The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1920-01-23
SOCIALISTS ARE
PLEDGED TOPARTY
Must Quit Office on Order q
Organization.
DE'D LETTER, SAYS HILLQUI1
Rules Are Read in the Trial OF the
Five Suspended New York Legis,
Iators.

Iators.
Albany, \. Y, Jan. 23.-Tn the hear
ing Of the charges against the five suS
pended Socialist members of the house
John Stlnchiield, counsel for the COM
mittee read from the rules of the So
cialist party, which stipulate that can
accepting nomination, file their I'M
dated eSignatiOnS with the OrgauiZa-
ton to become effective whenever they
prove dlSIoyal, in their political acts
II The party.
Mr.. Stanchtield read extracts from
the national constitution of the party
to show that the consent of the party
organization, state or local, Is neCes-
safy for any member of the party to
hold public office. All persons join
ing the party must subscribe to a
pledge to he guided in all political ac-
lions by the constitution and prin-
cipIes of the parry organization.
Any Socialist voting for any apprO-
priation for military or naval pur-
poses shall be expelled from the party,
according to the constitution. The in
>.rumen- further prescribed that So
cialiSts elected to legislative bodies
should organize into a group separate
from all other parties and should al
ways vote rs unit
/ Expulsion from the party is The pen
oil in,
voting for any candidate for public
! office other than Socialist party mem
| bers. who has no. been Endorsed or
recommended by the party organiza-
! ton.
Mr.. Stanchfield also read from the
! national constitution provision calling
! for complete adult suffrage regardless
OF sex, residential or educational quail
| iticationS and enfrahchisement OF
| those declaring their intention to be
| come citizens after one years resi-
| dence.
He read from the state constitution
! excerpts showing New York Socialists
! are governed by the platform and con
stitution of the national organization
and that the dueS-paying membership
had a power of expulsion. He also
read the form of the resignation from
| public office which candidates must
sign to insure their obedience to party
| principles.
| julius Gerber, secretary of the New
York local of the Socialist party, was
The first witness called. AS soon as
Gerber had been sworn, Mr.. Stanch
field obtained from him a copy of the
constitutional platform of the Social
list party in 1917, which was intro
| duced in evidence.
Cross examination by Morris Hill
quit. Gerber said he had been a mem
Der of the Socialist Labor party unit
organization of the Socialist party, o.
which he since had been member.
Mr. Hillquit brought out the infOr
nation that virtually all the provisions
of the constitution, the bylaws anC
the application blanks had been oper
alive sflce the formation of the state
Socialiss organization, in 1899. Tht
provision for members of the part!
elected 20 legislative bodies to form ;
separate group had been in the con
stitution since 1912.
The application of Samuel A. De
witt and Samuel Orr, two of the sus
pended asSemblymen, were introduced
as exhibits, and Mr.. Hillquit admitted
for his clients that the other three
members, Charles Solomon, Angus
Claessens and Louis Waldman, hat
signed identical cards
The card bears on one side the fam
ing torch, which is the Socialist EN-
blem. as well as the declaration by tn
applicant that he recognized the ne
| cesSity of organization in the struggle
between the "capitalistic class" ant
the workers. The other side of tn
card contains statistical information
as to residence, citizenship, age, plac
of birth and the names OF the Social
list publications Of which he is regu
lar reader.
Cross examination of Gerber by MI
Hillquit evidently was for the pur
pose of bringing out that the consti
tutiOnal and regulator excerpts rea
by Mr.. Stanchtield had been in fore
for Twelve to twenty-one years.