_ THE PEOPLE

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7

Make Democracy Work
For Total War

HEN the all-party parliamentary committee tabled its
report at the end of the last session of parliament in
1942, the minister of justice, Hon. Louis S. Laurent, took
the authority upon himself to indicate government action,
contrary to the recommendation of the parliamentary com-
mittee which favored the lifting of the ban on the Communist
Party of Canada, and other cultural, educational, religious
and working class organizations.
At that time St. Laurent stated he “would be most re-
luctant to recommend to the governor-in-council anything

which might be interpreted by the country at large as legal-.

izing real Communism in Canada.”

Just what St. Laurent meant at that time by “real com-
munism’ was not stated. ‘In a letter of October 13, 1942, to
Drummond Wren, secretary of the Workers’ Educational As-
sociation of Toronto, St. Laurent elaborates the question
further.

“In my opinion, differences, even if they arose in the past,
cannot be forgotten when they are fundamental, and I am con-
vinced that the differences between international communism
and the constitutional setup and Christian civilization*of our
country are fundamental ... the acceptance of communism
might, as you suggest, cause consternation in the ranks of
our enemies, but I am sure it would also cause consternation
in the ranks of very large numbers of loyal citizens of most
of the United Nations.”

The Canadian people, through the medium of a parliamen-
tary committee, gave the lie to St. Laurent, as far as Canada
is concerned. The granting of civil rights to any group does
not mean the acceptance of the creed of this or that particular
group. =

e

qe people who are most happy at the Bourbon-guardian-
ship- of Louis St. Laurent in opposing lifting of the ban

_ are the Vichyite and pro-fascist, reactionary organizations in

Quebec—who oppose every major effort in Canada’s war
contribution to the cause of the Allied Nations. These quis-
lings have a valuable mouthpiece in the person of St. Laurent.

A few days ago, February 23, in reply to a question put
by Angus MacInnis, M.P. for Vancouver East, Hon. St, Laur-
ent reiterated his position agaimst lifting the ban.

The minister is quoted as saying that, “There is a fine dis-
tinction between those who now conduct the affairs of Rus-
sia and those who, as the Communist Party of Canada, advo-
cate the overthrow of government by force.” ... “To lift the
ban would be to give serious encouragement to a doctrine
that is contrary to the criminal code.” George Black (Prog-
Con., Yukon) supported St. Laurent with a series of wild
assertions which had no basis in fact.

His groundless assertions of communists admitting acts
of violent sabotage against Canada’s war effort is a quisling
fabrication of the wildest sort, and does not reflect a sense
of responsibility in public affairs. The people of Canada
know these charges are untrue. The Goebbels propaganda
machine will hail this with diabolical glee.

A new parliamentary committee has been set up to study
the working of the Defense of Canada Regulations. It is hoped
they will begin with the scheduled report and recommenda-
tions of the 1942 committee.

In making democracy work for Canada’s war effort, there
is no place today for undemocratic restrictions upon citizens
who are wholeheartedly in support of total war policies. Nor
is there any place in a war government for quisling Vichyite
elements like Justice Minister St. Laurent, who obstruct the
unity and war effort of the nation by continually waving the
red bogey of “communism.”

The people of Canada, through their numerous organiza-
tions, trade unions, and others, should once again make their
desire known in this respect with the same decisiveness and
unity that they did in 1942 — by letters to their M.P.’s, by
representation to the new parliamentary committee, by con-
demnation of the quisling position of Louis St. Laurent — in-
sist that democracy be made to work for total war and the
ban on the Communist Party of Canada be lifted.

Russian -

ensive

\W/orries Finns

By TOM McEWEN
yee mighty sweep of the Russian offensive extending from
Murmansk to the Black Sea, and their smashing victories
over Hitler’s legions, is causing perturbation among Finland’s

Wazi ruling clique.

The North African campaign, and the victories of the USA
and Australian forces in the South Pacifie is also having its
effect in Helsinki. They are less sure than they were a year
ago that “Finland’s aspirations’ would be best served by a
war-alliance with “Der Fuehrer.”

The recent Finnish ‘elections’
in which Rysto Rytti was ‘re-
elected’ president, is significant
for two reasons. First, that as
soon as ‘re-elected’ Rytti was im-
pelled to state that, “we hope that
when peace comes, the United
Wations will understand Fin-
Jand’s position,’ a clear admission
that the hope of a Hitler victory
was rapidly fading, and second,
that in this Northern nazi state,
plaything of fascist reaction, the
Finnish people had no voice in
the elections or in the affairs of
the country in general, and are
beginning to boil over, The Hel-
sinki nazi cabal are caught be-
tween the horns of a total Hitler
defeat and a people demanding

democratic expressions and
peace.
The Finish bourgeoisie and the

Finnish Social democrats — of
which Vairno Tanner is the
leader and lackey of Rytti—blood

brothers under their political
skins, have insisted on playing
with fire — are getting badly

burned—and are now crying for
sympathy.
e ° e

OPING that the Allied Na-

tions “will understand Fin-
land’s position” is an admission
that the Finnish nazi stooges,
Rytti-Tanner-Mannerheim, et al,
backed the wrong horse. An ad-
mission that a Nazi defeat is not
only probable but inevitable, and
that Hitler has been no more able
than was Chamberlain or Dala-
dier, to satisfy “Finland's aspira-
tion.”

Since 1918, the bourgeoisie of
Finland, with the aid of German
troops under Baron Gustay Karl
von Mannerheim (who has since
become a Finn?) have crushed the
Finnish people in a> nazi vice of
terror and repression, have lent
themselves to any and every anti-
Soviet foreign clique, as a sort of
provocation and intrigue centre
against the USSR.

The innumerable “incidents” of
provocation on the Finnish-Soviet-
Karelian border from 1922-39 are
evidence of their eagerness: to pro-
voke and attack the USSR.

In 1939-1940, in keeping with
their own foreign ‘aspirations’
they succeeded in provoking war
with the USSR. They could have
realized much of their aspira-
tions for a greater Finland (geo-
graphically) by peaceful negotia-
tion and exchange of territory
offered by the Soviet Government.

Mytti and. Mannerheim, with

their foreign backers, didn’t want

it that way. They wanted war—
against the USSR. They got it,
and their “glory’’—in the plaudits
of the commercial press, was

shortlived. The Red Army taught
the Finnish war-mongers that its
Commander-in-Chief Stalin meant
what he said anent “pigs who
stick their snouts into the Soviet
cabbage patch’ getting their
snouts soundly rapped. Now
Mannerheim, Rytti and Hitler are
in bandages as a result of ignor-
ing the lesson, and Herr Schik-
elgruber’s Finnish allies want to
pull out and call it quits.

Tanner, the Social-Democrat,
holds up Rytti, the protege of in-
ternational finance capital, and
together, seek a path to peace,
and in doing so, cling to their
plea for “understanding Finland’s
aspirations.” This dirge fools no
one—and least of all the Finnish
people.

e ° e

HE Finnish people have al-

Ways sought to live at peace
with their Soviet neighbor. The
Finnish people have never for-
gotten that they received their in-
dependence and freedom from
tzarist oppression by the Soviet
government of the USSR. That
their pro-nazi leaders have chosen
to forget this fact, have chosen
to align themselves with the en-
emies of the USSR has not been
the wilil or desire of the Finnish
people.

Qn the contrary, every organ-
ization the Finnish people have
built since 1918 to advance peace
and neighborly relations with the
USSR has been ruthlessly crushed
by Mannerheim and Company.

It is hardly likely that the
Allied Nations will enter into
peace negotiations with Rytti and
Mannerheim, any more than they
would enter into peace negotia-
tions with Hitler or Mussolini,
particularly when the proviso of
‘Finland’s aspirations’ can only

be realized at the expense of a-

valiant member of the Allied na-
tions—the USSR.

It is likely, however, that the
Allied leaders, Churchill, Roose-
velt, and Stalin, particularly the
latter, can give the Finnish peo-
ple the assurance that their de-
sire for peace and their demo-
eratic liberties are contained in
the spirit of the Atlantic Chart-
er, that the aspiration of the
Finnish people will be fully guar-
anteed—but that such a guarantee
does not cover the Rytti-Tanner-
Mannerheim janasaries of the
Hitlerite Axis.

With the liquidation of these
traitors to Finland, the path to
peace with their neighbors is
open to the people.of Finland, and
above all else, peace and a policy
of friendly neighborliness are the
basie aspirations of the Finnish
people.

United Nations Praise Red Army

Representatives of the Allied Nations cabled their con-
gratulations to the Red Army on its 25th anniversary this
week. In a packed Albert Hall meeting in London, a message
was read from Premier Stalin replying to greetings from the

British people.

“This demonstration of friendly feelings on the part of

the British people for the army of the Soviet people strength-
ens our confidence that the moment is near when the armed
forces of our countries, by joint offensive operations, will
smash our common enemy,” said Stalin.

—<———

SHORT |

by OV Bill

Yellow and Red

rAASHE sign on the window jf,

“Cafe” but the people wh |
there rendered it “hash-joint #
Was a small place, just big en —
to @&hip the proverbial cat. 779
were not cats around, how j®
since pickin’s were scanty. es

A cook sweltered over a
range which was crowded iz ¥
corner by the door. Two wai}
their union buttons promin §
displayed, “took ‘em away. §
smart little Chinese boy did al 7
rest of the work, vegetable .
dishwasher, swamper, porter §
handyman. :

Into the joint came a nondes
white man, one of those p
who, having read Kipling, im:
that upon their shoulders is
the burdens of the world’s 1
ward peoples.

He pulled himself up to the:
ter close to where the Chinese
peeling potatoes. When he §@
ordered his meal and had a §
ment to look around he saw
Chinese and blurted out, “Wha
hell are you doing here, you y
bastard?”

The Chinese was not flusterm §
put out in any way, but, sm =
to the other customers, he :
back, “I am not a yellow bas '
I red. YOU yellow bastard, t.
why you talk crazy. Where
union button?” 4

Everyone laughed; even the
stopped scraping the hot pla
join in.

Barbarians

In an article entitled “Va
of the 20th Century” in Int
tional Literature No. 1 and 2,
the writer quotes a statemer
Hitler, “We are barbarians an
want to be barbarians, This |
honorable status.”

The statement is fifty-fifty
rect and fifty-fifty wrong.
first sentence is false; the se.
one is true. Barbarism is an hi
able status, but the Nazis ar
barbarians.

Barbarism was the higher —
of primitive communal saciety
that stage of social develop
there were no soldiers, no
darmes, no policemen; no pro
tors or judges; no prisons or
suits. There were no ciasses.
that sound like Nazism?

Labor in barbarie sociéty we
honorable contribution to the
of the community. The pk
“dignity of labor” is a joke te.
under primitive communisn
meant just what it says. In
Nazis’ New Order there is
slavish toil for the worker.
fuehrer or gauleiter ever coul
ever will command the res
shown by the barbaric tribe
the humblest sachem.

Their classless communist
ety was a better one in every
except one — economically —~
those that have followed it. ©
might Engels write: “What
and what women such a sot
breeds, is proved by the admire
inspired in all white people ~
have come in contact with
spoiled Indians, by the pers
dignity, uprightness, strength
character, and courage of these
barians.” : :

It is natural that Hitler and
minions should claim these 4
butes of communal barbaric”
But they lie in their teeth. Tf -
mean the definition of barbal
of those who are ignorant of &
deyelopment, plunderers and
agers, they are entitled to it.

The Soviet people alone today
entitled to claim kinship with
communal societies of the pas
and they have solved the econ
problem. “a

iF