New-York tribune., 1920-02-20
Union League
Upholds Custer
Of Socialists
Despite Hughes's Memorial,
Club Approves Assembly
Action in Depriving Five
Members of Their Seats
Guthrie Report Adopted
Defenders of the Accused
Legislators Condemned:
Favor Red Deportations

Inc Union League Club expressed
| us approval at meeting last night Of
the deportation of alien radicals and
OF the proceedings against the Social
! 1st Assemblymen, although Charles f.
nughes and other members had ex.
pressed opposite views in printed men,
orlals. Both in the report Of the Com
mittee on Political Reform and in q
speech made by William D. Guthrie at
the meeting, credit for the deporta.
tions was claimed for the Union League
Club. The following resolution was
adopted:
That the report Of the Committee
on Political Reform, dated February
II, relating to the recent deportation
by the national government Of danger
Gus aliens and to the Suspension by the
New York State Assembly of the five
Socialists elected as members pending
inquiry as to their qualifications, bs
and is hereby, approved by this club
this resolution, as we'll as the remarks
at this meeting Of the chairman of that
committee (Mr. Guthrie) be sent to
the Attorney General Of the United
States, the Secretary of Labor and to
the members of the New York Assem-
bly, and otherwise distributed as the
officers of the club or committee may
direct"
Declares Party on Trial
The committee on political reform de-
ciared boldly in its report that the So
cialist party was on trial in the persons
OF five Assembymen and this point was
emphasized by Mr.. Guthrie in his re-
marks.
1--WE are admonished by the defenders
of these Socialists" he said, "that last
year in this city the Socialists cast for
their candidate for President of the
Board of Aldermen as many as 1896
votes, or 1914 per cent of the total vote
cast. And 1t is intimated that it is a
very serious, if not dangerous, thing to
disfranchise such large body of voters
by refusing to seat it's elected repre-
sentatives. Let us pause and reflect
upon what this argument really means
and where it will lead u.s.
Does it not mean, if it means any
thing, that the constitutions Of both
state and nation should be disregarded
in order to accommodate disloyal and
revolutionary voters and seat their
representatives because these voters
are numerous? Does it not emphasize
the truth Of the contention of the re-
Albany that what was negligible in the
past is no longer SO? Twenty years
ago. in 1901, The Socialist vote : for
Mayor of the City of New York was
16,047, or about 3 per cent of the total.
In 1917, during the war, when Hillquit
ran for Mayor on a thinly disguised
anti-war and disloyal platform, the
Socialists cast 144,135 votes, or 2S per
cent of the whole.
1T seems to me that it must DC
obvious to all unprejudiced observers
that the great increase in the Social
list vote is not only warning, but a
summons to defend our institutions
before it is too, late. 1t seems to me
that the American temperament has
become woefully degraded if the mere
magnitude of the menace to our insti-
tutions should make US quail before
the danger and compromise with revo-
luton for the sake of present peace.
Would Not Conciliate
again it is said by the champions
Of the five Socialists in the printed d
argument filed with the Judiciary
Committee Of the Assembly that,
"'No better weapon can be given to
them than the crown Of martyrdom,
The very evils that are feared and
that are sought to be counteracted by
the resolution pursuant to which the
respondents have been suspended will
be precipitated BY the action taken
III THIS means anything, it means
that revolutionary movements must he
suffered and tolerated aud the Consti-