Pacific Tribune opens discussion

How candabor unite at the polls?

The important decision made by the National Committee of the Labor-Progressive
Party at its recent plenary session, that, in cOming provincial and federal elections the

By TOM McEWEN

LPP would, in the great majority of cases, throw its full support behind the election o1
CCF candidates, with the objective of electing CCF governments, has precipitated consider-

able comment in all political cir-
cles. It is the purpose of this and
other discussion articles which
will appear in the Pacific Trib-
une, tc elaborate upon and draw
some conclusions from this im-
portant and far-reaching decision,
as it affects the future of labor
in Canadian politics.

“Ab,” says one schoo) of opin-
ion, with a well-feigned attempt
at political profundity, “the Com-
munists have made another of
their periodic zig-zags.” With this
shallow observation as a spring-
board for further inane drivel, the
“inconsistency,” ‘“fickleness,” ‘“in-
stability’ and so forth of the
“Reds” jis enlarged upon, This
“school of thought,” if such it
may be called, prefers (for politi-
cal reasons) to regard life as an
unchanging entity.

Despite the foregoing “view,”
however, the political conditions
and relationships in Canada and
throughout the world have chang-
ed drastically during the last 18
months. Sacred international cov-
enants and agreements, contain-
ing the perspective of continued
cooperation between the big im-
‘perialist powers and the Soviet
Union—a cooperation which as-
Sured. victory over military fxs-
cism—have been cast aside for
the Marshall Plan. The world
politics of this plan are: (a)

‘world domination by U.S. imperi-:

alism; (b) the subordination of
the economy and governments of
other lands to the dictates of
U.S. imperialism, and (¢c) the in-
cubation of war provocation
“against the Soviet Union by the
creation of hostile imperialist
blocs, subservient to the Wall

Street financial royalists.

Canada is already deeply in-
volved in the intrigues of U.S.
imperialism. Our country, and

especially British Columbia and
the Yukon, is directly imperilled
by U.S. imperialism in its war
Schemes against the USSR. Our
‘Abbott Plan’ is the Canadian fac-
simile of the Marshall Plan. Our
economy has been geared to the
needs of American finance capi-
tal. Our foreign trade and for-
eign policies now bear a “made-
in-USA” hallmark. Our Canadian
sovereignty, implicit in the Stat-
ute of Westminster, has been
traded for Marshall Plan dollars,
and all the grandiose promises
made by reactionary governments
across Canada during the war
years have been swapped for an
“austerity” program which guat-
antees nothing but lower living
standards, mass unemployment and
economic stagnation. AS a Pre-
dominantly heavy industry prov-
ince, engaged in the production
of raw materials for export, our
economy is gravely threatened.

That is the pattern Set by the
Marshall Plan and its Canadian

That is the sum-total of the per-
spectives of the King government
—and the Johnson-Anscomb Liber-
al-Tory Coalition in British Co-
lumbia. A pattern which, all
down the line, capitulates to the
demands of monopoly
Profits are enhanced by monopoly
rigging of prices and abandon-
ment of price controls and sub-
sidies. Old-line party labels con-
tinue to differ in the scramble
for office, but in policy against
the aspirations of the people, the
difference ends.

It is against this background
that the Labor-Progressive Party

government as the strongest alter-~
native, offering the electorate an
opportunity to sweep the reac-
tionaries out of office.

The Coalition government of
B.C. has piled up an unenviable
record of double-crossing the péo-
ple since it came to power. “Duff”
Patullo, ex-premier of B.C., is
quoted as saying that the reason
he attended the recent Liberal
convention was “to see the double-
crossers get double-crossed.” He
chose a happy epithet in refer-
ence to his party and its malod-
orous tory alliance. On school
taxation, Bill 39, public untility
deals with the monopolists, and
the Hitlerite technique of red-
baiting labor, shows the Coali-

tion’s record as crooked as the
proverbial “dog’s hind leg.”

As was to be expented, a num-
ber of CCE. leaders have “ex-
plained” the LPP electoral pro-
posals to assure the defeat of the
Johnson-Anscomb Coalition with
a storm of abuse, misrepresenta-
tion and red-baiting. From charg-
Ling that the LPP is “seeking to
defeat the CCF by supporting it”
(Colin Cameron in Saanich by-
election campaign) to the equally
ridiculous assertion that the LPP,
itself “rejected at the polls,” is
now “seeking to jump on the
CCF bandwagon,” a good deal
of confusion has resulted.

On the other hand the propos-
als of the LPP to work for the
election of a CCF government in
British Columbia have met with
a warm and friendly support from
numerous. rank-and-file CCF’ers,
who have become keenly aware
that neither the CCF “go-it-alone”
formula nor a divided labor and
progressive vote at the polls,
could result in anything else at
this time except the return of
a reactionary coalition govern-
ment,
From editorial and other com-
ment on the LPP electoral pro-
posals by the organs of big busi-
ness, one fact stands out—they
are badly disturbed at the per-
spective of progressive unity at

substitute, the “Abbott P HW

the polls.

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supports the election of a CCF)

Students back
Campus Legion

TORONTO—A snap check
of opinion by editors of “Var-
sity,” according to the univer-
sity paper’s last issue, shows
that the majority of students

Legion Branch in refusing to ex-
vel members because of their pol-
itical views. The Campus Legion
Branch, No. 455, recently adopt-
ed a resolution “against the rais-
ing of any political controversy,

issue concerning the Canadian
Legion,”

The resolution drew the ire of
E. S. Evans, Legion provincial
president, who claimed that the
policy adopted by the University
branch was “very definitely
against th policy of the Canadian
Legion.”

“Editorial _ comment in
Varsity’ supported the students
as follows: “The resolution of the
local campus branch of the Can-
adian Legion seems’to us an em-
inently sensible one.

“One can appreciate the con-
cern of the Legion,.as of any
other body, over the danger of
its becoming the tool of any pol-
itical faction but surely this is
a danger to be guarded against
by a truly non-political character
in the organization’s activities,

“And there is a real danger to
the whole community of one
group setting itself as the sole
guardian and the judge of the
means of maintaining our liber-
ties.” =

The boldness of LPP policy in
calling for and supporting the
election of a. CCF government as
an alternative—in fact the only
realizable alternative to reaction-
ary Tory-Liberal
has definitely dampened the hopes
of reaction that CCF-LPP opposi-
tion in the electoral field would
continue to assure the victorious
return of reaction to office. Hence
the editorial “needling” of the
CCF anent their “superimposed
friends’—the LPP. :

The LPP is not vacating the
electoral field. Nor is it sur-
rendering revolutionary Marxism
for social democracy in calling
for election of a CCF govern-

-|ment. Its task as a Marxist party

is to weigh carefully. all the con-
ditions of the period, and to
present the only possible ‘solu-
tion existing at the moment to
pull Canada back from the edge
of the abyss.

An aroused electorate, con-
scious of the dangers in whicn
reactionary policies have led, ex-
Pressing its consciousness at the
polls in the election of a CCR
government as an alternative to
that of big business, need have
no worries about the next steps.
History will fashion these. ‘

@ Readers of the Pacific
Tribune are invited to submit
their contributions to this dis-
cussion, which will continue
through the next three issues,
preceding the LPP provincial
convention, March 13-15, Space
limitations require that contri-
butions be kept to within 500
words and all contributions must
be received at our editorial of-
fices not later than the Mon-

back the stand of the Campus’

including anti-communism, as an.

“The |

administration,

Results of Marshall-Abbott plans

cities, unemployment is

the working farmers, Abbott’s

- Having collected their last pay cheques weeks ago, thousands
of United Auto Workers (CIO) jammed Detroit’s Unemployment
Compensation offices to pick up jobless pay cheques, an un-
American activity on which the Thomas un-American Activities
Committee is strangely silent. Under the Abbott ‘austerity plan
scenes like the above will soon be as commor in Canada as in
the hungry 30’s. Already in Vancouver and other key Canadian

assuming crisis proportions—a direct

tribute to the bungling policies of reactionary liberal and coali-
tion government. For the wage earners, the middle classes and

‘austerity’ means ruin.

Palestine,” Mr. Salsberg stated.

ESSE TSS RTE RS iS rar Re Nar oe Na tc ne wr er
Int'l army needed in Palestine

“A situation leading to open warfare is developing in Pales-
tine,” J. B. Salsberg, MPP, reported in Toronto last week. Mr.
Salsberg had just returned from Palestine a week previously,
where he made the last stop of his three-month trip abroad.

He was a witness at the shooting of innocent people at random
and the bombing of buildings, and he learned that thousands of
Arab bandits are being brought into the country to terrorize the
Yishuv and provoke attacks that will lead to open warfare.

“This is the aim of the opponents of the UN decision on

“But the United Nations Organ-

ization has the power to prevent: it. :
“If they would send to Palestine an international army of
only 10,000 including American, Russian, French and perhaps

Polish troops, the situation could be changed, peace restored and
the fulfilment of the UN decision assured. : :

Organization.
British unionists, backing the
Official position of the ‘Trades

Union Congress in favor of an
economic boycott against Franco,
have lodged widening protests
against this traffic, particularly
since new figures on steadily in-
creasing Anglo-Spanish trade have
been made public. :

The figures show that British
imports from Spain rose by near-
ly 50 percent in the first nine
months of 1947 as compared with
the same period in 1946. The
1947 import total topped $76 mil-
lion. With British exports to
Spain in the same period of 1947
totalling about $55 million, the
effort to increase British exports
is justified as an effort to equalize
an unfavorable trade balance.

Latest union protest has come
from shop stewards at Rotot Pro-
pellers, who objected to the Board
of Trade when they found they
were expected to make air screws
for Franco’s military aircraft. .

In December a conference of
East London unionists at Stepney,
representing nearly 90,000 workers,
heard the confederation of Ship-

British unions score
trading with Franco

_LONDON.—An increase in British exports to Franco
Spain is being sought by two high-powered publicity
sent there by the semi-official British Export Trade Research

building and Engineering Unions
ae ‘their boycott of Franco
ships to cover all ships trading
with Spain. Ess -@

Canadian magazines
sent to Soviet Union

Subscriptions to six Canadian
publications have been sent by

Vancouver Branch of the Council —

for Canadian-Soviet Friendship to
Odessa, Soviet city officially adopt-

ed by Vancouver, it was announced

pas gir The publications in-
clude the University of Toronta
Canadian Review of

Music, Canadian Poetry Magazine
and Food for Thought, published
by the Canadian Association for
Adult Education.

VOKS, Soviet cultural organiza-
tion, has sent a number of publi-
cations to Vancouver, which have
been presented to the UBC. and

Vancouver public libraries. ..

ALWAYS MEET AT

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1948

Pen ONS

day before date of publication.

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