New-York tribune., 1920-02-08

| Speaker Of tho Assembly, and Frank
Hedfey. president Of the marlborough
Mr.. Sweet defended the action Of the
Assembly in suspending tho five Social
| ist members; asserted that they were
having fair trial and predicted that
q time wss coming when "the people
Of the state would demand Justice for
the members (non-Socialist) Of the
Assembly who have been 20 vilified
and prejudseed." He also said he be-
lieved there was no distinction between
the Socialist and Communist parties.
Mr.. Sweet saids
"Trom the mass Of contradictory
statements that have been made con-
cerning the evidence presented against
the Ave unscated Assemblymen there
will eventually burst into flame a
spontaneous demand for the truth,
and, when there ID true understand
ing Of what we attempted and what we
hope to attain, the people Of New York
State will demand justice for the
memherG Of the Assembly who have
been 80 viliAsd and prejudgsd.
Calls Hughss Action Hasty
"Soms Of the ablest jurists in the
state have taken exception to the
opinion Of another jurist who contends
that the Assembly stepped beyond its
constitutional right in suspending from
the privilege Of the Assembly the Ave
men under investigation at Albany.
With due respect to former Governor
Hughes, am FREQ to say that his
opinion is disputed by scores Of the
foremost men Of tho bar In this state.
I am panied to add that his hasty and
Ill advised action resulted in the an
tagonistic attitude Of part of the
press of New York State, which is an
unwarranted as it Is unjustified.
the members Of the Assembly to serve
In q house with clean. patriotic, law
abiding citizens. We who sat during
almost two years Of war listening to
TRADES against our government and
our Constitution, suffering to point
at times whore we almost felt it nec-
essary to have recourse to a gas mask,
realized that the limit Of our patience
had been reached.
ut was after the war that the ire
mendous import was brought to our In
ner CONSEQUENCES. that II the country
was In danger during the war the dan
ger had increased threefold.
1--WE saw insidious attacks being
made upon our peaceful and contented
laboring class. Through underground
channels there came 20 Us the infor-
nation that poisonous documents and
propaganda were being
among our citizens. We
were told that the Lenine and Trotzky
Bolsheviki government had sent agents
into the United States with the view
to undermine the foundations Of this
great and liberty-loving Republic.
During the last three weeks l have
received hundreds and thousands of
letters asserting the right of the AS
sembly to take the action Of unseating
these five undesirables, and a great ma
jority of the writer's said that it
seemed unnecessary to consider tho
means if the end was justified. in
sisted that these men should be given
q fair trial, and they are having a fair
trial.
"There is no place in this country for
2 traitor. There is no spot on this
broad domain of ours whore for
single instant conspirator may sit
and incubate the germs of lawlessness
and revolution"
Mr.. Hedley said the rapid transit
system Of New York is threatened with
ruin, and that the principal thing at
the present moment is to keep it in
,act, whether the ultimate policy of the
:ity Is one Of municipal ownership or
II sliding scale in "service at cost"
system.