Ween -—“—o nthe — past. on Whic/ there We seould rather disfranchise ‘Qe Page Four Bi CGC. WORKERS? NEWS BC Workers NEWS Published Weekly by THE PROLETARIAN PUBL Room 10, 163 West Hastings Street - at —— Subscription Rates — Haltorean Single Copy —— Bis. WORKERS’ NEWS to the Ghatrman of the Editorial Board —— Send All Monies and Letters Per- taining to Advertising and Circulation to the Business Qne Year __—— -31.80 Three Months__$ .59 Make All Checks Payable to the Send All Copy and Manuscript Manager. ISHING ASS’N Vancouyer, B.C. Ethiopia may well be the Serbia of 1935, and events are rapidly moving to a repetition on an even greater and more extensive scale with infinitely more terrible consequences than the slaughter Should such a war break, the imperialists of 1914-18. of Canada will most certainly participate in 1.00 -05 rie, stated in mons that all Vancouver, B.C., August 30. 1935 THE ALBERTA ELECTIONS The sweeping victory of the Social Credit Party in the recent elections in Alberta came the UFA-CCF government as a shock to which had been in power and an even greater shock to the Liberals and Conservatives who thought that they the disillusionment of the would cash in on masses. The mass support received by Aberhart is at once a promise and 2 warning. It shows a radicalization of the S: have definitely broken put, while having done so, they are susceptible to the demagogy OL fascist-tending charlatans such as Aberhart their disillusionment and o revolutionary and his party masses in that they with the old parties; and Stevens, where discontent is not directed int or even progressive channels. In 1921 the voters by 2 large majority power, and with as great hope and enthusiasm as they recently sup- Credit Party. The UFA farmer-labor reformists elected to follow the same line of policy and administration as their old party predecessors. fitness to govern in the in- They continued the at- tacks upon the wages and conditions of the They passed legisla- tion of a fascist character such_as the Trades and Industry Act and enacted laws to curtail the autonomy of muni- all in the interest of the finance- capitalists. By so doing they paved the way of Aberhart, is a step forward in the process of fasciza- placed the UFA in ported the Social to prove their terest of capitalism. workers and farmers. the power and break cipalities, for the victory tion, The Communist Party, alone among parties opposed to Aberhart, the previous elec- tion. And although knowing that this would nevertheless, pro- United Front of gle against the menace represented by Aber- hart. The proposal was rejected. The almost complete obliteration of the C.C.F. in Alberta should serve as a lesson to those C.C.F. leaders who still reject the disillusionment of the yote over that polled in occur, the Communists, posed to the C.C.F. the United Front, for the masses will express itself ma two ways: either in support of a solid united front of working class political parties, or of fascist dem- agogy of which the two outstanding, expres- _ sions on the political field are Aberhart and Eo Crown’ Y ens. mature, chances and is fense. This is dy of Longshoremer_ hating magistrates ar surrending to the allurements is “ : TWO yoke, are mobilizing their France, nat“nms are also mobilizing. on |} = APPROACH OF WAR e gathering onimously over minster on perjurche Mediterranean area as Italy pring at the throat of Ethiopia. Z 2 —rialists, jealous of their nearby FRENCH SEM gq fearful of the effect of the ed spoliation of the Negro country hundreds of millions of black, brown and yellow colonial peoples under their own similarly preoccupied, and other developments are similar to those wh. | preceded the last world slaughter. Nor is the for 14 years, much better. the majority. Such a line it—unless prevented by the mass opposition ot the people. No confidence whatever can the pious statements of Bennett. less than 5 months ago, his minister, people of Canada taken on inference being that, while opposed to and doing all he e¢ against it, if the maj will be compelled to abide by the The capitalists, of propaganda, can ) lies, scares and other methods as they did mighty united be placed in Already Guth- House of Com- Ganada out of effect in the talk of keeping war is idle, that everything depends upon what Great Britain does; if Britain goes to war, the Dominions automatically Mackenzie King, with his usual circumlo- ecution, said the same thing ; a plebiscite taken first. are at war. position of Mr. Woodsworth He, too, war decision of encourages the Ganadian war- mongers. We do not want a vote on entering imperialst war any more than w vote on whether we should cut our throats. through their control of work up war hysteria by in 1914-18, and under such abnormal condi- bother to did in 1914. did ous: They set out diately war which in turn the 5 A off inereased its thousands strug= ployables” 5 : garded as inly in one oi vation rations such vote being a reign of terror. The proposed census the province by the Pattullo government 1s for the purpose of laying a tic reduction in what is already inadequate relief, and to furnish an excuse for cutting cipalities, or else be of the charity racketeers. The real meaning of the scheme is indi- eated by statements of the government in tions can have a favorable vote if they get one. trouble to take a vote any more than they But they will not All talk about a vote is idle and mischiev- Unless organized opposition by peace-loving people is effected before the government enters dictatorship which is engaged in will prevent any all the war, the militar) will be instituted imme- taken, except a vote unde} A NEW STARVATION SCHEME of the unemployed of basis for a dras- relief altogether. According to statements by the govern- ment, the census is to tion of the unemployed are employable and who and how many not yet reduced by ent physical inability to work are either to be absorbed into industry or put to work on projects by the government, forced labor at coolie wages. are to be cut off relief and re- “welfare cases,” which means be- ing condemned to a lingering death on star- find out what propor are unemployable. Those malnutrition to perman- which means The “unem- by the government or muni- left to the jackal mercies which the optimistic prediction is made that the census will reveal that the number of ‘employable’ 27 turn. Thus their making forces; while quent decline. must unitedly is relatively absorbed inte industry by the slightest up- small and can be they prepare the public for ‘welfare cases’ out of all the rest of those on relief. This new attack of must be met and defeated. The unemployed must revive, tighten organizations which recently have fallen in- to apathy, inactivity, Pattullo and his gang up and extend their passivity and conse- And all working class organ- izations of every shade of opinion and belief render full support in resist- ing and defeating this new attack being hatched in Victoria. but he wanted wants a vote of the the question, the an to get a majority ority declares for it he e want a Soviet Union Consistently Fights For World Peace ey By WW. R. That the Soviet Union is the out standing champion of peace is acknowledged eyen by many of its most sayage enemies. WNevertheless there is a minority who resard the Soviet Peace Policy aS a temporary and hypocritical gesture to cover up a sinister design for a war of con- quest of the world. These enemies of the proletariat even Search the bible to quote prophesies to confirm their fantastic predictions (aS per Meclnnis and the British Israelites). But the effort of the Russian people jn behalf of peace is mo temporary tactic. It is a policy that is deeply rooted in the fundamental principles of the world wide proletarian move- ment. The present peace policy is a con- tinuation of the early struggles of the Russian workers against the Im- perialist Policy of the Russian Tsar. It is also a continuation of the workers hostility to war shown dur- inne the period of the Tcerensky government. When the Kkerensky administration announced its aim of continuing Russian participation in the World War, the Bolsheviks im- mediately rallied soldiers and work- ers to an anti-war demonstration, July 16, 1917, on the streets of Pet- rograd. The demonstrators were ruthlessly shot down by the Keren- sky forces. Again, during the workers’ strug- ele to win State power, the same Bolsevik Peace Policy was empha- sized in the slogan, “Peace, Bread and Iuand.’ The sincerity of this expressed desire for peace was im- mediately shown after the workers gained power on Wovember 7, 1917, for Lenin began his address to the Second Congress of Soviets, as follows: Lenin Galled For Peace. “Phe Workers’ and Peasants’ Government created by the revo- lution on November 6th and 7th propose to all countries engaged in the war to commence negotia- tions for a just democratic peace immediately.” The same hostility of the Russian people to Capitalist wars WaS ex— pressed by the Soviet delegation at the Brest-Litovsk Peace Conference, Feb. ist, 1918, in these words: “\Wwe no longer desire to take part in this Imperialist War, 1 which the claims of the propertied classes are being blatantly re- deemed in human blood. We are equally intolerant of the imperial- ism of either side, and we no longer consent to shed the blood of our soldiers for the protection of one imperialist camp against another.”’ The workers’ anti-war language does not mean that the Soviet Power is impelled by pacifism. For the Soviets did not hesitate to engase in three years of war to defend their power against the murderous at- tacks of the Interyventionists, who sought to revive the system of capi- talist exploitation. Thus the Soviet Power is not pacifist, but is deeply welded to the principle of struggle, firstly to prevent the exploitation of man by man within its borders, and secondly, to win from nature an abundant life for those who toil. Imperialism Means War The Imperialist Powers cannot consistently hold to a policy of peace for the following reasons. In the present stage of their historie devel- opment the jimperialitic countries are impelled to war by the basic contradiction of their ever-growing productive forces heing restrained by national barriers, tariffs and foreign controlled markets, in a restricted world. This same condition applied +o Russia when it too was under cap- italism. The Russian Tsar was for- ced into the same jmperialist policy of colonial exploitation of the back- ward nationals, and of weak coun- tries Such as Persia. And if Russia was today under capitalism it would undoubtedly have the same eapital- ist war policy to defend and extend colonial market. So serious is the mighty produc- tive force of capitalist economy in: 2 world of restricted markets, that it has already necessitated the wanton destruction of wheat, cotton, coffee and hogs, whilst its own workers are hungry and ill-clothed. War Is a Hindrance to Socialisni The SovietPeace Policy is not 2 pre-war tactic but is founded on the necessities of socialist economy. Hor these contradictions inevitable to eapitalism, in its period of decay have no existence under socialism by which the productive forces so ruin-= ous to capitalist society, do not re- quire colonial mariets but is absorb- ed in giving more abundanee, higher culture and increasing leisure to those who toil. Thus the very pro- ductive forces that cause capitalist wars are forces that are adyvantag- eous to a socialist society, while on the other hand, wars are a hind- rance to sociajism- If these basic economic factors do mot convince those who regard the Soviet Peace Policy as a sham, We ean only conclude that they are in- duced to slander the workers repub- lics by a desire to discredit socialism. Immediately following the work- ers’ victory over the armies of in- tervention the Soviet Government again exerted a powerful influence to maintain world peace. After the fiasco of the Genoa Conference, which conference was dominated by the few great powers and such ques- tions as disarmament were not even included on the agenda, the Soviet Government took the initiative of ealling a conference on disarmament on June 12, 1922, and in the follow- ing December, Litvinoff offered to the states of the western frontiers of Russia to reduce Russia’s armed forces to one-quarter the existing dimensions. a Soviets Offered to Disarm In 1927 the Soviet government of- fered the proposal of total disarmia— ment to be effected during a period of four years, again in 1928 the Sov- jets offered a plan of partial disarm- ament. In 1929 the Soviets immediately endorsed the Kellogg Pact and signed a treaty respecting same with Festhonia, Latvia, Poland and Rou- mania. In July, 1932, the Soviet govern- ment proposed a 50 per eent reduc- tion in armaments, this proving un- acceptable. It then agreed to a 30 per cent reduction offered as an al- ternative by the U. 38. AS In 1933, Litvinoff offered for sen- eral adoption a proposed definition of ageression which was ljater ac- eepted by seven of the border states. Jn 1934, Litvinoft proposed that the disarmament conference should be permanent, and meet periodically to advance the interests of world peace. But despite all these efforts of the Soviet government to find a basis for disarmament and peace, the prospect of world war grew ever more menacing. Japan had violated treaties in September, 1931, by an invasion of Manchuria, and had then abrogated the Washington Treaty. The war menace increased further with the advent to power of the German National Socialists, whose leader, Hitler, had previously expres- sed his plans of military expansion in his book, “‘My Struggle.” Signs Non-Ageression Pacts In the face of the jinereasing war menace the U.S.S.R- and France drew up proposals for an HEastern Pact of Mutual Assistance against invited to join. Germany used every means to sabotage the completion of this pact. She also used tactics of obstruction against the proposals of France and Italy for a Danube Pact to secure the integrity of Austria. So obvious were the obstructive tac-— tics of Fascist Germany that even the Imperialist, Sir Austin Cham- berlain, formerly Foreign Secretary in the Baldwin Government, wrote in the ‘Daily Telegraph” rebuking the policy of obstruction by Ger- many and Poland to the idea of an astern European Pact to which they had been invited to take part, with full equal rights and all the euarantees of security siven by the treaty. Os March 17 of this year Germany denounced the military re- straints of the Treaty of Versailles and aided by Britain, embarked on a rapid development of armaments, also the Fascist leaders openly preached a “crusade” against the W5-5- A momentary check to the grow- ing war plans Was effected by Lit- vinoff’s declaration that the “Peace of Europe is Indivisible.” This caused a review of the British as- sumption that Germany could attack Russia without Britain becoming involyed in a Huropean War. In the face of the German menace, France has joined in a pact of mu- tual assistance with the Soviet Union. Czecho-Slovakia has signed 4 similar pact. However, the check to the war policy of German Fascism is no sooner effected that Fascist Ttaly creates another menace by war plans on Ethiopia. \World’s Workers Support Peace Biforts The continuous struggle of ~The Soviet government for peace and the Soviet restraint despite the provoca— tions of Japan, has won the respect and affection of the toilers of all mations. Workers’ demonstrations, meetins and resolutions in behalf of peace are ruthlessly suppressed in the most reactionary centres. Wevertheless, incidents such as the great peace plebiscite in Britain, in which millions cast their yotes against war, and the great demon-— startion in Paris of $00,000 workers against war and fascism are jndica- tions that the masses of the com— mon people are rapidly learning to sink sectarian differences and unite in solidarity to support the Soviet struggle for peace. In every country of eapitalism there is a strenous effort to build up a common front against fascism and war. Let the People’s Front opposed to war, be rapidly erected in B. CGC. and welded to the World's Anti-Imperialist War Movement in support of the Peace Policy of the Soviet Union. MATT SHAW MBETS FATHER IN COURT REGINA, Aug. 28—Nicholi Sur- dia, Assinboia, Sask., father of the relief camp strike trekker leader known as “Matt Shaw,” greeted his son in District Court Tuesday, the first time the pair met in a year. Surdia Jr. was released on bail with three other striker leaders, Jobn Gallinger, George Black and john CG. Cosgrove. Qur paper must be good. We're drawing the enemy’s fire. Shoot us up some more ammunition. Send subs. TWO OF A KIND! T am for driving the money chang- ers from the temple—McGeer. Wre are for breaking the fetters of interest slavery. — Hitler's Minister ageression in which Germany Was of Hconomy, Sehmitt. DLENTY FOR ALL (Continued from Page 3) == Commy inists, are in favor of fiving the Oriegntals the franchise, but this is JUs7= ONE of the many points h we choose to disagree with all white employers of Oriental la- bor. Something MUST Be Done “So friends, you see that one poor woman tries to do her bit in carry- fine on this work by seding us a dol- Jar. She has sacrificed something to do it, but we must all sacrifice. After all, we cannot have a new so- cial order unless we are all pre- pared to sacrifice something. These Droadcasts cost money, and WIN, LOSE or DRAW in the Federal elec- tions, we are still going ahead with this work. We are sacrificing at this end. For the past five years I have mot received one dollar for this sork! Our books are audited and Ate~open for inspection anytime by anybody. Would Tom MaciInnes make you that offer? Friends, I wonder. I cannot help but wonder where he gets the money to pay for his broadeasts. I CHALLENGE him to tell us. Some Kind of a Plan “But we need moncy for more than broadcasts. We must build up a research department, and then if we know all about our fisheries, our railroads, our lumbering industry, eur mines, we will at least be able to have SOME KIND OF A PLAN that will work in the interests of the people of the Provirce when we are €—~ed upon to form a government. when will that be2 Friends, I can- not say; that depends on you. The people of Alberta showed they don’t want the old parties; why not the people of British Columbia? Plenty for All—But Not for Me “And now 1 want to say =. word about the Plenty-for-All Pri ducts, Friends, these are having 2 sreat ale. I am told there is 2 great de- o mand for our tea and coffee. I soute | drink tea myself and can’t say how food it is, but I am told it compares favorably with other brands. And the Plenty-for-All tobacco is becom- ing popular, too. I don’t smoke my- self, but I am told it is a good to- bacco. Of course, I don’t want you to think I have no bad habits. I have plenty of them, but you will have to find out for yourselves. Ha, ha, ha! Plenty-for-All peanut but- ter and baking soda are also on sale and also wood and sawdust and eees stamped PFA. The Yellow Label “Jn a wery short time we expect to have a full line of Plenty-for-All staples on the market. Be sure and look for the bright yellow label, and also wateh for the big yellow milk truck that will be on the streets in a few days. We hape to have a reg- ular provinee-wide distribution of Plenty-for-All products in the near future. By buying Plenty-for-All products you are helping us in this great work, and don’t forget, the’e’e Challenge—friends—" Here Dad’s voice interrupted the speech: “‘Nellie, for God’s sake shut that off! Can’t you get some jazz or something that’s better than that tripe?’ IDENTIFIES SIX OF VIGILANTE MOB SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., Aus. 23. —- The American Civil Liberties Union here announced today that six members of the mob of 300 vigi- lantes which swept through Sonoma County Wednesday night terrorizing the populace, have been identified. Strong protests were filed against the Sonoma County authorities and the State Atorney General for their failure to stop the terrorists. If you don’t think the camps are military, aSk a camp worker to show you his discharge! Blood Stained C By Charles Crozier, Juneau, Alaska, Vice-president, Local 203, Interna- tional Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers (A.F.of L.) At least 16 Juneau union men face charges of “rioting with dangerous weapons” in federal court this fall, framed charges resulting from their picketing the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine in the present strike for union recognition and better conditions. These union brothers, if convicted, may be sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison! And in this company- dominated town, we do not hope for leniency. Three to 15 years! This 1s the blunt answer of the A.-J. Gold Mining Company to the organization and just demands of the miners. We had been sending grievance and safety committees to the com- pany ever since we started orgzaniz- ine early in 1934. But after a hear- ing, each time we never heard any more about our grievance. Toy Sen action, we had to have union recos- nition. Terrible Conlitions What were these grievances? Men working in wet cold drifts under conditions unimaginable; dynamite smoke and gas so thick that it is im- possible to see clearly over six feet; dry rock dust in the air, as most of the machines used have no water; no drying rooms to change clothes and no drinking water except what we can ecateh dripping out of the walls in the drifts; no safety devices; no first aid kits on the levels; only three or four stretchers in the whole mine and those at places that it tales a long time to get to; no ani— bulance car with heat and means of locomotion—anly a Spare motor can be used when one is available, and it sometimes means a wait of con- siderable length of time before a motor can be o nthe job; until re- cently not even a rope to pull an Gold In Alaska injured man—or 2 body—out of a raise, and then they were put in after a man injured on a ledge one hundred feet dewn had to wait over an hour for a rescuer to reach him; now only two pieces of old rotten rope and a jengeth of rubber hose are used. Killed and Maimed These are some of the conditions we work under. Th rsult? During the last two years, 13 men have been killed in the mine and over a Dundred killed in the jast seven years. During the jJast two years over a hundred haye gone out with broken arms or legs, and two hun- dred with other less serious injury. Altogether, the A.-J- mine is one of the most notorious in the country. Most of these accidents are pre- yentable. One example. The mining Jaws in America say that all holes in. drifts must be covered up, yet 2 drift with a raise in the very middle of it was left uneovered until one of the company engineers fell 300 feet to his death! Only then did the company cover the hole. Our demands were placed in the company’s hands, after the union had voted 370 to s2 (out of a total membership of 638) in favor of strik- ing if necessary. 4A flat ‘“No” from the company to all our demands forced the calling of the strike May 99 It a 100 per cent walkout. Not a single man went to work. Lhe walkout continued in force 100 per cent for 45 days, when, on July 95, Was under protection of United States Marshalls, a group of scabs were marched to the workings and marech- ed home again after work under protection. They are still being Pro- tected to this day (4ug- 32). euhe strike is still on. Usual Citizens’ Committee Tricks About ten days after the strike was called, a group of company men began to meet with city officials and a so-called citizens’ “Committe of 25° to make plans for discrediting the union and breaking the strike. A campaign of advertising was launched, by handbills and in the lo- eal papers, to organize @ “Joyal,” “American,” “Go = pack — to - work” “union,” the Juneau Mine Workers’ Association. Ads appeared in the papers for a benefit dance for the association which stated that the dance was ‘‘sponsorel by a group of Juneau business men.” Meetins of association were held, with City At- torney Faulknor present throughout the meetings, and speaking—as a disinterested citizen. Waulknor has been assisting the regular company attorney in handling company busi- ness. At these meetings the men were promised that they would be the regular union, that the associa- tion would not get an A.F.of L. char- ter, as though the miners’ jnterna- tional would charter a strike-break- ing company union! Duplicates Shipping Tactics Juneau Local 39-104, International Tongshoremen’s Association, Sup- ported our strike from the first, re- fusing to handle A.-J. cargo. Crews on the Alaska boats did the same, until somebodys money sent Ted Danielson and James Lynam to Se- attle, representing the seab associa- tion. They spread the le that we were not a “regular” union, al- though we had made an application for a charter in the LU- of MM. and S.W., and had been admitted be- fore they left for Seattle; also the lie that the strike was over. Con- fusion resulting from these reports weakened our support from the sea- men, and several cargoes got through. 300 Federation Specials Hired The city council then yoted to hire “500 special policemen, or as many as needed,’’ to protect men wishing to sign up for work. They also passed an ordinance that a con- erecation of more than five people on the streets was an “unlawful as- sembly.” Opposite the union hall our pickets stopped the column of police and seabs and a fight was started by the guards, who used clubs, 2uns and tear gas against unarmed pickets. Over 100 of our men were injured, several seriously. One man, trying to take his three-year-old child out of the right, was kknocked down and clubbed while unconscious, So that he almost died. He now faces riot charges! Only one scab was arrested —by mistake. When the district at- torney found out that he had signed up for work, he was released. Within a few days after the fight, 43 pickets had been arrested. Some were released in a few days, 28 were hela for “rioting,” but of these 28, some were dismissed in preliminary hearings. At least 16 will face trial in September oF October. Bond, run- ning from $1000 to $3000 has been raised for all but three, and the de- fense committee is Dow working on these. Gall to You to Help Us Ye appeal to labor below to help frees these 16 men and to defend their union- You can do this by supporting the Ajaska Miners’ Defense Committee jn organizing a strong protest against these frame-ups, with letters and resolutions of protest to Gover- nor John W. Troy and District At- torney Wm. Holzheimer at Juneau. In addition, the committee needs funds for legal expense, since our union funds are exhausted. Address the Alaska Miners’ Defense Commit- Box §01, Juneau, Alaska. The freedom of 16 union men, facing years in prison, and the very existence of cur unions lepends upon every ‘ country, has its official clown whos is an outstanding figure on the pro— gram, but who no longer wears the cap and belis other days. writes plays Shaw, well larded with “sly pokes’* 4j at capitalism or he makes “wi : cracks” Will Rozers. the middle ages rewarded their j the corpse of Will Rogers landed ; bute to his memory. has been rotting for 19 years, fram tee at 309 Lyon Bide., Seattle, or By OF Bill Every capitalist country, highly deyeloped ecapitalis ' of court jesters of 4 The buffoon of today” like George Bernard to be syndicated by Hearst yellow press, like the f Just as the kings oF be forgotten.