Page 4 — Saturday, January 27, 1945

PULA.

PEOPLE’S VOICE FOR PROGRESS

Published every Saturday by The People Publishing Com-

pany, Reom 104, Shelly Building, 119 West Pender Street,

Vancouver, British Columbia and printed at East End

Printers, 2303 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British

Columbia. Subscription Rates: One year $2, six months $1.
Editor

GC. A. SAUNDERS

SUMAURRAUAANSERESOANSALESEESACTUASLOLTAACSTOANSRASAZOLACTAAAISRALSCRSESSSI9SR533

PACIFIC ADVOCATE

(EERUROEVOUNARIUSTCCUTUCSEREVOTECCAHIACY COE TED ESTERS AAAESTSINECECSENSERATER «E088

Associate Editor
MYER SHARZER

A Wartime Election?

A S WE go to press there is every likelihood that the cam-

paign of the Conservative and CCF parties in Grey North
by-election may force the government to call a wartime general
election. ;

Prime Minister W. L. Mackenzie King has issued a state-
ment declaring this as probable, and appealing for the return
of General A. G. L. McNaughton to the House in order to
permit him to report to Parliament, pledging that the life of
the present Parliament would not be prolonged and that a gen-
eral election would be held in a few short months.

The Conservatives and the CCE refused this most
modest plea of the government in charge of our country’s
war effort at the vital stages of the bajtle for victory over
fascism.

The Tories have resorted to the depths of infamy in their
campaign to defeat McNaughton. Routed in the House of
Commons, the Tory hacks return to the fray in Grey North,
to pillory and villify Canada’s minister in charge of our
country s Safety.

While the world is expectant of vast and final victories
_to end Hitler tryanny, the political “Zombies” of the Tory
army desert their country and light political fires to consume
our national unity. They, and they alone, are responsible for
whatever disaffection exists in Canada’s home army.

Not for them the battlefront in France and Holland. th
Surging fray of Poland, Silesia and East Prussia. Not for
them Luzon. For them—the political character assassination:
for them—the personal battle against McNaughton. for them
-— innuendo, slanders, sneers and contumely in place of
patriotism.

_ Ho force a wartime election on any false issuc, this is
their objective. To raise again the reinforcement question
and becloud the real issues confronting the Canadian people
as they face another election. The real issues are jobs and
security, expanding production, health and old age pensions,
reform measures and social security. These are the decisions
the Canadian electorate will face when choosing their next
Parliament, whether to go forward to the maintenance and
extension of democracy, postwar reconstruction and progressive
reforms, or to be fooled by the Tory drive to create conditions
for a “strong” fascist like Tory regime to come to power
out of the chaos they are striving to create.

Big Tory industrialists are brazenly defying the govern-
ment of this country, provoking strikes and engineering lock-
outs, in order to smash the war unity of Canada.

Just as the Nazis get more vicious as they are pressed back

into their lair and see their doom approaching, so their Tory.

“kindred spirits’ here in Canada are sent into ever mount-
ing frenzy as they see their world disappearing with the coming
defeat of world fascism.

The emphasis in the “Conscription” drive was to pit
English against French’ Canada. The emphasis in the’ present
offensive is to set labor and capital at each others throats.

The purpose is the same:—to split our people and dis-
rupt the war effort.

Labor is decisive in this great battle that is. developing.
It is the workers in the shipyards, in the mines, woods and
sawmills, who are directly under attack. It is they whose
union rights are threatened. It is they who are being pro-
voked callously and systematically into strike action.

_ This is the struggle on which the costs of victory in the
wat, in terms of time and casualties depend, on which main-
tenance arfd extension of democracy, postwar reconstruction
and progressive reforms depend, faces’ labor with a two-fold
task: to hold firm and unswerving to the “‘no-strike’ pledge
and to bring pressure on the Federal government to “‘put
teeth” into collective bargaining laws so as to smash the Tory
attacks.

In the present labor relations crisis. the strike-fomenting
.policy of the Millards and the Turners dovetails into the
strike-fomenting drive of the Tories while the treacherous
“coordination” of the National Political Action Committee of
the CCL to the anti-National Unity policies of the CCF is
calculated to prevent labor from fighting for and winning
those improvements in Labor Legislation which it must have.

Labor’s immediate task is to shake, off the paralysing
chains of CCF policy and throw the forces of the organized
workers of Canada into battle to defeat the new Tory offensive.

Independent labor political action is the key to victory!

T seems only yesterday that I was sitting in the

Vancouver, Labor Council hearing CGE. rank
and file delegates fulminate, rave and tear ‘their

-hair over the fink company unions represented

nationally by the “Amalgamated Unions of Can-
ada.” This only serves to emphasize the vast
chasm separating honest trade unionists who
have been deceived by. leftist phraseology, from
the petit-bourgeois CCF anti-labor leadership.
For lo and behold, the national company union
set up has achieved the distinction of being
blessed by the CCE schoolteacher leader M. J.
Coldwell.

This is the only logical conclusion, one can
come to, for Coldwell has contributed an article
to the “Amalgamator” official publication of
this seab outfit. -

The article “written for the Amalgamator”
appears next to the editorial page where la-
bor’s struggle for the union shop is denounced
as “dictatorial.”

Recognizing a community of interests the
“Amalgamator” runs Coldwell’s picture next to
Tory leader John Bracken’s, for in the whole
length of his article, Coldwell is careful not to
breathe one word against company unions.

This paper is freely distributed in the
Timmins and Porcupine area where the union
busting, fink Amalgamated company union is
busy trying to subvert the miners.

Thus the role, aims and objectives of the CCF
are daily becoming plainer. The “votes at any
price” furore at the CCF convention, was not a
difference of opinion.

it was and is the considered policy and guid-=
ing star of a decisive part of the CCF leader-
ship. To further this policy they are prepared
to sacrifice the trade union movement, appar-
ently even to the extent of lending moral sup-
port to a company union outfit in the hope that
they might be able to scrape a few more votes
from among the finks.

(eee are the people that shout about class

collaboration and pretend, at this time, to
represent the uncompromising militant elass
conscious worker. These are the people who on

every major issue find themselves allied with
the Tory representatives of the most vicious
anti-labor, pro-fascist elements in our country.
These are the people who proyoke and stimulate
strikes. Who call labor’s “No-Strike” pledge
capitulating to the boss. : -

CCF D

It would be laughable if it were not so tragic —

and traitorous.

The CCF stands forth waving the flag of
uneompromising class conflict. With radical
words and bombastic rhetoric its leaders mouth
revolutionary phrases and refuse cooperation
with everybody and anybody in their simonpure
resolve to lead the people, unaided and unsullied,
to the promised land.

So comes the Street Railwaymen’s strike and
immediately these uncompromising revolutionary
representatives of the working class and cham-
pions of organized labor leap on the bandwagon.
The war is cast into the background. All other
considerations are as nothing:

Here is a chance to embarass the govern-
ment,

Here is, a chance to lend color to their cala-
mity howling. So they become strike champions;
none so outstandingly militant as they.

“Tet us all refuse to accept rides,” they say,
“this will help the streetcar men.” They are not
quite honest or bold enough to say what they
really mean, to come right out with their demand
for a general sympathy strike. But this is the
thinly disguised meaning of. their propaganda.
The men themselves realize quickly what such
irresponsibility could do to their cause. They
lost no time repudiating such action and advising
against it.

/ eek By C. A. Saunders) —

iedealing

-They refused to be stampeded into uns i

O outstanding instances of playing
game have “evidenced ‘themselves 7.
months. i First-the. reinforcement crisis,
the role-ef the, GCF gave aid and) comf
Tory plot to capture, power. It was or
face of the campaign of organized labo
CCF changed their position,,and then t-
duced-a face-Saving amendment: ~
Now they are running a candidat
North in opposition to Defense Min =
Naughton, and again they find themse -
ing the Tory game of trying to force ¢
election. How does the proclaimed p.
the CCF on tke reinforcement questic
in the light of this attack on McNaugi

And here we have another instance |
double dealing and betrayal of the exp;
sires of labor. By means of a resoluti,
through a few locals in Grey North
visit of Hamon Park, CCF national ‘org
the CCL-PAG, they railroaded a resc
support to the CCF Grey North
through the CCI Political Actien €o

This action resulted in splitting FP
down the middle as representatives of
est and most powerful unions withdrew
committee. George Burt, representing ¢ |
ful United Automobile Workers, wil |
did George Harris, vice-president of
representative of the United Electrical |
chine Workers, and Nigel Morgan of ©
national Woodworkers. Other organizt
represented at the meeting are consid
ing the same action.

It was made very plain at the last
vention that organized labor was not
Become a dumb appendage of CCE
policies.

As the struggle grows sharper the
ferences between the aims and aspii
the organized labor movement and t!
partisan oportunism of the CCE hecor}
fest. :

This week the Vancouver Labor € |
manded withdrawal of Steel delega
Turner, CCF MLA, whose denunciation |
“No-Strike” pledge im a radio speee
storm of protest from the ranks or ‘@
labor.

The pattern of hypocrisy and bear; |
bor is becoming plainer. Haber must -
‘itself from such policies and jom wit
gressives to defeat the sinister CC!
liance. :

But the payoff is rich. It fully e
hypocrisy of these ultra-leftists. It 5)
plainly whose interests they serve 4
strates the “power and votes at any Ey
chology that drives these political op

In last week’s CCE News, during 7!
the strike, when a campaign of virule)
resentation was launched by the 1
company at the union, there appeared
vertisement on the strike. No, not am

ment but a paid advertisement from @
vilifyinge the men and the union.

This in a so-called labor paper, thi#@
a party which is trying to convince §
labor that they are the only politica!
tie to—to tie to and hane with appari

Organized labor will know the #
such treacherous activities. On the #
exhortations to damaging further acti
other bosses’ propaganda in their offi @

The organized labor movement a @
showed good judgment during this 1

The strike was restricted.

This is in spite-of the actions of le
trade unionists and the -CC€Fs-New
propaganda sheet. Se a