Evening star., 1942-06-02
BY GOULD LINCOLN.

ny ooOLD LkINSoLINs
The order of Attorney Gen.
eral Biddle for the deportation
of Harry Bridges, labor agitator
and leader on the Pacific Coast,
on the ground that he has be-
longed to the Communist party,
was first of all surprise. The
case of Mr.. Bridges has been
kicking around for half dozen
years. 1t was the general i'm
preston that if the administra-
tion was going to do anything
about him, it would have done so
long ago. Secondly, the decision
of the Attorney General was a
considerable satisfaction to a
large number of Americans-who
do not cotton to Communism or
what 1t stands for.
1t is a fact that this country is
allied with Communist Russia in
the present war. 1t Is doing all
1t can to aid the Russians with
supplies, and it will do more and
more with its fighting forces.
The fight the Russians have put
up against Hitler has won the
admiration of the American
people. Those are not reasons,
however, why this country should
have to put up with agitators
like Mr.. Bridges.
Mr.. Bridges, it is urged, has
been doing good job as leader
of labor on the Pacific Coast in
the present war effort. When
Russia was allied with Hitler-or
at least standing alongside OF
the Nazi dictator and helping to
dismember Europe-Mr. Bridges
and his fellow travellers were not
so strong for the prosecution Of
the war against Hitler as they
are today.
There is good reason, there
fore, to consider the case of Mr..
Bridges, and what turn Mr..
Bridges might take If conditions
change. He is not desirable
citizen, according to the testi-
mony of large number of
Americans-nor Is he a citizen.
He is still an alien although he
has been in this country for
long time.
A Domestic Matter.
Supporters of Mr.. Bridges and
the C. I. o. are emitting loud
criticisms of the Attorney Gen.
eral, both on the ground that the
deportation of Mr.. Bridges would
be offensive to Communist Rus
sia, and that 1t would be a blow
struck at labor, at time when
labor is working hard to help
war production in this country.
The case of Mr.. Bridges, how
ever, is a domestic matter.
Further, his record as a fomenter
of labor strife is we'll under
stood.
1t was inevitable that the order
Of the Attorney General for the
deportation of Mr. Bridges would
be connected in the public mind
with the Presidents recent re-
lease of Earl BroWder, Commu-
mist candidate for President. who
was serving a Jail sentence for
having used forged passport.
1t was inevitable that the ad-
ministration, having favored
leading Communist by letting him
out of Jail and having been bit
terly criticised by many persons
in this country for that action,
would be accused of playing both
ends against the middle when it
ordered the deportation of an
other Communist.
Appeals have already been
made to the President to rescind
the order for deportation. Un-
less there is change of mind
on the part Of the administra-
ton, however, the courts will be
allowed to handle the Bridges
case. and inevitably it will reach
the Supreme Court of the United
States. What that court will do,
any one can speculate about. The
Supreme Court, however, is not
always predictable.
If the case has to move through
the lower courts first, it will be
a long time before the Supreme
Court gets chance to give an