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® What is Rassemblement? @

_ A new movement

rises in Quebec

NEW movement has come

onto the Quebec political
scene called Rassemblement.
t states that its main purpose
is to “rally together those ci-
tizens wishing to build in this
province a society truly demo-
cratic that would bring to the
economic, political and social
problems of the province,” so-
lutions conforming to a set
of principles a general dem-
oeratic character adopted at
its founding congress. These
principles show in many as-
pects the influence of labor
and socialist ideas.

The Rassemblement came
into being at a congress held
in Montreal on September 8
this year attended by about
100 leaders of farm groups,
cooperatives and trade unions,
as well as journalists, profes-
sors, and other intellectuals.
It brings together French Can-
adians prominent in the intel-
lectual life of Quebec with
leaders of the labor move-
ment.

Prominent among its leaders
are its president, Pierre Dan-
sereau, dean of science of the
University of Montreal and
former leader in the “Jeune
Canada” group that later help-
ed Duplessis to power; vice-
president P. E. Trudeau, prom-

By JOHN SWITZMAN

inent French-Canadian econ-
omist, one of the editors of
“Asbestos Strike”, a recently
published study of the chang-
es brought about by industri-
alization in Quebec; Andre
Laurendeau, former leader of
th Nationalist Bloc Popu-
laire and one of the main
writers of Le Devoir, nation-
alist newspaper; and a num-
ber of leaders of the Catholic
Syndicates.

The Rassemblement says it
is “a movement of education
and democratic action whose
primary purpose is to give
to the people of Quebec the
conditions and _ instruments
necessary to the achievements
of a sound political structure.”

In the pursuit of these ob-
jectives, the Rassemblement
proposes “‘to respect the rights
of all classes of society” and
“to seek out principally the
support of the laboring class-
es.” -

It ‘calls for a “democratic
state” where each citizen “is
entitled to have certain in-
alienable rights: freedom of
press, of speech, of expres-
sion (press, radio, etc.) of as-
sembly, of association; equal-
ity before the law; the right
not to be deprived of his lib-
erty or of his effects without

recourse to an impartial and
independent judiciary system.
It-declares that “a true po-
litical awareness will not he
born except under the inspira-
tion of a vast movement of
political education that would
make the people aware of iis
powers and would place them
in a position to exercise them
well.”
- On the economic system it
envisages as giving the best
results possible for the whole
population it says “a truly hu-
man economy should abolish
all exploitation of man by
man, share equitably among
all citizens the increases of
production and leisure avail-
able.’ This could be done,
amongst other things by “the
most equal. distribution pos-
sib'e of the fruits and the
loads resulting from the ec-
onomic activity, amongst all
the members of the collective.”

*

While it doe not declare its
preference for any one system
of society, the set of principles
declares flatly that “in our
highly industrialized society,
private initiative left to itself
cannot guarantee the prosper-
ity of the community. This

How the dollar works for

By AL RICHMOND

HE votes may be counted
T with fair accuracy in the
U.S. elections of November 6,
but no one will ever know
just how much money was
spent to sway the voters.

Estimates range from a con-
servative $100 million to “hun-
dreds of millions of dollars.”
If 60 million persons go ta the
polls, the outlay might well
be $3 a vote.

Matt McCloskey, treasurer
of the Democratic party’s na-
tional committee, recently
told The Wall Street Journal:
“It’s my horseback guess both
parties will spend at least $100
million all told in 1956.”

An anonymous Republican
party leader told the Journal:
“Some people are forecasting
figures ranging up into the
hundreds of millions of dol-
lars. They could be ridiculous-
ly high. But it would be aw-
fully easy to guess ridiculous-
ly low, too.”

The Bureau of Advertising
of the American Newspaper
Publishers’ Association esti-
mated that $100 million will
be spent for “advertising pro-
motion of candidates alone.”

Another generous slice of
cash will go to the privately
owned television and radio
industries.

In mid-campaign, Republi-
can officials said their televis-
ion bill will run as high as
$6 million compared with just
$600,000 in the national elec-
tion of 1952.

The staggering sums spent
for politics have become some-
thing. of a national scandal,
and there has been talk of in-
vestigations and legislation,
but there has been no action
to dry up the golden flow.

*

There are laws supposedly
regulating political spending,
but all they have bred is
eynicism.

The law specifies that no
national political headquar-
ters may receive or spend
more than $3 million and no
individual may _ contribute
more than $5,000 to a politi-
cal organisation.

The practice of the two ma-
jor parties is to set up sever-
al campaign groups, each
spending up to $3 million. As

for wealthy individuals, they
can resort to the expedient
of contributing $5,000 to each
of several campaign groups,
or making $5,000 donations in
the names of a wife, children
and other relatives.

Moneywise, the Republicans
have the gilt edge, being the
favored party of big busi-
ness. Prof. Alexander Heard,
of the University of North
Carolina, who studied the
1952. campaign contributions,
offered some_ testimony on
that score before a Senate
committee headed by Senator
Albert Gore, Tennessee Demo-
crat.

Heard’s figures showed that
business executives favored
the Republicans over’ the
Democrats, 70 to one, in hard
cash.

Officials of the 100 biggest
U.S. corporations made _ poli-
tical contributions of $1,149,-
000 in chunks of $500 or more
in 1952. Of this amount, $1,-
065,000 went: to Republicans,
$84,000 to Democrats.

Republican contributions by
the largest financial dynasties
were: the Pews (oil) $181,-
480; Rockefellers (oil) $150,-
500; Mellons (oil, banking,

cannot be assured without
planning.”

In dealing with the “social
system,” the principle advanc-
ed is that “the social system
should be such that it assures
to all the full possibility of
benefitting from a decent stan-
dard of living’; and adds,
“work being a natural way of
assuring this decent level, the
right to work and to fair re-
ward should be guaranteed
to all. This right entails as
consequences:

“For workers in general:

“1, Equality of the workers
without distinction of sex, re-
ligion or ethnic origin;

“2. Freedom of the work-
ers to decide at what condi-
tions they will offer their la-
bor, as well as freedom to be-
long to the union of their
choice.

“For the farmers and the
handicraftsmen that draw
their subsistence from the
sale of their products or their
services.

“1. Guaranteed stable ,mar-
kets;

“2. Freedom to organize in
trade associations and cooper-
tives of their own choice.”

On the matter of education-
al and cultural needs of the
people it calls for all citizens
“to have access to-all levels
of education and all the instru-
ments of culture according to
their capacities and _ talents,
without distinction as_ to
wealth or civil status.”

To raise the intellectual lev-
el it calls for “the introduc-
tion of a climate of freedom
at all levels of education,”
and that ‘the same climate of
freedom should surround the
means of cultural expression.”

*

Although the set of prin-
ciples does not deal directly
with foreign affairs it does

the Republicans

aluminum) $87,183; du Ponts
(chemical), $80,381.

Trade unions are forbidden
by law from making contribu-
tions from their treasuries to
candidates for national office.

. As a result, political action by

the unions is financed by
voluntary ‘contributions from
members.

Walter Reuther, president
of the United Auto Workers,
observed that labor’s political
donations “are just peanuts
as compared with the contri-
butions of management.”

Reuther said his union has
collected only $194,000 this
year. Thus the total contribu-
tion from the auto union’s 1,-
300,000 members _ barely
matches the political outlay
of one financial dynasty like
the Pews or the Rockefellers.

With the price of American
politics being what it is, those
who supply the cash are in
a position to influence the
political recipients.

Thus, for example, the un-
usually heavy donations from
the oil families to the Repub-

NOVEMBER 2, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE —

speak of the problem of 1

tions between peoples. On thé
it says, “the people of #
countries are answerable 10!”
one another, and in case ®

need they should give ©

other fraternal aid.”

It also affirms that “in the
case of multi-national sociel®
the different cultures hav
the right to their free flow?”
ing,” and defines the su
tion of federalism to be to
conciliate the greatest decell
ralization possible along ™
the unity in action that is #7
essary for the just rule and

le |
the prosperity of the whor

country. The fundament@
law of federalism is the ®”
laboration of diverse “polit:
cal units among themselve

Among the things part
larly noteworthy in the he
gramatic declarations % at
Rassemblement, a mover
embracing some. of the ie
most Catholic intellectuals ey
Quebec, many of whom a
in the past been inspired a
the corporate ideas of Mus

iD,
lini Italy and Franco Spat

is the complete absence
corporatist influence 1!
principles adopted.
there is no direct refere?
the inspiration of Catholi¢
trine or ‘the need to
such.

ce
doc

{eam
It is too early to speculat

as to the future of th
emblement. Its statemen
principles, its objectives Our:
ed at democratization °
bec political life, its §
to link French-Canadia? i
tellectuals and Nationa”
circles with the labor ae
ment in a political movem t

an
are a reflection of impore

changes that have been ort? 4

making ‘in Quebec for
time.

ceo"
+ nec
no b-

licans in 1952 do Bs

sarily reflect a greater | E
lican zeal among oil po
nates than among the pe
and auto barons. Thi
is that the oil interes'$ jon
especially interested 1? “off
ding legislation affect!

shore oil reserves. ree |

nt?
They got what they wi Re

too. Congress, with crack
publican administrator | vest
ing the whip, voted serv
control of these vast T jor |

in the individual state> © jes

the private oil mone tne
could more easily
hands on them. oli

At the rate the price % Fant
tics has been going UP) jus
well become one of thor ich
ury items which only
can afford.

That’s the sort of ee }
is made without smi ot
while there are many | cap
reasons why Americ ® gif”
talists have been able ra in
tain a two-party SY jpel?
which they ho!d sway nol
is no doubt that the. ©
ics of politics play 1"

hands. pace {

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