@ William Lyon MacKenzie'’s paper
opened its columns to the poor

The fighting
lonial
Advocate

- By AVROM YANOVSKY

ao reptile of the

Gourlay breed has sprung
up among us. What vermin!”
Thus exhorted John Beverley

of the leading

one

figures of the Family Com-

Yanada, just 133

Re 1824, when

he scanned the first issue of
a new paper.

3everley _Robinson  repre-

sented the reactionary Tory

l Se ee of time, and

an — whom he re-

ers * was Robert Gourlay,
deported by Robins 6n and his
cohorts in 1819 to Scotland,
sause he was a leading agi-
tator for the ideas of radical
reform being spread by Wil-
liam Lyon Mackenzie.

% As for’ this that
May 18 is an important date
in the history of the progres-
sive pr in Canada. Because
the “reptile of the Gourlay
breed,”’ which “sprung up” on

that day and in that year, and
so frightened the reactionaries
the Colohial Advocate.
Under ‘the paper’s masthead
was written: “William Lyon
Mackenzie, Editot and Owner.”

“T had long seen the country
in the hands of a few, shrewd,
crafty, covetous men ‘under
whose management one of the
most lovely and desirable sec-
tions of America remained a
comparative desert. . . .” Thus
wrote William Lyon Macken-
zie in the declaration on his
establishment of the paper. In
its 10*year existence the paper
fought against this handful of
“a few shrewd, crafty men.”

And more than a céntury
later another progressive press
fights the people’s — battles
against the corporate heirs of
the Family Compact.

*

It is most interesting to per-
use the archives of the Colonial

was

WILLIAM LYON MACKENZIE

Advocate and see what the

little paper looked like.

As in all papers of that time,
there were no large advertise
ments or screaming headlines.
But in contrast with other
papers, there were, in small
type, powerful denunciations of
injustices of all kinds. In
practically every issue there
were sharp, biting attacks on
the government of the time
and its supporters, who con-
tinually robbed the newly-ar-
rived settlers.

The Colonial Advocate clear-
ly. showed .how the directors
of the Canada Company, which
brought the settlers to this
country, grew richer as the
latter grew poorer. The pion~-
eers had to pay high prices to
acquire a piece of land, and
this was followed up with ex-
tremely high taxes.

The paper enjoyed much
popularity and appreciation on

The inscription on the Mackenzie Monumen:

in Toronto’s Queen’s Park honors the role

of the leader of the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada in “the struggle for Responsible Gov-
ernment.” Mackenzie died August 28, 1861. The monument was erected in 1940,

e

\

the part of the masses of. peo-

ple. Practically each issue
saw long letters. from poor *
people who described their
hard lot.

The announcements and no-
tices also give us an insight
into the type of reader. Here
is a typical example: “Came
within the enclosure of. the
subscriber at the head of
Spadina Ave. about , three
months ago, a large brindle
cow, with white face and had
calved within a day or two.
The owner is requested to

prove property, pay charges
and. take her away. Wm.
Burns.”

The influence of the paper

_on the masses of people, was

not to the liking of the Tories.

So it was that on June 8, 1824,
some sons of the rich broke
into the Colonial Advocate’s
printshcp on Front Street in
Toronto, and tossed the type
and machinery into Lake On-
tario. The attack was so braz-
en that Mackenzie was award-
ed damages in court. With this
money he bought a new shop
and continued printing the

paper.
*

In its issue of February 6,
1826, the Colonial Advocate
reprinted an article, in full,
from the National Advocate
of New York, published by
Mordecai Emmanuel Noah,
who helped bring Jewish vic-
tims of oppression from. Europe
to America.

_ In this article, Noah sharply
criticized the leading rabbis of
Europe who opposed emigra-
tion of Jews to America, while
at the same time even hushing
up discrimination and terror-
ization of Jews in their coun-
tries. Noah pointed. out that
despite difficulties in the new
world, the Jews ‘will have an
opportunity to take part in the
growing struggles for freedom
(as a result of the American
Revolution).

The article was reprinted by
Mackenzie without any com-
ment. It seems obvious that
its importance for him was that
it was a call against oppres-
sion, a call for people to join’
the ranks of the fighters for
liberty.

This is the kind of paper
the Colonial Advocate was,
and the kind of editor, Mac-
kenzie. Whatever had to do
with freedom, the rights of
man, and democracy, found a
place in his columns, just be-
cause it was hushed up in the
other papers. They feared, and
justly so, that such news would
arm the fighters for justice in
Canada and throughout the
world.

Commune

OINS struck by the Paris
Commune — so rare that
not even the Paris Mint
holds specimens — may be
seen at an exhibition which
opened at Marx Memorial
Library in London this
month.

They are two five-franc
pieces struck. during the
two months power of the
Commune, the first -work-
.ors’ government, set up by
the Parisians at the end of
the Franco-Prussian War
in 1871.

The Commune has always
remained -a source of ins-
piration to. the working
class movement, This exhi-
bition which also includes
documents, posters and au-
tographs, is serving to im-
press upon native London-
ers and foreign visitors
alike the' boundless courage
of those who, in Karl Marx’
words, stormed the heavens

—and gave the world a
glimpse of a new day to
come.

There are the original de-
clarations of the Commune
and its exs/Jakmasc issued

exhibition

as large posters, many car-
toons on events of the day
and caricatures of leading
Communards. All are in a
fine state of preservation.

Among the leaflets is one
exposing the speculation
which took. place during the
siege of Paris by the Ger-
mans. A’ turnip then cost
1% francs, 1% Ibs. of ,dog-
flesh 3% francs, and a cat
15 francs — when the daily
pay of a national guards-
man was 1% francs. —

The laws of the Commune
are. displayed and among
the journals shown is the
last issue of The Avenger,
one of the Commune news-
papers.

Among the rare auto-
graphs and letters is one
from. Louise Michel, a
leading woman Commun-
ard who, with other wom-
en defended Montmartre;
rifle in hand, during the
last week of the Commune.

She was ohn
transported to New Ca
donia in French Equatorial
Africa and. returned after
an amnesty in 1880.

=

MAY 31, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—"AGE 10