New Britain herald., 1920-01-28
Says He Was Forced Out by Party; Made Him Sign His
 Own Resignation
GAVE SIGNATU RE ONCE
 BUT NOT SECOND TIME
Testimony Before Assembly Is to Prove That Party Made Its Candi-
 dates Sign Blank Resignation Be-
 fore Being Elected to Public Office.

Albany N Y., Jan. 2S.-TeStimony to support the allegation that the socialist party required it's candidates for public office to sign d blank resis nation before election was given by Mayor George Lunp of Schenectady, at the trial of the five suspended as semblymen before the assembly ju dietary committee.
 Mayor Lunn. who was read put of the party, told the committee that he formerly was a member of the social ist party and in 19l1 was the party's candidate for mayor. After a cam paign which he described as very strenuous"~he received a call at II o'clock the night before election from Charles Noonan and Russell Hunt. party leaders in the city. who told him that he must sign a document which proved to be an undated resiS- na sion.
 Aroused His Ire.
 :@This aroused my ire," he said, but I signcI it. I signed once, and once only.'
 Mayor Lunn said his callers threat ened him with withdrawal Of their support unless he acceded to their de- lnandS.
 MT. Lunn said that after serving from 1912 10 1914 he was TenoE1lnAt- ed but not elected. He attributed his defeat to tho fact that voters learned he had signed the resignation blank and felt he was controlled by the so- ciaIist local rather than by the citi- xcl.s' as g whole.
 Therefore, said MT. Lunn, although he had refused to sign the pledge at the time of his second noElin2tio3 le decided in p915. When he Was n2lcu for the third time. to mako q public sta ateucnt regarding his rcpIolatlon of that section in the party's constitu- ton. Tho clause itseR,- he said. he regarded as ''child's play but he neV- ert h eless had made up his mind "neV- CT to do it again"
 His public statement. he trS:titi4d, -rGated such d furore that members of che socialist state committee came to schenectady ito try to atch LID fbe dtfferen ces" MT. Lunn said he felt members of the party had tried te influence him more than he desired and that affairs reached crisis when he named 3, reput lican as city engineer instead of q socialist and refused to discharge an enrolled so- cialist but not q ues-payinS mem ber who had voted in the election for a non-socialist candidate.
 Mir. Lunn sai6 that charges were brought against him that he had Vio- lated th,. party constitution and that "they disciplined me by firing out the whole schenectady contingent by xithdrawing the locals charter. reor- ganjzing with only these who would gunport inc constitution in full
 Opposed to Present Trial.
 He said he was much opposed to 1b,, present proceedings against the socialists.
 My antagonism to the social party is very great" he said, "hut l consid- CT this proceeding is not in accord arce with conStitutiohal fundament- alt
 The socialist party. he said differed from other political parties in, that It asserted it's right to dictate and con- irol the distribution of patr onage "This was the rock on which we split" was his comment.
 The signed resignation prlor to eIecIion was not required by inc party so much on account or patron age. he said, as for the carrying out of platform pledges. The idea was that the elected official represented inc party and he should carry out it's platform and principles i'll his official COnd ucf.