U.S. RED LEADERS APPEAL AGAINST SENTENCES
NEW YORK, June 21
The United States Court of Appeals today began hearing the appeal of the 11 Communist leaders who were convicted last October of advocating violent'overthrow of the Government. Defence counsel. Mr. Abraham Isserman. in his opening argument sought to prove that the Smith Act of 1940, under which the convictions were obtained, was unconstitutional. He said that affirming the convictions would strike a death blow at the First Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech, the press and assembly. Overthrow of the Government did not occur by words alone, but required preparation and acts, he said. Ten of the eleven Convicted men are free on bail. The other. Eugene Dennis, secretary of the American Communist Party, is serving a prison term for contempt of Congress. The case began nearly two years ugo. Ten of the men were sentenced to five years' imprisonment and one to three years. Each was fined 10,000 dollars.
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Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23288, 24 June 1950, Page 5
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163U.S. RED LEADERS APPEAL AGAINST SENTENCES Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23288, 24 June 1950, Page 5
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