a Sehr nn Se Your Dollar AD ©) CA’ / } Donate Will Put A A Dollar The Drive / \ to the Over! Drive! I FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND DEMOCRACY E VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1939 — 5 Cents FULL No. 253. —=E os —=s —s Communist Leaflet Calis F —=-s or > DEFEAT ATTEMPTS TO SMASH PIONEER STRIKE Peace ‘People Want Peace’ Leaflet Distributed: RCMP Arrest 24 Five arrests: were made in Vancouver last Fri- day night by Reyal Canadian Mounted Police as the result of the distribution of a leaflet headed, ““The People Want Peace’’ and signed by Tim Buck, secretary of the Canada, on kehalf of its Dominion executive com- general mittee. Those arrested and charged in Vancouver are Mrs. Kate Faulkes, Mrs. Alex Robbins, George Hall, Fred Duncan and Walter Graham. They appeared in court on Monday and were remanded until Friday. All are now out on bail which was set at $1000. A further remand is expected to be granted when they appear in court Friday in order to allow time for preparation of an adequate defence. Defense Committee Formed Plan To Set Up Canadian Labor Defense League What is being done to defend democratic rights in Canada against those who would sup- press them? What is being done immediately to help de- fend the victims of the first prosecutions under the War Measures Act to be launched in Vancouver? To answer these questions fre- quently heard in labor circies in the city following announcement that five men and women had been ar- rested for distribution of a leaflet entitled “The People Want Peace,” an Advocate reporter this week in- terviewed Thomas McCallum, who has been active for some time or fanizinge a Vancouver Labor De- fense Committee. MeCallum, past secretary of the provincial committee of the Ca- madian Tabor Defense League in the days when that organization Was one of the most hard-worked and popular labor bodies in the province, stated: “Among all sections of the labor movement there has been felt for some time an acute need for estac- lishing a strong Movement in de- fense of civil rights and liberties, SO obviously threatened with attack and suppression. That this feeling was no mere local expression but mationwide in scope is seen by the press statement issued by A E. Smith in Toronto two weeks ago that, in response to many letters (Continued on Page 5) See CLDL Mrs. D. Steeves, MILA, Refuses To Retract Anti-War Remarks VICTORIA, BC.—The target of jingoistic attacks ever since she Made her speech opposing the War in the House two weeks ago, Mrs. Dorothy Steeves (CCE, Werth Vancouver), on Thursday told the legislature she had no intention of retracting her state- ments. “i shall continue te express the truth as I see it, believing I have the right to do so,” she Stated emphhatically. fascism,” and declared that “peace would be possible today, save Canadan democracy.” is under way to slander and dis- and, after quoting Colonel Drew USSR,” the Soviet Union in common with stand for a peace which will stop the lives, Communist party of The charges laid are under Sec- tion 39a of the Defense of Canada Regulations Act, which reads: “INo person shall spread reports or make statements, false or other- wise, intended or likely to cause disaffection te His Majesty's forces or to interfere with the suc- cess of His Majesty’s forces or of the forces of any Allied or asso- ciated power, or to prejudice His Majestys relations “with foreign powers.” The leaflet, which was in the form of a large four-page folder called for “a renewed declaration of the independence of the Cana- "6 Toronto Strike Won THESE girls picketed only six days before General Steel Wares Ltd. of Toronto granted the demands of 500 members of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (CIO) for 10 percent wage increases and war se- curity provisions. dian labor movement—the indepen- dence of all these who fought for collective security to stop war and for Canadian democracy to halt not on Hitler’s terms, not on Chamber- Week Im The By HAL ¢ LOUSEe GRIFFIN lain’s, but as a lasting democratic action of all the common people.’ it characterized the war as not a war to save democracy but as the inevitable result of imperial- ist intrigues against democracy and declared that the people can- not believe that “the governments that undermined collective secur- ity and made Hitler fascism strons are now waging a war to re-estab- lish collective security and- over- throw German fascism.” It placed the guilt for the war equally upon the shoulders of the imperialists of Berlin, London and Paris and condemned “our own” Canadian imperialists, who with their eyes on markets and huge profits are playing an ignoble role as willing partners of Chamberlain and Daladier, thus threatening to embroil the Americas in the war. The leaflet criticized the mis- taken view of the Communist party itself in the first weeks of the war in succumbing to the il- lusion that this could be made a different kind of war and stated “we are all the stronger now in our firm adherence to the truth, in recognising and correcting these illusions. We call upon all true Canadians, all who are truly devoted to the interests of Can- ada and who have made similar mistakes to correct themselyes, to see with clear eyes the catastrophe that threatens our nation and the world and to fight the enemies ef the people with the determina- tion and courage which alone can Warning that a4 great campaign tort the aims of the Soviet Union speaking for “war upon the the leaflet declared that as the working people of the world the advance of imperialism and destruction of millions of (Continued on Page 5) See LEAFLET ROM Conservative and Liberal benches alike the first windy voices of a gathering storm of reaction were heard in the legislature this week. Led by Herbert Anscomb, mayor of Victoria and now Conservative member for the capital city, certain spokesmen for reaction whose concept of democracy one-time differs little from that of Prime Minister Daladier assailed Mirs. Steeves and Colin Cameron for their recent speeches opposing the war. And from a score of inspired sources throughout the province came the not unexpected echo of their vituperative remarks. The controlled press of a fascist state could have displayed no greater unanimity than has the commercial press of this province in condemning Mrs. Steeves and Colin Cameron. Wot since those historic days of last year when every effort was exerted to con- vince the people that the Munich pact was a guarantee of “peace with honor” in our time has the daily press been at such pains toe put over its propaganda. By inference it acknowledges the unanswerable truth of many of the points made by Mrs. Steeves and Cameron. Nowhere is any at-— tempt made to answer these points. Nowhere is there any ap- peal to reason, for reason would produce an answer not desired by ‘ the daily press or the capitalist interests for which it speaks. In- stead the appeal is made to preju- dice. Jingoistie letters are pub- lished implying that because Mrs. Steeves is Dutch-born she must perforce be a Nazi agent. Omin- eus editorials are written suggest ing that unless the two CCE mem- bers can be persuaded to retract their statements the “people” may take matters into their own hands. Every attempt is being made to whip 2 wave of hysteria behind which certain self-styled demo- erats can proceed to an attack on the labor and progressive move- ment and the destruction of demo- erratic rights. : Patriotism has become the cloak behind which every anti-democrat— ic element seeks to advance to re— actionary objectives, but only a } I feu eourageous voices have been raised in defense of that patriot-— ism of which James Connolly — 4 true patriot, if ever there were one — wrote in Forward in 1914: “T make no war on patriotism, mever have done. But against the patriotism of capitalism the patriotism which makes the interest off capitalism the su- preme test of right and duty — I Place the patriotism of the work-— ing class, the patriotism which judges every public act by its effect on the fortunes of those whe toil. That which is goad for the working class I esteem patri- otic.” How many of the Conservative «and Liberal and CCE members who are now proclaiming their ‘“patri- otism” from the housetops will pass the test of these words? FACTS AND THEORIES. Herbert Anscomb who, one ga- thers, has not foregone his aspir- ations to lead the provincial Con- servative party to victory, had a Breat deal to say about commun- ism in the House this week. Apart from the fact that he knows little, if anything, of communist theory, unlike ex-Speaker HE G Perry, who has read many Marxist works without deriving any benefit there from, Anscomb is by no means averse to distorting facts. Im this Ke follows the example set by his leader, R. LL. Maitland, who also (Continued on Page Four) See HGUSE. i Only 15 Of 230 Men Respond To Back-to-Work Call PIONEER, BC.—An attempt by Pioneer Gold Mines to round up a skeleton crew to start opera- tion of the mine Wednesday night failed to stam- pede the more than 200 striking miners back to work without concession of their demands for recognition of a bargaining committee, a wage in- crease of $1 a day to offset a wage cut which be- came effective when living costs rose steeply, and for a check-off for union Of a full crew of 233 miners dues. the company was able to find only some 15 underground and surface men willing to start work. Despite intimidation and threats, union ranks remain un- broken and the men are confident they will win out. Tom FPorkin, provincial organiz— er for Mine, Mill and Smelter | Workers’ union, left - Vancouver Thursday for Pioneer to assist the affiliated local union. Sharp protest registered with Attorney-General Gordon S. Wiis- mer Over conduct of Magistrate G. J.Sumner, trial judge at Gold- bridge, by John Stanton, union ai- torney, brought a promise to in- vestigate the case further. Dugald McAlpine, crown prose- eutor, has been asked for a state— ment of the cases by the attorn- ney-general. Further trials of Pioneer Min- ers’ unien executive officers on charges of illegally calling a strike and refusing to bargain with their employers were halt- ed late Monday afternoon when Mr. Justice Fisher issued a re straiming order against Sipend- iary Magistrate G. J. Sumuer. While the magistrate was re- Strained from proceeding with trials he was also given until Mon- Gay, Nov. 20, to show cause why he should not be attached for con- tempt of court. Action arises out of the trials on Nov. 2, when Magistrate Sumner convicted YW. J. Cameron, union president, of illegally calling a strike, and failed to read charges to five other union leaders. John Stanton, union attorney, advised the men to stay away from court the following day on the gSround that the cases had lapsed and the men could not be legally tried on those same charges, _ 7a Disregarding this, Magistrate Supiner swore out bench warrants for the men’s arrest at the insist. ence of Dugald McAlpine, crown prosecutor, and since then has convicted Secretary W. A. Pater son and ©. A. Haddrell for takine an active part in calling the strike, and fined them $200 or three Months in jail. Alex Penman and Samuel Womlund were fined $125 with the alternative of two months in jail. A Charges of refusing to bargain with their employers were upheld against W. J. Cameron, Haddrell and Nomlund, but decision was reserved and Similar charges against Alex Cameron anqg Pen- man were withdrawn by Crown Prosecutor McAlpine. (Continued on Page 2) See PIONEER Tory Paper Admits Intrigue In Baltic By PHILIP BOLSOVER LONDON, Eng.— (Passed by British Censor) —A corner of the veil over British anti-Soviet intrigue had been lifted here this week in a special article in the Conservative Daily Tele- graph by a diplomatic correspondent who is known to be in close touch with the foreign office. The article gives a strong and@— obvious hint that Britain will sup- port Sweden if Sweden backs Fin- land in a war against the Soviet Union. The article also threatens Turk- ish action in the Balkans to sup- press the growth of communism. The diplomatic correspondent of the Telegraph has dropped a heavy diplomatic brick The article un- officially admits the truth of the Soviet charge that the Western bowers are provoking Sweden and Finland against the Soviet Union and aggravating the spread of war to the Baltic. The article also shows the Brit- ish influence at work in the anti- Soviet pincers movemeni—one end of the pincers in the Baltic, the other end in the Balkans. The diplomatic correspondent describes the celations between Sweden and Finland and says, “the threat” to Finland developing ir Moscow, is felt acutely throughout Scandinavia. He adds that “the Finnish fov- ermmment can negotiate in the Imowledge that the country is not without tmmediate support ers who, in their turn, would not long be left unaided if obliged te take up arms in defence of their vital interests.” The reference of the diplomatie correspondent to the Balkan situa- tion can be seen in their true per- spective against the backsround of the British pact with Turkey. “Observers returning from the Balkans,” he says, “confirm the views which prevail in Rome and the darkest shadow overhanging that area is a Russian rather than a German one. In these circum-— stances it is important to lear of an impression stronsly prevalent there that Turkey would not shrink fro mfightine to resist any attempt to destroy peace in the Balkans from whichever Quarter it might come.” The article continues — sand re— member the British talks -with Turkey as you read this—“The un— restrained growth of communism in Bulgaria encouraged by Russia would create a situation wholly inimical to the Turkish conception of a unified Balkan bloc. In this attitude Turkey would find her- sel fone with Italy.” a