Imperial Valley Press

Bridges Petition To Defeat Ouster Under Submission Attorneys Argue CIO Leader Victim' of Unfair Hearings

SACRAMENTO, Sept. 26. (UP)—Federal Judge Martin I. Welsh today took under submission a petition for a writ of habeas corpus sought by Harry Bridges, West Coast CIO leader, to prevent his deportation to Australia as an undesirable alien.
Attorneys were granted 10 days in which to file final briefs.
Bridges was not present in court. His three defense attorneys argued for two days that his previous deportation hearings were unfair and that U. S. Attorney General Francis Biddle disregarded a previous ruling by the immigration board of appeals in Bridges' favor when he ordered the alien labor leader deported in June.
In his order, Biddle declared Bridges had been proved to have been affiliated with the Communist party, which he said had been shown to have advocated overthrow of the government by force and violence.
The Communist party sought to intervene in the hearing but Judge Welsh denied the request without comment.
U. S. District Attorney Frank J. Hennessy argued in the final hours of the hearing that the court was not concerned whether Bridges was a leader of labor in San Francisco (Continued on Page 6. Col. 6)
Bridges Petition To Defeat Ouster Under Submission

(Continued From Page 1)

or vital to the war effort as claimed by the defense. He pointed out Bridges had 22 years in which to become a citizen and had failed to do so.

"Aliens have no special rights or privileges to remain in this country," Hennessy said. "Congress has provided for deportation of aliens who become affiliated with organizations committed to overthrow the government by force."

"Bridges has been given a full and fair hearing. His attorneys had adequate time to prepare his defense. Deportation is not a public offense and the defense claim is unfounded that Bridges has been placed in double jeopardy."

Richard Gladstein, one of Bridges' attorneys, described Bridges' early training in trade unionism and the leading part he played in the San Francisco waterfront longshoremen strikes.