Evening star., 1948-03-06
Bridges
Continued From First Page)

ago to get in line with CIO national
policy on aid to Europe and the
Wallace issue or face custer as
regional director. He went right
along attacking the Marshall Plan
and with his work as one' OF Mr..
Wallace's mainstays on the West
Coast. In both views he has con-
siderable labor support.
Retains Two Other Posts.
Two elective labor posts are re-
tanned by Mr.. Bridges. He remains
as president of the CIO Interna-
tional Longshoremens and Ware
housemen's Union and as member
of the national CIO Executive
Board. Mr.. Murray lacks the au-
thority to remove him from either
position.
Tim Flynn, former member of
the board of the CIO Shipbuilding
Workers Union and CIO organizer,
replaced Mr.. Bridges as regional
director.
In his statement on reports of
new efforts to deport him, Mr..
Bridges said 10 persons had been
arrested recently and held without
bail for deportation.
This new device of arresting
people on f1imsy legal technicalities
in order to remove them temporarily
from the labor and political scene
is both threatening and frightening
to all believers in American justice
and fair play.
'It boils down to this: Play ball
with Truman and support his re-
election or else. My contem-
plated arrest following similar ar
rests of other labor union spokes-
men is not surprising to us. We
have known 1t was on its way for
some time. Truman and his politi-
cal henchmen are desperate. ."
Ordered Deported in 1941.
After hearing in 1899, an exam
iner held Mr.. Bridges was not de-
portable because he had not been
proven to be a Communist Party
member at the time OF the hearing
Another hearing was held in 1941
and he was ordered deported. But
the Supreme Court reversed the
order, holding 1t was not shown
that Mr.. Bridges had advocated
force and violence to overthrow the
Government.
Mr.. Haywood told reporters in
Los Angeles that he had suggested
to Mr.. Bridges Thursday night in
San Francisco that the latter re-
sign.
He said Mr.. Bridges refused.
This left us no other alterna-
tive but to relieve Bridges of his
post as regional director for North
ern California" Mr.. Haywood said.
He indicated that the matter
reached a head after Mr.. Bridges
had replied "evasively" to a recent
letter from Mr.. Haywood question
ing the longshore chiefs political
views.
Baked At CIO Platform.
He read Mr.. Bridges reply in
which the latter declared Northern
CALIFORNIA; unions take the posi-
ton they have the right to decide
these issues for themselves" The
letter said this is not an express
sion of defiance" but added "if I
am required to campaign against
Henry Wallace cannot do that"
Mr.. Haywood said Mr.. Bridges
was among the minority in the
1911 National Executive Board vote
last January %, adopting the anti
third party and pro-Marshall Plan
platform. Mr.. Haywood said Mr..
Bridges raised the technical point
that the CIO national convention,
held earlier in Boston, failed to
take a specific stand.
The vice president added, how
ever, that the convention had voted
to leave political matters to the
Executive Board.
The national CLOS policy has
been a hot issue in California for
several weeks. The Los Angeles CIO
council split recently after pro-
tracted debate and several of its
officers resigned because delegates
which come from various CIO
unions-refused to indorse the ma
tionals anti-third party and pro-
Marshall Plan program.