Evening star., 1920-01-19
n. Y. SOCIALISTS
SUSPENSION MAY
SPLIT THE c. 0. P.
Radicals Growing" Over
Fact That Hughes Is
on "Their Side"
BY \. o. MESSENGER.

~ ". MFSSENSEh-
NEW YORK CITY. January 10
Out in the country. when they have
the laugh on you" the disconnected
one uses the homely expression. Bet
ter look out. or you will be laughing
on the other side of the face" Re-
publicans of this state are realizing
/ the applicability of this at the pres
ent time. Only a short while ago,
when Mr. Bryan came to the Jackson
day dinner and spilled all the demo-
cratic harmony beans, the republicans
were highly amused. Ny, but il was
funny. and how the republicans did
chortle while the democrats ruefully
rubbed their chins and tried to make
out as il they did not care much. any
| how. 4
G. o. r. Split Threatens
And now, with the republican state
and city factions threatened with a
/ split over the five socialist legislators.
| 1t is the turn of the democrats to
| laugh at the discontinue of the re-
publlcans. And the laugh seems to
| be on them, if it were indeed a laugh
| ing affair and not it is in fact a
very serious situation involving many
phases of the spreading or the check
| ing of radical sentiment in the state
/ and in the nation.
| The republicans certainly did go
! their split with enthusiasm and
| eclat." They did not hesitate a min
ute. but fell upon each otheo tooth
! and nall the most important figures
in the party facing each other with
! bitter reproaches. Charles E. Hughes
| and former Gov. Odell led in taking
sppposite sides and speaking out in
Rigorous terms. The Bar Association
| of New York divided over the issue
and though the Hughes faction car
| ried the day and made their point.
| the division was close. 1t is said
| that "a woman convinced against
her will is of the same opinion STILL"
and there is a minority faction in
the association which thinks that the
majority are exponents OF some
mighty poor law" as well known
Washington attorney. now dead. used
to remark when a Supreme Court de-
cision went against his client.
Speaker Sweet .sa Fighter ~
At the Murray Hill Hotel here The
Star correspondent had a talk with
| Speaker Sweet of the assembly, who
started all the trouble by refusing TO
allow the five socialists to take their
seats and referred them to the judi
ciary committee for a hearing
Speaker Sweet is a clean-cut, alert.
aggressive looking man. with eyes
that are as hard as blue steel. and
they say he is couSage personified. He
| looks it.
He has not the remotest idea of
abandoning the position he took, nor
| of yielding his judgment to threat OF
Mr.. Hughes. a former member Of the
United States Supreme Court and some
| time governor of this state. Everybody
can be assured that he will stand pat
and will see to it that the hearing pro-
ceeds and that the socialist party in
New York, its platform, and more es-
pecially any possible hidden purposes
and affiliations, are given an airing
He is backed, as The Stars dispatches
/ have told before, by the upstate re-
publicans, the men who represent
constituencies in whom loyalty to
country has been inbred since revolu-
tionar'y times.
They have no concern and less SYM
pathy with the exigencies of Manhat-
! tan politics and are not given to
drawing fine conclusions over the
broader constitutional and civil rights
alleged to be involved in the issue.
They think they are on the trail of an
anti-American organization and they
intend to ascertain whether they are
mistaken or not. r
Noted Lawyers Are Engaged.
The socialists have engaged 'of
| counsel" Seymour Stedmar of Chi
cago, who defended Victor Berger and
Eugene Debs. The state attorney.
general, prosecuting the case, has
| taken on two well known democrats
former Representative Martin w. Lit
TETON and John b. Stanchfield, once
democratic candidate for governor
The bar association will send Judge
Hughes at the head of its delegation
And that is what delights the So
cialists. While, of course Mr. Hughes
will not defend socialism. but will
attack the method of the attempted
debarring of the socialists, the So
cialists are already claiming that he
is with them and pointing to his pree-
ence at the coming trial in their faa
vor as a testimonial to the socialist
! orfv &c ofa11
TO go aieoyer the country and encour-
age every gathering of socialists
anew.
! Speaker Sweet and Attorney Cen
eral Newton are confident that dis
closures will be made which will
throw a very interesting light upon
radical activities and detectives in
New York
In my peregrinations since Mr.
Bryan's come back into the demo-
cratic spotlight. 1 have taken pains
to inquire among democrats how they
viewed his political reincarnation
especially with regard to the possi-
bility of their having to make a choice
some time after June 22 next. of
whether they can remain democrats
and supports radical platform or
leave the party The result of the
inqAries might be summarized some
what as follows:
See Mr. Bryan ms Stronger
That the republicans, standing for
conservatism, or at least opposed to
radicalism and socialism will need
! the help of conservative democrats as
badly as they needed and received the
aid of gold democrats in 1896; that
Bryan promises to be stronger n
| 1920 than he was in 1896. because he
will be able to assemble more ele-
ments now than he's did then-ele-
nfents of widely varying shades of
economic thought. and not alone rep
resenting one policy as then.
That if the republicans are wise in
their day and generation they will
cultivate this conservative demo-
cratic element by putting up every
where candidates for governorships,
for the Senate, for the House and, or
course, on the presidential ticket, pro-
gressive, outstanding men, who are not
/ amenable to the charge OF being re-
dictionaries or Bourbons.
That if the republicans fail to do
| this they are ''goners'' and the con-
servative democrats themselves Will
surely find the deep blue sea on one
side. Ess.eer is on the other.