speaker Sweet an
nounced two bills were being prepared
to carry out some of the Recommended
tions of the majority report of the
Judiciary Committee. One will outlaw
any political party which includes in
its membership aliens or minors. The
second also will forbid a place on the
official ballots to any member of any
organization which has any political
working agreement with any other for
elgn political organization.
The overwhelming vote to oust all
five Socialists was a surprise. even to
sweets friends. AT II o'clock last
night Sweet had only eighty nine votes
for ousting all and ninety 1.-TWO for GUST
ing Solomon, Claesscns and Waldman
But as dawn came the Sweet followers
were boasting that the Speaker had
more votes than ever. And after the
rancorous debate, at times rife with
the religious issue, ceased, their pre-
CictiOns proved true.
Several explanations were offered
for the sudden swing to Sweet The
most charitable was that "thc boys
(Contlr ad next naoc)