The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-04-05
ALIENS MAY DICTATE
TO AMERICANS
Reasons Why Socialists Were Expell-
ed from the New York
Assembly
New York Times)

II the five socialist members of the
New York assembly are expelled for
squalitication, AS recommended 0y
the majority report of the judiciary
committee, there are two ways by
which they can regain their political
standing and eligibility. Either their
socialist constitution must be amend
reG or the constitution of the United
States of American and the state of
New York must be amended. The con-
f1ict between the constitutions is evil
dent and irreconcilable, saws by
amendment; and as these socialist
members are pledged to obey their
cwn constitution and to carry out the
instructions of their own conventions
and national executive committee, it
will be plain to candid minds that
they cannot in conscience and good
faith take the required oath to "sup-
port the constitution of the United
States and of the state of New
York"
The majority report went much too
far when it said that the socialist
party of America is ga disloyal organ
ization composed exclusively of per-
petual traitors" A socialist can be
traitor only in war. not perpetu-
ally, and it may be that good many
socialists would choose to be unfaith-
full to their constitution rather than
become traitors to their country. But
out of the mouths of their own wit
neesses, and notably by the testimony
of Mr.. Hillquit, their own counsel,
! the character, the principles and the
aims of the socialist party were
clearly established and were shown to
be incompatible with support of the
laws and the constitution of the
/ United States and that of the state #
| New York. A single citation from the
socialist constitution makes this evil
dent. 1t is declared in Section of
that constitution that "any member
of the socialist party, elected to an
Office, who shall in any way vote to
appropriate moneys for military or
naval purposes or for war shall be
expelled from the party" The COM
mittee's report says of this that "the
promise to oppose all military or nav
al appropriations and appropriations
for war is a part of the plan of the
socialist party to destroy the existing
form of government and substitute
the government of the proletariat. as
fully appears by their propaganda.
The committee is justified in saying
that the refusal to appropriate money
for national defenses involves {
species of state suicide"
When the people of the United
States established their constitution
they declared in the preamble that i
was their purpose to establish jus
tice, insure domestic defense. pro
note the general welfare and secur'
the blessings of liberty to ourselve
and our posterity." We know tina
the aims of the socialist party, D
which these assemblymen are mem
bers, are very different. Proletaria
rule, and proletariat rule is the pur
pose they have in view, would not es
tablish justice, and certainly it woul
not "secure the blessings of Gilbert
to ourselves and our posterity," TO
we have before our eyes the great eX
ample of the rule of the proletariat j
Russia, where liberty does not exis
where there is no pretense of justic
7 as we understand that word, an
= where domestic tranquility is secure
E only by the slaughter of those VIII
oppose the present ruling class.
Moreover, the socialist party is nc
a political party in any true sense {
the word, for the members of a poli
ical party must be citizens, and tn
qualification for membership in til
e socialist party is only that of res
:, dence in the United States. Ina!
d much as the executive committee il
h sues orders to and exercises contr
,. over socialist members of the legi