The New York herald., 1920-01-23
UNITED STATES OF THIEVES
SPEECH BY ASSEMBLYMAN
READ INTO TRIAL RECORD
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smother. WeSwant to strike at that from
the foundation and In removing the prf-
vate ownership OF the things that are
necessary to life, we remove the founda-
non. and once You remove the foundation
the entire structure collapses and ought
not to be rebuilt
We Socialists are social revolutionists;
We are really the most peaceful people In
the world, SO much SO that we are
pacifists, that we hate the shedding OF
blood.
t'Tn order to accomplish the social re-
volution, something more is necessary
than merely changing the government.
The great masses of American people
are still such an inferior and beast-like
set of creatures that we are far from
that fine spirit of ideahsm which our
comrades in Russia show. They are
many thousand years ahead OF us. Ili-
terate?--yes, they cannot read Well,
that is not necessarily a sign of stupidity.
1--WE have a harder struggle ahead of
US What we need in this country is not
merely a. growing movement directed
toward the conquest OF power. We need
even a greater revolution. and that will
be accomplished by persistent agita ton.
know sometimes it seems so hopeless,
I know sometimes it seems so discourag-
ing"
Telling OF his campaigns around New
York during a campaign just then ending,
Mr.. Claesseng, continued. according to
the transcript of the speech read into the
record -
II have likewise told the people that
any person who still remains a Democrat
or Republican is an accomplice of
crook You have absolutely no right to
democracy. You have absolutely no right
to speak of an American republic; there
is no American republic. 1t is merely one
huge institution based upon frauds. III
the men and women cannot cast their
ballots, If they cannot get counted their
own ideas, what is the sense of this whole
thing?
Not the Principal Business.
eff there was not the fact that a change
was coming we would say, To hell with
the whole business" But we are going
to the Assembly, and we will tell it to
them. There are five of us. Charlie Solo
mon is one. There are others, ard we
will tell them something. But we won't
waste much time in the Assembly, COM
rades, talking to that bunch that sit there
with stolen property, but we will use our
position with the Assembly and reach the
dubs and speak to them, and | can assure
YOU, comrades. we won't sleep one night
when we are in Albany, but every night
we will be speaking, in Troy and Schenec-
tady and Amsterdam, everywhere around
there. arousing the workers wherever we
possibly can
Referring to his election fraud charges
and the proposal to appeal to the courts,
the speaker said
II do not hope much from the courts,
because the courts are elected by Just
such practices. These judges hold their
seats by just the same fraud. If they are
not thieves. a great many of them are
receivers of stolen goods You can I'M
agine how much justice you can get from
this bunch.
"I know some Of ycu feel TO hell with
the whole matter OF voting to hell with
the whole form of government. If the gov
eminent rests upon thievery and fraud
then you have no government. you might
irst as well refer to this nation as the
United States Of Thieves but I am not
Gre of those to become pessimistic. we
are here tonight celebrating the second
anniversary of the Russian revolution
Our comrades in Russia were treated ike
dogs, were shot and hung. and sent to
Siberia. Every dirty trick they used
against us here was used against them,
and worse, and did they stopc Did it Kill
their spirit? Did they say, oh, what's the
use? Give up. You cannot accomplish
ANYTHING You are up against mlghuer
lower; what is the good?'
Our Russian comrades did not say that
They were fighters, and when we are
celebrating the second anniversary OF the
Russian revolution, we celebrate the sec
ond anniversary of the success OF fighting
men and women, and if we celebrate that
in the highest possible form. not only in
our ideaism, but in our enthusiasm, then
we celebrate it also as martyrs, and not as
towards"
Duty with the People.
Mr.. Hillout began the days proceedings
bv entering vigorous protest against tne
rulings of the committee. lie dissented 10
all the rulings. throwing out ms hu
r1erous motions. as unfair and preJudiced.
IF these five Socialist Assemblymen are
disloval. traitors. spies and enemies. the
responsibility for their presence here is
the people's. not the Assembly's. Mr.
HiIlouit said "The duty and power to
disaualify them is the peoples; not yours
Also at the opening of the hearing. AS
semblynnan William S. Evans, OF the
Bronx. one OF the Democratic members
of the committee. filed a statement dis
senting from the rulings of the chairman
denying the motion of the Socialists that
the committee report to the Assembly
that the proceeding be dismissed on the
ground that there is neither constitutional
nor statutory authority for it. He held
that the reasoning of the Socialists coun-
sci was sound
advocacy of force to overthrow the gov
ernment," Mr.. Evans said. may or may
not be amcnable to tho criminal law, but
whether amenable or not il is not dis
qualification under the state constitution
for membership in the Assembly.
"If the people or part OF them knowingly
choose TO elect disloyal, unpatriotic or
morally, mentally and physically unfit
representatives, we must receive them
and keep them so long as they conduct
themselves in the best way they know
how"
Identifying the "Mastcr."
Julius Gerber executive secretary Of the
New York County Local of the Socialist
party. was the first witness. He was
asked by Mr. Stanchfield to produce the
constitution. bylaws and other records of
the local and the national and State rec
ords of the party. Before the witness was
permitted to proceed, Mr.. Hillquit argued
that the Socialists were prepared to admit
that many questions raised were not dis
puted He insisted that these questions
be separated and that the evidence be
confined strictly to those at issue. lie held
Il to be his right to state which parts of
the charges he admitted to bo true, but he J
was overrlled.
Reading into the record. many OF the
constitutional provisions of the Socialist
Mr Sfanchfieid presapted ha