OL’ BILL

SHORT JABS

OMETIMES a capitalist paper is worth a nickel, not often, it is
Sg true, but occasionally. That sometimes happens when .a really
objectively_written story has passed without interference between the
original reporting and its publication, without being slashed, doctored
or otherwise distorted by news editors. Such an item got into the
Vancouver Sun when Shanghai was occupied by the Chinese Libera-
tion armies. : ’

The part of the story which made that‘ copy of the Sun worth a
nickel read: “The American-owned radio station DEB3 received orders
from the military -authorities to close down for
the time being.” That is a great change from
what we have been used to reading in the capital-
ist press. Usually, the orders are issued by the
blustering bullies who represent the Wall Street
aggressors, as is happening in many parts of the
world today. In this case, the orders were not
issued by General Lucius Clay or General Mac-
Arthur, who mowed down the bonus marchers in
Washington in 19381, and it inspires us with a
pleasant feeling to know that the boot is now on
the other foot.

When I read that paragraph I was reminded
i 3 Of an editorial comment iin the History of Amer-
ican Labor, During a period when American capitalism was _ hell-
bent on the destruction of the trade union movement, much like it is
today, its whole policy was aimed at “rooting out the red menace”; it
Was just as hysterical then as it is today and just as brutally arro-
gant. ;

At that time the Butte Bulletin was by a long way the best labor
Paper in the \United States. The editor was a fighter who used to
produce a paper with a rifle or shotgun close to his hand. When he
slept, he slept in the printshop on a cot and his wife handled the
rifle. He had need to bea fighter, for the miners and. smeltermen
of Montana, whose paper the Bulletin was, were engaged in a life
and death struggle with the most ruthless gang of cut-throats who
ever associated for the exploitation of the American hard-rock men

x

Officials were daily occurrences; miners were waylaid and hijacked
by paid plug-uglies and strong-arm gunpackers in the service of, and
at the direction of Anaconda, the best-named corporation in America.
So the editor of the: Bulletin had to be able and willing to defend
himself, at all times. :

In one issue he published a paragraph in the paper saying he had
received a letter from some outlying part of the Montana mining
territory giving an‘ account of a raid by the company cops and the

and it read: “This is the last letter of this kind we want to receive
in this office. All letters that come here from now on should tell of
company, cops being beaten up by miners.” He certainly wanted the
thrill that comes with knowing that the shoe is now on the other
foot. : :

I. felt that thrill when I read the paragraph referred to in the
opening lines. With the capitulation of Shanghai has come the
knowledge that the arrogant behavior of the hirelings of. Anglo-
American imperialism is at an end. They are up against something
different than when they were riding high, wide and, as they thought,

_ handsome. The occupation of that city, the largest in Asia, did not

fulfil the dire predictions of the calamity howlers of Wall Street.
There was no looting or senseless destruction except what was com-
mitted by the Kuomintang troops, financed, armed and fed by Wall
Street. In fact, a British United Press dispatch on the occupation
of Shanghai drew the contrast between the demoralized ‘Kuomintang
and the well-disciplined Liberation troops in two sentences, stating:
“The Communist troops have shown restrained behavior in the con-
quered city. As a result, fear has been replaced with optimism.’.
“ Now that “Peanut’’ Chiang Kai-shek is no longer' available to
lead the fight against communism, the Daughters of the Empire
propose to fill the gap in the ranks of the anti-communists. Where
Peanut failed they hope to succeed in maintaining a “way of life”
which their leaders find as comfortable as Chiang found his.

Immediately following announcement of the decision reached by
vheir Victoria convention over a broadcast last Sunday was another
news item about a man who had jumped from the Pattullo Bridge
into the Fraser. He left a note in the pocket of his jacket saying
he was hungry and desperate, Thisptoo, is part of the Canadian way
of life the Daughters of the Empire are going to fight to preserve,
whether they realize it or not. The people of our country do not all :
live the life of ease and comfort enjoyed by those who lead and
speak for the Daughters of the Empire, all of whom belong to the
class that lives by exploiting such workers as the hungry man who
jumped off the Pattullo Bridge. Most workers have little between
them and the privation so many of us knew in the “Hungry Thirties”
and the sooner this way of life is changed, the better it will be for
éveryone, including the Daughters of thé Empire.

oo

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—the Anaconda Copper Company. Attacks on union offices and .

beating-up of some of the miners. The editorial comment followed -

clear to most voters because each
as each party also loudly accuses
is certain to become widely know

that nobody in the House had
“greater respect” than St. Laurent
he also (with reference mainly,

but not only, to Newfoundland)
publicly urged voters to vote Lib-
eral where there was no CCF
candidate.

Content of Coldwell’s declaration
| was made clear to those who have
watched the development and
course of the CCF since its incep-
tion by other CCF  pronounce-
ments.

“Coldwell, for example, has al-
sq announced that the CCF no
longer proposes to abolish the
Senate (a basic CCF plank since
1933) but rather to reform it. He
cites the constitution as blocking
abolition — but the constitution
would also have to be changed
to effect reforms. Saskatchewan
CCF Premier T. C. Douglas has
also assured the oil monopolies
that they won’t be expropriated
in Saskatchewan, that their profit
would be protected. Another
CCF plank has gone by the
board, nationalization of monop-
olies vital to the country’s wel-
fare. .

CCF Ontario president Andrew
Brewin suggests the best thing
that could come out of the elec-
tion, would be “the CCF as a con.
trolling group in the House, able
to compel reforms from the Lib-
erals,” in other words, a parliamen-
tary coalition. He left unanswered
the question as to whether Cold-
well and others would go in the
cabinet.

Libera]. leader St. Laurent’s
strongest rebuke for the CCF is
that they are “Liberals in a hurry.”

E x *.; *
‘These and other signs point to a
definite Liberal-CCF agreement.

The forces that stand behind the
Liberals see the CCF as a “safe”
opposition whose pseudo-radical
demagogy is needed to confuse
progressive Canadians. They would
not worry at welcoming them into
the government if need be—though
all signs point to St. Laurent go-
ing back with more seats than
before. And the Coldwell-Lewis
leadership is step by step and
consciously reducing the CCF to
the role formerly played by the
Liberals in national polities,

Spadina COF’ers finally nomin-
ated the only man who refused
to withdraw his name even
though party bosses knew he was
a token candidate against Lib.
eral “left bower” David, Croll,
whom other CCF’ers openly laud.
The same night South York Lib-
erals placed a token candidate in
the field against CCF organizer
Joseph Noseworthy in South
York, with Senator Roebuck tell-
ing them that the Liberal can-
didate could win, “if all the
CC¥’ers voted for him.” .

_The Liberals, for their part, have
supplanted the TorieS in their tra-
ditional role of meeting every need
of finance-capital circles. Drew
has little to offer big business that
St. Laurént hasn’t already given
them. Duplessis can’t deliver
Quebec, so the Tories ‘become, no
longer a national party, but a
spur for certain special big busi-
ness groups, striving to increase
their strength by openly catering
to those who want a new “iron
heel” repression of the people and
by raising a big scare about the
Liberal-CCF “socialist” hook-up.

That’s the new line-up. Tories:
extreme-right minority. Liberals:
ruling party of reaction. CCF:
left front for the Liberals. All

three parties unite on the decisive

Most. spectacular—and most significant—switch
the official CCF into a tacit alliance with the

Coldwell, St. Laurent —
entente points trend

By BRUCE MICKLEBURGH *

Political news analysts now agree there is a new political line-up in Canada,
different ways of saying it, depending on which ne\

the other parties of chan
n before election time.

-over from a

ging (and

vspaper they’re working for.
party tries to pretend to its following that»it has not changed.

Liberals. Not only did Coldwell tell a Maritimes audience

—TORONTO
though they
It’s not yet quite
they’re all partly correct) the t

labor point of view is the entry of

War pact. the

the people look under
find what they want.

issues of support for the Atlantic
jobs-destroying
Marshall plan, repression of labor
and sacrifice of social security. No
matter which of these three shells
they don't

In sharp distinction the LPP is

going on record before the whole| of progressive sections and
country for peace through the| groups, it’s equally likely that
UN, unfettered trade through; the LPP’s national campaign wi

agreements wherever Canada can Speed that coalition, perhaps de

get them, economic protection and| cisively,

security for the people, and 2 vill
of rights against fascism. ;

It won't elect more than
handful of candidates, but sinc
the tacit coalition of :
seems likely to produce the oF
posite reaction of a new line-UP

How Wall Street interests are

of American capital in France.

Agents of American big business
are -utilizing extreme right-wing
| Opposition to the special finance
bill presented to parliament. While
the Communists and progressives
naturally resist the disastrous pol-
icy which sacrifices to Wall Street
France’s political and economic in-
dependence, cross-fire opposition
to the government’s financial plan
now comes from extreme right-
wingers admittedly obeying the
“advice” of American business men
fo remove the last obstacles to the
colonial policy they seek to impose
more securely on this country. —

First aim of the campaign is
the removal of those right wing
Socialist ministers, who, trying to
retain their dwindling electoral
support, have offered mild oppo-
sition to return of nationalized
enterprises to private ownership.
U.S. business circles regard this
step as a necessary condition to
open the way for heavy invest-
ment of private American capital
in France.

Under the mounting financial
burden of the Atlantic pact com-
mitments, rearmament, and _ the
ruinous war in Viet Nam—termed

Wall St. engineering |
cabinet crisis in France

cfisis is being shown by recent developments here.
paign now underway to create the political conditions for invest

—PARB-
striving to provoke a French cabi
Aim of the call

ee

the “Dirty War’ by Socialist party
secretary Guy Mollet until ae
party started backing it in ae
ernment—the Queuille cabinet ?
facing a heavy storm today in in-
troducing its special finance bill
The bill proposes to meet “U#-
foreseen” military expenditure—
53,000,000,000 francs—by an addr
tional 6.5 percent slash of its cl¥
budget. Education, social se
vices, public health and rail
transport will be the main §
fices and, in accordance with
American big business orders. T@
duction of capital investment
the Monnet Reconstruction Pia”
virtually confines the plan’s P™?”
posals to paper. :
Headed by such men as 1
premier Paul Reynaud, wh0 an
France to disaster in 1940, ne,
Vichyite ex-premier Etienne Fila
din, who wired congratulations
Hitler on his Munich victory: @
American-inspired campaig? t
receives open assistance from ae
wing ministers in the present pis z
net. who boast that they can OV"
throw the Queuille cabinet an
place it with even more reac

ary personnel. ae

tio2- ;

g. |
Iving
‘said Charles Stewart, LPP federal

“In a democracy there is no

Social and economic equality with
other Canadians, and French-Can_
adian citizens have a lower wage
level than their fellow-citizens in
English-speaking Canada.”

“Ask yourself,” he continued, “is
it democratic to smash open the
heads of asbestos miners and to
threaten them with life imprison-
ment because they seek a basic
wage rate’ of one dollar an hour
from a fabulously wealthy United
States corporation? } :
“Is it democratic to fire upon
members of the Canadian Sea-
men’s Union because they seek to
protect their jobs ana to prevent’
employer-dominated scab organiza-
tions from wrecking their legiti-
mate union? a

_ “Democracy, to mean anything.
must be practised, not just

"V ote for LPP vote for
'democracy

A vote for the LPP is a vote for
in a radio address over station CKMO early this week.

said Stewart. “Yet native Canadians—Indians, and Eskimo

|

--- CHARLES STEWA”
anada
East

“‘livmg democracy” in C
dard-bearer in Vancouver

stan

room for second-class citizens
A ae
racy Oe

ing program for democ
Canada, which we call upo? * ¢
to support. The LPP says: everd
law by legislative action sigiol®
expression of racial and oyment
bigotry; enact a fair employ” jy
practices .act; A terrence
equality of citizenship to
Canada; grant full economic 7
citizenship rights to Indians 4 iy
Eskimos; enact a nee
of rights -guaranteeing religio™
of speech, freedom of nssoct
freedom of the press and cod
tion; enact a decease ae .
protecting labor’s pniot
gain colléctively, to the esicil®
shop, and to elect union 0%"
of their own free pa
“Here is a platform
democracy. On June 27 alte
vote to genuine fighters fe?

0:

preached. The LPP has a fight-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JUNE 3, 1949 —

dian democracy by voting ’

f