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January 5, 1940

THE ADVOCATE

Page Five

ap eks has been quite a bit of discussion durin
the Marxist point of view, about the war of 1812
histories in both Canada and the United States slur

By JOHN WEIR

yet things don’t happen that way.

ast year, Earl Browder dealt
Wath the question briefly but in
a most illuminating manner in
one of his public speeches. The
war of 1812 was a just and neces-
sary war on the part of United
States, he said, a continuation
of the American Revolution.

Hor Marxists the American Re
wolution stands as one of the
Sreatest progressive wars in his-
tory. But the connection of the
war of 1812 with that revolution

' bas not always been clear for the

Students of Canadian history. Af-
ter all, it looked very much like
2geression on a small, peaceful
meighbor. After all, did not the
Settlers of both Canadas bravely
defend their homes and country?

@f course, the paucity of real
information and the distortions
that abound in official history
books were responsible for much
Gi the confusion. But lack of a
consistently Marxist approach
Was even more responsible.

Historical
Setting

{= us briefly review the situa-
f tion existins at the time:

Britain had not given up the
idea of yet smashing the Ameri-
can Revolution. Upper Canada
Was: settied with United Empire
oyalists (that is, to speak frank
dy, counter-revolutionary refugees
irom the States) and retired Bri-
“tish soldiers. Britain was using
the Canadas as a base for future
teconguest of the States, for in-
trisues, for spying, etc. At the
Same time, Britain was tryine to
Strangle the commerce of the
newAmerican Republic on the
Seas and intriguing with the
monarchies of Europe to help
Smash the USA. But the time
Came when the rivalries of the
#uropean monarchies involved
Britain in war.

Was the young American Re-
public justified in Seizing this op-
portunity to invade Canada?

Wo, the war of 1812 was not
Senseless or irrational. it was
the most sensible and rational
thing that the American public
could have done. The security
of the United States was at stake.
‘Io have failed to have acted at
this time would have been not
only shortsighted but unfors:v-
able.

A Progressive
War

Abs Canadian people them-
selves were not yet ready to
Strike out for the democratic
self-covernment at that time. It
took another 25 years for the
Sreat Canadian rebellions to take
Place. The cry of the American
soldiers that they were bringin=
liberty to their Canadian brothers
feil on deaf ears insofar as the
majority of Canadians was con-
eerned. But that does not change
the fact that the war of 1812 was
@ just and progressive war on the
Dart of the Americans, a war that
Was necessary, first, to secure the
independence of the American
Union, and second, an attempt to
bring democracy into Canada.

Gt is an interesting example of
dialectics in history to note that
25 years later, when the Cana-
dians were struggling for demo-
cracy, the capitalist system in the
Wnited States had developed to
the point that the US government
“Save little aid to the Canadians
despite the wishes of the Ameri-
fan common people, and even
conspired with Britain to impris-
on William Lyon Mackenzie,
causing some very bitter reac-
tions on the part of the great
rebel to the United States in his
later years).

There are other such examples
from history, eg., the Cromvywyel-
lian invasion of ireland which
has sown hatreds which burn to
this day.

We can agrée that it was a
cruel business. It was. But it
Was a just and necessary and in-
dispensable thing tthat thad to
be done if the base for Stuart
(feudal) counter-revolution ip
Eneland was to be wiped out and
the security of the newly-born
capitalist revolution in England
Suaranteed.

(Here again dialectics has had
its revenge.. What was meces-
Sary for the preservation of a
forward, revolutionary step, in
2is turim became the base for
counter-revolution. WUister today
as the base for British imperialist
ecunter-revolution in an Ireland
fighting for freedom.)

it is always dangerous to draw

Historica Iparallels without sub-

jectine each given instance to a
therough analysis on the basis of
its own merits. But the two
above examples ¢taking into con-
Sideration 21) the differences of
time, classes, and circumstances

-anvolved) will help the student

to understand better the present
Situation in regard to Finland.
_ What were the differences:

2

Basts of War

N THE Cromvyellian war, it was
@ question of a rising capital-
ist class, leading the whole of the
common people in England
against a degenerate feudal aris-—
tocracy that Was barring the
road to the development of a
higher order of society, capital-
ism. Having won state power in
England, it had to smash the
base of feudal counter-revolution
which the Stuarts had establish-
ed in Ireland, and this it proceed-
€d ito do ruthlessly and thorough-
ly.

in the war of 1812, it was a
question of a democratic na-
tion, which had won indepen-
dence and established its own
State, fighting to preserve that
democracy and independence
from a foreign monarchial im-
perialist (in the commercial-
capitalist monopoly sense) re-
Zime. Canada was the base of
Britaim against the United

States and had to be smashed
if the United States were to
develop in security. The war of
1812 did not bring the Canadian
provinces inte the Union, but it
did end the counter-revolution-
ary menace to the Union from
the north, and opened the way
for American commerce on the
seas.

There is a nanalozy here with
the present position of the Soviet
Union. The revolutionary class
ef our historic period, the work-
ing class, «has ‘dstablished its
state power in the USSR. The
rest of the world is as yet in the
hands ef the capitalist class
which has now become reaction-
ary an da barrier to the higher
development of society, ie., social
ism. The. capitalist states in this
situation cannot but have the de—
Struction of the Soviet Union in
the centre of their foreign policy.
And the Soviet Union cannot but
have the destruction of this men-
ace to its security in the centre
of its foreign policy.

FORUM OF THE PEOPLE

Puts Case For
Those On Relief

To the Editor—The “Advocate
believes in peace, progress and
democracy.

These have to live in our lives
er they don’t live at all. Good
food, clothes, shelter which can
be obtained from a permanent
works program or from proper
Maintenance, should be the aim
ef your paper in season and out
of season.

Wears and years of living in
cold, damp, vermin-infested rooms
with two i5-cent meals a day,
breaks anybod@y’s morale.

Meals, which formerly could be
had for 15 cents, are now 25 and
30 cents, yet Labor Minister
Pearson assures us prices have
mot risen sufficiently to justify
an increase in relief, or more cor-
rectly, starvation allowance.

People’s lives are the most im-
portant thing, and as a real be-
ginning of life, economic Security
for the people should be the main
aim of a labor paper.

E. MARSH.
Vancouver, BG.

S
Was Earthquake
A Soviet Plot?

To the Editor,—_ft am surprised.
Yes, indeedy, —T am astonished.
How come none of the boys on the
daily newspapers has obtained the
biggest story of the year and, in-
cidentally, got his name in type
a yard high?

Surely everyone knows that the
recent earthquake in Turkey was
2 foul Red plot to undermine that
country. it is whispered in Hel-
sinki, Rome and points east that
the cowardly Communists have
secretly been diggings the foun-
dations from under the Turkish
border for years and when the
Turks signed that agreement with
Britain and France they just
pulled all the props out. You see,
the Russians have secretly been
imperialists for years, but they
didn’t want anybody to know they
were trying to steal Turkey's
natural resources for fear Freda
Utley would call them Trotsicy-
ists, So they just burrowed under
the border.

i commend this story to Vancou-
ver daily papers. It’s about as
credible as the ones they’yve been
printing lately.

MICHAEL O'MARA.
Vancouver BC.

Hopes Garland
Case Isolated

Lo the Editor—According to re—
cent press announcements, —&. J.
Garland, GCE National organizer
and federal candidate in New
Westminster, has severed connec-
tions with the CCE to accept 4
Dominion Tiberal government
post in ireland. I hope this is
an isolated instance, although I’m
afraid it’s not. If this exodus of
top leaders is to continue, the
Liberal woods will be full of so-
Called socialists.

The Dominion election is not
far away and some of us remem-
ber Robert Forke, United Far-
mers of Manitoba leader, was
Successful in trailing the farm-
erg back into the Liberal fold. As
a reward he was made minister
of agriculture and later pitch-
forked into a vacant senator’s
seat.

We are told charity begins at
home. In that case, why is An-
Sus MacInnis so deeply con-
cerned about the fascist Manner-
Heim and the banker premier of
Hinland when there is so much
to be done in his native Canada.
im Ontario the Clarion has been
banned and GC. H. Millard, prom-
iment CCH member, is facing pro-
secution. Do we hear Mactnnis,
SO eager to aid Mannerheim,
voicing his indignation over these
other happenings?

Russia is only ‘trying to re
establish qa former constitutional
socialist government in Finland.
If it was possible for Russia to
restore the loyalist zovernment
of Spain and oust Franco, would
that satisfy Brother Angus?

TOMMY ATEINS.
Worthlands, BC.

B.C. Housewives
Thank Advocate

To the Editor:—On behalf of
the Housewives’ Leasue of BC, I
wish to thank your paper for the
news space which has been ac-
corded us in 1939.

We would like our appreciation
to be conveyed particularly to
Miss Kay Gregory.

We hope to enjoy the continued
goodwill of the Advocate in 1940.

GRACE GREENWOOD
Corresponding Secretary
Vancouver, BC.

BOOK REVIEWS

if NOT ViICTORY—SBy Frank
A. Hough; published by Car-
Tick & Evans.

This story of the American
people’s struggle to create a na-
tion independent of British dom-
imation has tremendous topical
interest.

Prank Hough has evidently
made a wide study of the Amer-
ican Revolution of 1776 and his
tale is written around real peo-
ple, the Westchester Guides, who
led the American armies through
unfamiliar territory in their her-
eic and seemingly futile battles
against “Loyalist? generals.

Handicapped by disorsaniza—
tion, lack of necessary supplies,
the Rebels were discouraged and
often in despair of ever winning
decisively. But they persisted.

Led by one of the guides, who
Was afterwards surprised at his
Own prowess, 2a party of Rebels
succeeds in routing a part of the
hated Loyalist and British forces.

“We whupped ’em,” some of
the Rebels exclaim in astonish-
ment. “We whupped ’em now an’
we can whup ’em again.”

Fience the title, If Not Victory,’
fmplyins that hough decisive
victory is not always in sight, to
five up the struggle would be a
betrayal of all they believed in

and could not be considered.

Disgraceful treatment by the
British of their prisoners of -war
is vividly described. One, rumin-
ating on the rough handling he
received j,wonders ‘how long it
will be before England harvests
the crop of hatred her servants
are Planting in the hearts of all
America.”

Newspaper propaganda such as
We are experiencing over Fin-
land is shown to be no new phe-
momena. in this novel, a pro-
British doctor asks Rebel prison-
ers for a copy of their paper to
see “the other side.”

“If we believed all that is print-
ed in ours, we’d have won the
war by now,’ he remarks.

it Not Victory is the story of
a Quaker family involved in the
revolution, conscientiously trying
to remain neutral to each side.
The eldest son, hero of the story,
becomes ene of the famous
Guides, and his father is horri-
fied when he comes home on
leave Carrying, almost unknow-
ingly, a musket We begs his
Son to remain home and help
With the harvest. The son is ada-
Mant, the harvest is unimport-
ant when he has to fight for
American freedom.

“There's a war on,” he tells his
father, “or ain’t ye heard yet?”

—KAY GREGORY

WAR OF 1812 -ARND FINLAND

g recent years among students trying to understand Canadian history from
, in which the new republic of the United States invaded Canada. Official
over that war as though it was a senseless and irrational business. And

This policy has characterized
the foreign policy of the Soviet
Union since its birth. It was for
this that the Soviet Union fought
So hard for collective security. It
was for this that she formed 3
non-ageression pact with Ger-
many when her efforts at collec-
tive security were broken down
by Britain and France.

This is why the Red Army had
to march into Poland in order
to forestall attacks on her bor-
der. This was why the USSR
forme danti-ageression alliances
with Lithuania, Latvia and Est-
onia and sought to form such an
alliance with Finland. Failing in
this, the Soviet Union had to cre—
ate the conditions in Finland
which would destroy the menace
te her borders from that side.

@
Baste
Differences

ees are differences between

the Red Army march into
Finland and the American inva-
Sion of Canada in 1812 or the
Cromwellian invasion of Ireland,
of course. Finland had joined
the socialist revolution in 1917
and had been conquered by for-
eign intervention. It is as though
the Canadians had joined the
American Revolution in 1776 and
had been reconquered by foreign
troops.

Amother fact to rememper is
that the Finnish fascists attack—
ed the borders of the Soviet Un-
ion first and the Red Army did
mot march until after consistent
provocations made it inevitable.

To return to our historical par-
allels, it is as though the Cana-
dian rebellions of 1837 were be-
ing prepared in 1812 and Bond
Head preferred to forestall them
by provoking war on the United
States and then -callinge in the
British troops to smash the rebel-
liens in the process of unleash-
ing a counter-revolutionary war
on the USA.

An dthe nthere are the more
important historic differences
between the classes and social
systems involved.

The Cromwell and American
revolutions were capitalist revolu
tions. They were progressive
and necessary in their historic
Place, but they gave power into
the hands of the Capitalist class
which substituted one form of
exploitation by another.

S

Socialist
Revolution

f Besse Russian revolution was a

Socialist revolution which
placed power in the hands of the
working class and abolished all
forms of exploitation. ‘Thus all
chances of the Soviet Union ex
Ploiting classes or other nations
are absolutel yimpossible.

Moreover, the capitalist revolu-
tions matured singly, dependins
on the developments inside the
feudal system in each given
country, much as international
events affected them.

But capitalism has created 2
world market and thereby placed
every country in the world into
inter-dependence on each other.
While there is an uneven develop-
ment of the capitalist states and
sroups, where one sroup develops
more rapidly than another, caus-
ing wars for the redivision of
markets, colonies and raw mater—
jials, and creatine more favorable
conditions for the Capitalist rey—
olution now in one country, now
in another, the entire world sys-
tem of capitalism has rottéd to
the root, makings for the neces-
sity for socialist revolution in all
countries.

That is why the Soviet Union
is not only a socialist revolu-
ion in one country, but a2
breach in the world imperialist
wall, a vanguard of the world
Socialist revolution. Tis actions
are net only historically justi-
fied for the security of the
most progressive state in the
world, but coincide with the
immediate interests of all peo-
ples, who are also facing the
Same enemies and the same
tasks, whose own emancipation
depends upon the defeat of im-
perialism and the capitalists of
their own country.

.)

Learn From
History

4 [eee few notes from the his-
tory of Britain and Canada
should help us to understand
what is happening in Furope to-
day, and our own place and tasks
in these great historic develop-
ments.

These Canadian revolutionaries
of an earlier day did not disdain
to learn from history. it was to
the war of 1812 that William Ly-
on Mackenzie referred in his biit-
ter denunciation of British ecol-
enial rule in 1837, when he said
that “they have involved wus in
their wars.’

Canadian workers can also dip
inte history at the present time
and echo the words uttered by
Mackenzie in i837 m rezard to
the present counter-revolutionary
War incitements.

JABS

(Ue

by OF Bill

a ? Kings and other rulers in history have had
Magnificent? monifers given to them by the sycophant his-
torians of their times, so that today we distinguish them one from
other by their nicknames.

QOne is known as ‘the Lion,’ another as ‘the Lion-hearted.’ Others, as
‘the Great,’ ‘the Pious,’ ‘the Fat,’ ‘the Bald” ‘the Terrible, ‘the Silent.’
Two have been tagged ‘the Magnificent’

One of these was Louis Capet, King of France, the fourteenth king
of France to bear that Christian name. He is only occasionally referred
to as the Magnificent, being generally spoken of as Louis the Great.
it is hard to know what was great about him, as his only connection
with greatness, looked at from this distance, seems to be that he save
his name to an ornate style of architecture and to a design of furniture
more to be looked at than used, ‘Louis Quatorze.’

if magnificence is another word for extravagance, ‘Magnificent’ is
2 More apt appelation than ‘Great’ for this member of the Bourbon
family. If every a man wasted the lives and substance of a people, it
was ‘le Grand Monarque’ Louis the Fourteenth.

The result of his magnificence was that less than a century after his
death, the French people rose in revolt and set up the guillotine to
take the head of the last of the Bourbons to play a leading part in
Erench history and to wipe out the courtiers who were descended from
the parasites who made Louis the Fourteenth’s court look ‘magnificent,’

More aoe Medici who usurped the rule of Florence in the
Mas nificent. fifteenth century, Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Elorence was the greatest and most highly cultural of the Ttalian
republics. Lorenzo de Medici, through bribery and corruption, destroyed
popular government in the republic.

To maintain the extravagance which gained him the title “(Magnifi-
cent,’ he stole the publie funds. His hand fell heavy on the Filorentines,
whose blood and labor were transformed into his ‘magnificence’ The
best his sycophantic biographers can say of him, is that he was ‘a bene
volent tyrant.’ 2

The sycophants are not all dead, however. In that 3 cents’ worth of
daily fiction, the News-Herald, one of them heads an editorial with the
caption, Mannerheim the Magnificent. In the editorial we read: “Baron
Gustav Eimil Mannerheim, whose exploits in the last war constituted a
saga, whose fortifications have been almost impregnable as the Mazinot
and Siegfried lines .... Baron Mannerheim is the most colorful hero
of the present conflict. History, we hope, will do him justice. Hor his is
& name that deserves to live in the annals of bravery we hand down to
posterity.”’

it is hard to imagine that any newspaperman could be so igmorant
as to write, or any business organization foolish enough to pay for
such stuff believing it to be true. The alternative is that they both,
writer and publisher, know it to be false.

Still More

The other bird named ‘Magnificent’ was the

Mannerheim’s exploits in the last war did not
ae constitute a saga. He was just as much of 2
Magnificent. failure as the other Tsarist generals in the war
against the well-equipped German armies. But when the practically
unarmed Finnish people’s government had to be destroyed, that was
different. That was the Mannerheim exploit which became a saga to
the News-Herald editor. It was accomplished with the help of German
armies under von der Goltz and British troops under General Sir Md-
mund fronside.

Qne hundred thousand Finnish people were slaughtered in the pro-
cess of re-establishing a reactionary government in Finland. Manner-
heim was well-named then ‘the Butcher,’ and he is the Butcher yet.
When he went on a visit to England after the war was over, he was
howled down in Stockholm and the people of Norway and Denmark
would not allow him to land in their countries; he was no hero to them!

Wor did he build any fortifications. These are the work of Britain’s
General Kirke, just as the Finnish airdromes and landing fields are the
work of Nazi military ensineers—all created as a base for attacking the
Soviet workers’ fatherland.

In comparison with the other two who bore the title Magnificent,’
the Swedish Baron Mannerheim has earned it as they did. He deserves
it for his ruthless massacre of the Finnish people, “History, we hope
you will do him justice!”

Peace- The list grows. In line with the suggestion

thrown out by Lord Beaverbrook in his paper
Makers? z the London Daily xpress, we find advocates
of a peace with Hitler so that a united front of ‘civilization’ may be
organized against the Soviet Union, the only workins class State in
the world.

Hirst we had one of the pillars of the Episcopal church, Bishop Wells,
Bishop of the Cariboo, chaplain-general of the Canadian army, Hoping
for a settlement of the dispute with the mad dog of Furope so that a
drive against the Soviet Union might be got under way.

Then that sturdy friend of democracy, Col. George Drew (see his
record), hints in the same direction and scribbles his filthy slanderous
Propaganda in the columns of an alleged newspaper published in
Toronto.

And now a local worthy, Father O’Boyle, a consistent enemy of or-
Sanized labor, in an editorial in his obscure Monthly Bulletin, writes
from the bottom of his heart of the dominant purpose of his life’s work.

He says: “A new order in Germany should be inaugurated of such a2
breadth of tolerance, that under the aegis of democracy, she may be
lined up with Western Hurope against the ultimate enemy of the white
race, scheming, ruthless, Asiatic Russia.”

Democrats? Since when did O'’Boyle become a democrat?

His writing in his own paper proves that he is
not now and never was ‘tainted’ with democracy. He is rather of a
kind with the reactionary bishops of Spain who toolz up arms against
their own government and assisted Butcher Franco to murder, maim
and replace the shackles of Slavery on the Spanish people.

Hor this they have been duly rewarded by all of them being placed
on the government payroll, while the priests who recognized that their
religious duty was to stand by their People and their government have
either been murdered with their congregations or are rotting in prison.

O’Boyle’s democracy is like that of his superior, Archbishop Duke,
who, speaking in the Holy Rosary Cathedral in April, 1938, of the un-
speakable, fascist Duplessis government of Quebec, said: “They realize
that the authority they have comes from God and ne one else.” Theirs
is the democracy of Hitler, Franco and Mannerheim,

5 ? fread in an ad. a few weeks ago that in Penn-
King Lumber = Sylvania in 1880 Coal was king and death was
Jester. his grinning jester.

In 1939, coal may still have been king in the Quaker State, but the
Srinning jester has changed masters. He has shipped out from Black’s
to take service with Lumber, the King in British Columbia.

This is the last day of the year as I write and the tally to date shows
that 67 lumber workers will be missing when the sides so out to harvest
the lumber erop of 1940—67 accidentally killed in the woods in 1939,
13 over the average for the last decade.

But everything has its compensations in nature. The business editor
of the Province, Chas. I, Shaw, writes in that paper on Dee. 30th:
“In value of Production, 1939 will so down as the industry’s banner
year. Approximately 3,000,000,000 feet of lumber was cut and this
brought $75,000,000, representing an increase of about 315,000,000 over
the average for the past decade.” e

But still not enough to provide for proper safety precautions in the
woods and sawmills! }
= A newshawk rushed into the editorial Sanecfym
Exclusive From of a local paper. “I got it,” he shouted Gp a
Stockholm. highly excited voice. “Got what?” enquired the
pooh-bah at the city desk. “An absolutely exclusive story from Stock-
holm about the war in Finland,” replied the reported. =f
“How do you know it’s exclusive?” asked the city editor.

f = TE must
be, I’ve just made it up myself,” came the answer. q