Review

EDITORIAL PAGE

_CBC ‘nose-counting’

. he Communist Party has been
advised by local CBC-TV officials
that it is not entitled to any “free
time’ during the current election

-campaign. The arbitrary ruling,
taken at a meeting at which the
Communist Party was excluded,
was arrived at on the grouds that
the Communists do not represent
any “substantial body of opinion”,
and hence not entitled to the same
consideration and ‘‘free time” pri -
vileges accorded other political
parties.

This CBC rule-by-thumb “demo-
cracy”’ is phoney to say the least.
Much of CBC’s coldwar program-

ming, together with the “‘black-
out” treatment of the Commun-
ist viewpoint in the kept press
during and between elections, is
mainly prompted by the fear that
the Communists (and only the
Communists) do express the hopes
and aspirations of a “substantial
body of opinion,” hence the need
to apply the “blackout” and sil-
ence gag.

None of the parties in this elec-
tion, including a top-heavy Socred
legislature, represent a majority
opinion of the people of B.C., re-
gardless of their standing in the
legislature. Yet the Liberals with
a skeleton crew of two and the
Tories with none, are accorded
CBC “free time” dispensation.

How then does the CBC, pre-
sumed to be a publicly owned in-
stitution and maintained at high
cost by the taxpayers, Commun-

|n a press interview last week
the new Soviet Ambassador to
Canada, Mr. Ivan F. Shpedko,
expressed regret that having
signed the Moscow test-ban trea-
‘ty, Canada should then agree to
the placing of U.S. nuclear bombs
on Canadian soil. This in the Am-
bassador’s opinion, was certainly
not in the spirit of ‘lessening
of world tensions’’.

The June federal elections
showed, among other things, that
a goodly majority of the Canadian
people, of all political shades and
opinions, fully shared the Soviet
Ambassador’s viewpoint. :

Then comes the “bon mot” of
brazen effrontery. Prime Minist-
er Lester B. Pearson, Washing-
ton’s “Joe Boy” for putting Can-
ada in hock to the Pentagon, is
reported to be “highly indignant’”’
over the Ambassador’s opinions,
and describes it as “gross inter-
ference in the internal affairs”’
of Canada.

We bow to Mr. Pearson as an
authority on “interference in the
internal affairs” of our country.
He and his pro-U.S. Liberal min -
ority are in office now mainly be-

— =
Pacific Tribune
Editor — TOM McEWEN
Associate Editor—MAURiCE RUSE
Business Mgr.—OXANA BIGELOW
_. .Published weekly at: ©
Room £ — 426 Main Street.
Vancouver 4, B.C.

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_ Authorized ag second class mail by
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ist and non-Communist alike, ab-
rogate to itself the arbitrary pow-
er of dictating who does, or does
not represent a “substantial body
of opinion’?

In its ruling to exclude the
Communists from CBC ‘“‘free
time” its governing body have per-
formed a dual service to reaction;
first by adding its mite to the
coldwar climate, and second by
attempting to gag opinions which,
whether the CBC recognizes it or
not, are becoming matters of deep
and grave concern to an ever-in-
creasing body of public opinion.

Probably the CBC rule-of-
thumb “democrats” have one
prime objective in mind by exclu -
ding the Communists; to keep
those vital questions of resources
sellouts, U.S. nuclear bombs in
Comox, and similar embarrassing
issues which the old-line parties
of monopoly like to avoid or evade
—off the hustings.

Any responsible body which
estimates “public opinion” by
“nose-counting” (votes) in order
to exclude non-conforming opin-
ion, is doing the public it is paid
to serve, an ill service. The pub-
lic have a right to reject Com-
munist viewpoint on vital issues.
It has also the right to hear these

viewpoints and to make its own

judgement, without the CBC act-
ing the role of a ““thought-control”’
tribunal instead of a public ser-
vice institution.

Editorial comment. . .

cause of U.S. interference in Can-
ada’s internal affairs; economic-
ally, financially, politically, and
militarily. That, and U.S. dollars
to buy a made-to- measure elec-
tion for Washington, with U.S.
nuclear bombs now to be added,
underscore Mr. Pearson’s crude
attempt at “indignation”.

Bob blows a ‘kiss’

There are some points of “dif
ference” which NDP leaders like
Bob Strachan and others of a like
mind should hone up on. that is,
unless they are deliberately. try-
ing to lose out in the coming-Sep-
tember 30 elections.

The first is to grasp the reality of
opportunity which presents itself
in this election; that is, the elec-
tion of an NDP government as an
“alternative” to a Socred, Liberal
or Tory “‘squeeze-in’’. A reality
which can only be achieved by the
broadest possible unity, and first
and foremost, unity of Labor and
the “Left” behind the NDP. Not
a Strachanized “unity” that wails
for dissident Liberal and Tory
votes, and rejects all Communist
and Labor support which does not
conform to top-brass right-wing
NDP “respectability”, a political
disease requiring volumes to el-
aborate upon, and highly odorous
in its final analysis.

When the Communists call for
the election of an NDP govern-
ment in this election, they do not
do so because they are enamoured
by the looks, “integrity”, or lim-
ted intellect of Mr. Strachan and
numerous of his right-wing col-
leagues. They do so because as
Communists they know, as do
many thousands of NDP mem-
bers and supporters, that only the
broadest unity in support of NDP
anti-monopoly policies can win.
Policies not only set down in fine
resolutions and words, but poli-
cies supported day in and day out
by corresponding united labor-
farmer political action.

Despite this obvious truth we
have the sorry spectacle of Mr.
Strachan peddling bourgeois ho-
milies about “stability”, “integ-
rity’, “honesty in government”
and so forth; appealing to the
Tory, Liberal and Socred purvey-
ors of these political shibboleths
for “unity” and votes to dislodge
Bennett and his Socreds. It’s en-
ough to make the very stones of

Comment:

B.C weep.

In this “train of thought”, long
off the rails, Mr. Strachan again
trots out the old “‘Commie-kiss-
of -death” bilge. Mr. Strachan

wants “votes” from everyone ex- |

cept the Communists. This is the
hallmark of his political virginity;
a bid tor bourgeois “respectabil-
ity’, and a sure way to lose an
NDP victory, now within his
grasp.

In this Mr. Strachan delivers
a below-the-belt blow at the de-

mocratic right of the citizen, who

may, or may not be a Commun-
ist, but who in either case has the
inalienable right to tell his neigh-
bor, his community, or his con-
stituency, who and what he thinks
it should vote for.

Seemingly however, Mr. Stra -
chan hasn’t learned this element-
ary lessonin the democracy he
boasts, and prefers instead the

votes of those Tory, Liberal and —

Socred salesmen whose parties
have individually and collectiv-
ely, sold out B.C. to the U.S.
trusts, agreed to a U.S.-controlled
nuclear bomb dump at Comox,
and who now seek another ‘“‘man-
date” to complete the betrayal of
our heritage, our peace, and our
sovereign independence. To Mr.
Strachan and his right-wing cot-
erie, a vote from these Tory, Lib-
eral and Socred U.S. brokers is
preferable to that of a Commun-
ist. ‘

Happily, however, that is a de-
cision that is made by Commun-
ists and not by Mr. Strachan; a —

decision that works for the elec-
tion of an NDP government on
September 30, as the best and on-
ly possible alternative at this
stage of B.C. political history. A
decision shared by thousands of
NDP members and supporters in
the ranks of Labor, despite the
misguided fulminations of the
Strachans!

THis column is dedicated to the
memory of a staunch and devoted

Canadian worker,

of peace and Socialism.

George Dougenes,
who gave 56 years of his life’s effort,
right up to its last hour, to the cause

There are many jobs connected with
getting out a paper such as this. Edit-
ing, perhaps the least arduous, and
often not the best well done. Seeking
the finances and circulation to keep it
going, a great and fine collective effort
of Communists and progressive work-
ers. Such problems are well known to
all “PT’’ readers and supporters.
What isn’t so well known is the volun.
tary work of mailing, of ‘getting the

and for payment of postagé in cash =

Socialist Canada, but

Leninist foundation.

front ranks of ‘PT’

ers

‘PT’ out to its readers.

paper out to its readers,’ done by a
handful of grand old veterans, who will
not see the magnificent edifice of a
who dedicate
their lives to the building of its Marxist-

In all these jobs George Dougenes
was a tireless worker, always in the
builders; always
one of that grand platoon of ‘“‘old-tim-
who come to the “PT"’ office
every week, rain or shine, to get the

Last week’s Labor Day edition was
no exception. Some extra work, heavier
bundles, with Dune McLean's volun-

teer crew pitching in as ever; with
George Dougenes at; his post, and
Death terminating his “long shift’’ of
service and devotion to his fellowmen.

Born in Greece on May 6, 1888, a
son of the heroic Creek people whose
love of democracy and freedom is epi.
tomized in names like Manilos Glezos,
Tony~ Ambatielos, Dionysios Diakrou-
sis, and the countless thousands of
Greek patriots who rot in Greek prisons
under the fascist rule of King Paul
of the Hellenes; a fascist monarchy
created by Yankee dollars and British
bayonets, George Dougenes, the Greek
immigrant came to America -in 1905,

-and from there to Canada in 1911.

In the cotton mills of New Hamp.
shire, 9 hours a day, $2.00 a week, in
Californian railway construction at
$1.50 a day, re-building San Francisco
from the rubble of its great earth-
quake of 1906. Then to Canada and the
job of pioneering the building of unions
in the harvest fields, the building
trades, the food industry, or wherever
a union-minded worker finds a job ina
non-unionized industry. The saga of
George Dougenes’ life is that of an
immigrant worker who. labors where
he can for his daily bread, yet seeks
ever and always to inspire his fellow
man with the imperishable dream of a
world in which the “exploitation of
man by man”’ will be ended forever,
and where peace and human brother.
hood shall supplant the savagery of
capitalist “civilization.”

Knowing perhaps that he would soon

be on “‘the last mile,” Comrade George

Dougenes left us a brief letter. It is a
beautiful letter simple, honest and

direct, which now speaks from beyond
the Great Divide.

“In 1922 I joined the Communist
Party in Edmonton. About twelve of
us took the oath to do our best for the
working-class, and these words and the
oath was taken in front of our beloved
Tim Buck. : j

“The only people for the emancipa-
tion of the working-class was the new
Party, the Communist Party. I did all
I could for the cause and I will remain
in it for the rest of my life. I have a
lot more to write, but with these few
words I hope my comrades will under-

stand that I was with them all the
time and I will stay with them till I
go. I pray for them to stay with the
movement, and to always remember
the comrades who died for the cause
before us.

enemies af the working-class curse
you, it means you are on the correct
road’.”’

“A great man once said that ‘if the

Manilos Glezos, the hero of Greece,

tore down the hated swastika flag from
the ancient Acropolis, the cradle of
Democracy. If it has since been fouled
by a rapacious imperialism, the shame
is ours.

A humble Greek-Canadian, George
Dougenes, dedicated his life to his
adopted country’s independence, peace
and Socialism. His devotion is our
pride, and his example the guarantee
of our final victory.

And from the ‘PT’ mailing room, its
veteran staff saddened by his passing,
comes a last farewell and a_ pledge,
“rest easy, good comrade, we'll get
the paper out!"

Saeco wee $ . see

ee ey eee

__ September 6, 1963—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pag

eta