isptember 15, 1939 THE ADVOCATE Page Three (Chamberlain Bungled, Woodsworth Tells Parliament [US Stands ;suard Over ‘Americas Will Resist Any Encreachments, Says President © WASHINGTON, DC.—Presi- ' ent Roosevelt at a press con- '-rence this week reiterated his 'satement of last year that the United States, for its own pro- )2etion, would resist any attack ja Canadian territory by an "2sressor power. * Questioned on his statement at ingston, Ont., last year, that “the ‘sople of the United States will sot stand idly by if domination of /inadian soil is threatened by any her empire,’ the president de = ,ared this was in accordance with e Monroe doctrine. It applied, he ,id, not only to Canada, but to mh the Americas, including Bri- sh Honduras and British Guiana jid the possessions of other Hur "o.ean powers in the New World. _ The Monroe doctrine, continued » ie president, was enunciated at — time when a number of Central id South American colonies had own off the yoke of Huropean suntries and gained their inde— midence. Contemporary literature > that time indicated that the enroe doctrine was intended to ‘event any European power from -establishine sovereignty over any irt of the Americas which had on its freedom. For the protection of the United sates, President Roosevelt con- uded, it would be necessary to Sist old world encroachment on e new. The president’s statement was re- irded here as an indirect warnings Wazi Germany that if she should merge victorious from the present ar she will face United States op- 3Sition in any attempt to seize ‘ritish or other territory in the >) mericas. it was alse interpreted = a warning to Spanish fascism’s " eneral Franco, who dreams of re- = tablishinge the old Spanish em- 're in- South America. ‘Aaritime Unions Ask War Bonus ) SANFRANCISCO, Cal. — Mari- ime unions are demanding ship- i ymers agree, not only in principle |itin practice, that war risk insur- S ace and bonuses be paid American samen required to sail through Saters dangerous to American ship- 7eEe. if American seamen risk torpe— oes, Shellfire, bombs and a horrible eath, they are at least going to be aid for it, and their relatives must sceive their insurance, declared © ruce Hannon, secretary-treasurer /£ the Maritime Federation of the “Yacific in a letter to President /Loosevelt, ' While Congress made suitable ' revision for protection of Ameri- "an vessels, cargoes and passengers "\y providing war risk insurance “mmediately upon the outbreak of ostilities September i, no provi- "ions were made for seamen who “avigate the vessels. » “We cannot allow a state of war -r declaration of national emergen- 'y to be used as a weapon of union- “Mashing forces to wipe out the ' ivil liberties of the American peo- ole,’ the letter declared. ) “We are opening negotiations im- nediately with the Maritime Com- "nission and the American ship- owners for demands applicable to "imerican vessels sailing in war _ ;ones.” Demands listed by the Maritime *ederation are for $25,000 insurance "nm each seaman sailing into areas declared or undeclared’; $250 a month war risk compensation; 50 sercent increase in present wages secause of additional work and dis— -omfort caused by war, pay and al- "Owances for crews on interned hips, additional 50 percent bonus }or entering blockaded areas and eturn voyage if ship is sunk. B. 4 Boycett Fascist Goods! Prime Minister Pledges No Conscription: Swift Action Against War Profiteers OTTAWA, Onit.—Pledzges to the Canadian pecple made by Prime Minister Mackenzie King at the s week included: pecial session of parliament ended this i. Promise that his government would not introduce conscription. The prime-minister stated that the government did not consider conscrip- tion necessary in Canada and ‘‘no such measure will be introduced by the present administration.”’ 2. Enforcement of legislation to prevent profiteering. “ that Canada is now implicated in & struggle which may involve the survival of democratic institutions. We consider that in the cause of the allied powers lies a hope of building Furopean peace on a more secure foundation because, in part at least, the people of Britain and France are waging a war against ageression. In view of these considerations the CCF believes that Canada’s pol- icy should be based first on the fundamental national interests of the Canadian people, as well as in their interest in the outcome of war. Canada should be prepared to defend her own shores, but her as- sistance overseas should be limited to economic 2id and must not in- clude conscription of Manpower or the sending of any expeditionary force. In elaboration of this statement Coldwell presented the following 4-point program: i. Economic assistance: Canada is well fitted to make an important contribution through economic as- sistance. However, in the interests of Canada’s economic future and for the protection of her people, the expansion of war industries must be strictly controlled. More— over, Such economic assistance should be conditional upon. immedi-_ ate steps being taken to place the burden upon the shoulders of those best able to bear it. The tax on higher incomes should be immediately increased and an excess profits and capital gains tax Should be instituted, so as to avoid an immense addition to our nation- al debt. The production and prices of essential commodities should be placed under strict supervision in order to eliminate war profits, and the manufacture of arms, muni- tions and war materials should be nationalized. 2. Defense of Canada: Reason-— able provision should be made for the defense ‘of Canadian shores. Volunteers for the home defense should not be required to sign also for overseas seryice. This practice, now beins followed, is unwarranted and should be abandoned. 3. No military service overseas: Any attempt to send a force abroad would rob us of the manpower necessary for the defense of our Shores and for home production, would gravely endanger national unity, would threaten our civil liberties and democratic institu- tions and would ultimately lead to conscription. 4. Preservation of democracy at home: The CCE protests against the encroachments on our civil lib- erties which the government has already introduced, and insists that democracy at home must be pre- Served unimpaired during the war. ‘Canadian Youth Must Be Worthy Of Responsibilities’ - In a statement issued this week, the Young Communist League of British Columbia declared “large sections of our people are not en- thusiastic about following those who have allowed Hitler to become strons as a result of their policies. Such changes are required that would rally the support of all dem- ocratic people, that would unite the People in this hour of emergency.” Pointing out that if a war to stop fascism is to be successfully car- ried on, democracy must be pre- served. the statement said: “The democratic people cannot defeat fascism abroad if they are Placed in chains at home.” Demanding an end to profiteer- ing, conscription of profits and economic power for use of the dem- ocratie countries, the statement concludes: “Our generation must be worthy of its responsibilities. We must take hand in moulding our destiny.” Boycott Fascist Goods! > hands to keep out of war.” Great Britain in a war.” it had been said that parliament would decide when Canada was at war, Woodsworth continued, but it appeared from some statements that all parliament could decide was the extent and nature of Can- ada’s contribution to the war. Again, if Canada were not at war then there was no need for “the elaborate measures and the enor- mous expenses to which this coun- try has been committed.” “Apparently,” he declared, “the government has been slavishly following the lead cf the British government in foreign policy. The prime minister is asking sup- port for British policies in the formulation of which Canada has had no part. “Toet us be clear in these matters. in my judgment the immediate Situation has been due almost en- tirely to the bungling of Mr. Cham- berlain.” Woodsworth answered the cries of “No” which greeted this state- ment by pointing out that the Enew something of the way “Hitler has been built up by some big in- terests in Britain.” “Now that things have gone too far,” he said, “a great appeal is sent out, not only through Great “There are many nationalities in this country and it is going to be extremely difficult to unify them if we are gO0ing to introduce any- thing like conscription or the send- ing of an expeditionary force.” Woodsworth commented that it Was ridiculous for Germany to seeic to tie up with the Soviet Union, al- though in his opinion it did not seem to be much more ridiculous than it was for Chamberlain to try “to establish a community with Russia.” “Tt is all very well to say that Hitler has broken treaties,” he Stated. “Have not France and Britain also broken treaties” There are Manchuria, Ethiopia, Spain and Czechoslovakia to think about. “War is the very negation of freedom and democracy. War is the inevitable outcome of the pres- ent economic system with its in- justices, exploitation and class in- terests. “I suggest that the common People of the country gain nothing by slaughtering the common people of any other country. I personally cannot give my consent to anything that will drag us into another war. “T have boys of my own. I hope they are not cowards, but if any one of these boys, not from coward-— ice but really through belief, is willing to take his stand on this thing and, if necessary, to face a concentration camp or a firing squad, ~T shall be more proud of that boy than if he enlisted to go to the front.” When G. . Tustin, Conservative member for Prince Edward-iLen-— mox cried “Shame,” Woodsworth countered with, “The honorable CCF Leader Would Place Profiteers Before Firing Squad OTTAWA, Ont.——In a forthright expression of his personal opposition to the war which drew from Prime Minister Mac— Kenzie King the comment that he admired “no man more than Mr. Woodsworth, who time after time speaks the things that are on his conscience, regardless of what the world may think,” J. S. Woodsworth, veteran CCE national leader, told the House of Commons last Friday that in his opinion “the greatest contri- bution Canada can make to Britain is to maintain the most friendly relations with the United States.” Prefacing his speech with the remark that the views he in- tended t@ express were his own and not those of the CCF par—— liamentary group, Woodsworth declared that if parliament were still able to keep Canada out of war, “then I would hold up both It was, he said, impossible for him to determine whether or not Canada at that moment was actually at war because opinions varied. He asked if it were proposed that the country should embark on a war without first making a formal declaration, stating that “it is not fair that Canada should have the priv- ileges and immunities of neutrality if in reality she is assisting Omritain’ but all over the world, to rescue Britain from the situation in which it finds itself through the bungling of its own government. I would say that, as far as Canada is concerned, we should not accept responsibilities for the results of such bungling, since we have had no voice in it. “We jassume that the Wnited States is going to be forever with us. I hope they will always be sympathetic, but let me say that we enter upon very considerable risks when, along 3000 miles, we begin to take action. “I believe that the greatest con- tribution Canada cam make to Bri- tain is to maintain the most friend- ly possible relations with the Unii- ed States.”’ Dealing with the question of na- tional unity, Woodsworth stated: “I think, for instance, of Quebec. I know that the prime minister would very much like to have the sympathy of Quebec in this war. it is absolutely essential that Canada fees in in unity. But IT think FE know. a little bit about the Quebec people. They do not regard France as the motherland in the same sense as a great many Enelishmen regard England. Demands: What About Spain, Czechoslovakia? members can say shame, but that is my belief and it is the belief of a growing number of Canadians.” The CCE leader demanded that the government place before the House a bill making it illegal to profit from war. A bill prohibiting profiteering would not, he stated, be sufficient unless it provided very Severe penalties. Declaring that the League of Na- tions had been set aside and Can- ada again found itself involved in hostilities, Woodsworth said: “This country all alonz has been shipping nickel and copper and other metals to Germany, Italy and Japan. And we talk here today about profiteering. “TJ say that the first te face the firing squad should be these who have made this war possible by selling armaments to a potential enemy.” British Union Hits News Lack LONDON, Eng-—Resolution ex- pressing “srave concern at the failure of the ministry of informa- tion to provide the public with ad- equate news of the conduct of the war” and demanding reorganiza- tion of the ministry “so as te make it an effective instrument for keep- ing the country and neutral nations promptly informed,’ has been sent to Lord Macmillan, minister of in- formation, by the executive coun- cil of the National Union of Jour- mnalists, the body in which most British newspapermen are organ- ized. BRITISH PEOPLE DETERMINED TO CRUSH NAZISM La 4 ister Neville Chamberlain. He British Labor stands four-square