impunity.”

Widespread indignation, particu-
larly in the ranks of organized
labor, has been created by the con-
duct of the inquest on January 6
into the death of Clarence Clemens,
Negro longshoreman, and by the

RUM
I particularly wish to draw your
attention to the following:

AL A seven-man jury was chosen,
Sees although the Coroners Act
provides for juries of six.

The social composition of the
* jury was such ‘as to ensure
the least possible understanding of,
or sympathy with, the problems of
working people, and particularly of

our Negro people. Not only did
the jury include no workingmen,

trade unionists or Negroes, its mem-

bers actually came from fields of
life entirely removed from the life
of the man into whose death the
inquiry was made. Consider the
list of .jurors:
~W..-J. Barbour, retired, 955
Thurlow; W. C. Southwick, vice+
president. and manager, 2970

ver; Arnold Webster, school

principal, 3578 Chaffey, Burnaby;
_ J. F. Buckham, underwriter, 3819

West 27th; R. R. Horrex, man-
ager, 2882 Belleview, West Van-

couver; G. C. Lunn, controller,
950 East Broadway; and M. J.
: Nugent, sales representative, 1792
© Raleya: :

- How can it be said that such a
jury could impartially consider the
evidence of working people, and
give it’ due weight as against the
evidence of policemen and doctors?
For although a great deal of evi-
dence was called to show that
(a) Was unmercifully beaten’ by

- the police (one officer admitted |
he was off for five days after-
__ wards with an injured hand).

(b) Was paralyzed when he was
taken to hospital six hours
later; and
(c) Should never have been dis-

charged from hospital;

—this jury ignored that evidence
and instead went out of its way to
endorse the actions of the police
and the hospital authorities.
as a While most people in the
labor movement would not
argue that Clemens had been a
citizen of high moral virtue, the
coroher allowed details of his past
life to be read out in such a way
to prejudice the jury still more

their social background would

in the mere facts of Clemens’ three

each case history to be read from,
lon. He thus put the deceased
Cc ns on trial again for offences

; debt to society. This shameful
‘practice could only facilitate a bias-
d and prejudiced verdict, and pro-
the evil precedent for the per
of members of minority

of their color, by those en-

"and

“Hospital

incredible verdict of -the coroner’s’

_ (Mathers (Crescent, West Vancou- 4

indicate. Thus, instead of. puttinz
convictions, the .coroner allowed |

rt which he had long since paid

—0om0———omor—0r10

ho may be disliked be-
with the preservation of
The finding of the jury in.

ng the Vancouver
al was extremely |

.

Full text of McEwen’s letter, addressed to Attorney General Robert Bonner, follows:

_ Attorney General urged
to review Clemens case,
institute new inquest

Request that Attorney General Robert Bonaer review the evidence given at last week’s inquest
into the death of Clarence Clemens, ask the court ‘“‘for an order quashing the verdict” and institute
“a new inquest before a representative and impartial jury,” is made in a letter sent to Victoria this
week by Tom McEwen, editor of the Pacific Tribune. McEwen states that such action, in the eyes
of the labor movement and a large section of the public, would “do much to restore public belief that
a working man, regardless of color or wrongdoing while alive, cannot be beaten and persecuted with

s

the transcript of evidence will show
that a sharp reprimand would have
been much more justified.

Over 300 people were ex-

cluded because ‘the ‘court
room was not big enough. In view
of the intense public interest in, the
case, it ought to have been possible
to have engaged a hall large
enough to accommodate citizens who
wanted to attend.

The coroner insisted on push-

ing the inquest through in,
ene day although. there were more
than 50 witnesses whose evidence
was heard. The inquest lasted from
10 a.m. on January 6 until after 1
a.m. on January 7, with only short
breaks for lunch and dinner, This
fact, together with the constant har-
assment by the coroner of lawyers
trying to ask questions in order to
bing out the full story, made the
inquest a gross travesty of -justice:

7, «Although the general practice
5 in choosing coroners’ juries is
to select them from the municipality.
rhere he (Clemens) died, those re-
sponsible for selecting this jury
went far afield into Burnaby, West
Vancouver and the University area
to select their jurors.

8. As the transcript will show,

throughout the inquest the
coyoner harassed witnesses and
lawyers whose interests were ep-
posed to those of the police and
ti hospital, while every encour-
agement was given by the coroner
to the police witnesses and the doc-
tors called on behalf of the Van-
¢ouver General Hospital. In short,
the coroner’s attitude was in no

wise impartial, but was extremely

biased and would thus influence the
jury along the lines of its own so-
cial feelings.

You will undoubtedly have before

oo hoe 0m0e——0

The LONG and
the SHORT of it is

A

45 E. Hastings

you the report of your representa-

tive, Nathan Nemetz, QC, who
resented you at this inquest.

rep-
Re-

cognizing the widespread interest

and importance of this partic

ular

inquest (direct representation from
the attorney-general’s department),
Mr. Nemetz would have been fully

justified in calling a halt to
whole shameful proceeding.

he did not do. The result is
public confidence and sense

the |
This

that
of

decency has been rudely shaken by
this inquisitional farce with its at-

mosphere reminiscent of lyneh

law.

I therefore beg you, sir, to take

the proceedings of this inquest
der advisement, and under the a

un-
uth-

ority of the Coroners Act, dealing
with “Trregularity of proceedings”
(Section 20) ask the court for an

order quashing the verdict
thereafter to institute a new
quest before a representative
impartial jury.

and
in-
and

It is my opinion, shared by many
‘colleagues in the labor movement,

as well as a large section of
public, that,

your intervention

favor of an unprejudiced ing

the

as attorney-general,
at this time in

uest

before a democratic coroner and a
representative jury, would do much:
to restore public belief that a work-

ing man, regardless of -color

or

wrongdoing while alive, cannot be
beaten and persecuted with impun-

ity.

The verdict as it stands, can only
be interpreted as a whitewash of

reprehensible police methods, in
treatment of numerous unfortun

the
ates

who die in police custody. In 1952

alone there were nine deaths in
Vancouver City jail.

_the

d trust you will give the matter

of this inquest your personal
earnest attention.

-The HUB has sold

Union-Made Men’s Wear
and extended friendly ser-
vice for over 50 years,

Vancouver, B.C.

SSS» nos oro 0

and

5. ——S————_2o nn

e

FORD BUILDING
(Corner Main & Hastings Sts.)
MARINE 5746

__ STANTON, MUNRO & DEAN
Barristers - Solicitors - Notaries

198 E, HASTINGS _

Here are the targets

Let’s set record

for in 19.
or subs in 1953

Here’s+a resolution we hope every press club in British
Columbia will endorse; “Let’s boost the Pacific Tribune’s cit-
culation in 1953!”

Below you'll find the 1952 targets and results achieved,
plus the proposed subscription objectives for 1953. We have
made the targets small in the expectation that they will be
regarded ds minimum figures, which should be surpassed.

Patific Tribune press clubs are reminded that subs, re-

~ newals, and bundle sales of 25 papers all count as subs in the
annual drive for circulation. Let’s get going!
Greater Vancouver.
Ct.” ees 1953 :
CLUB QUOTA ACHIEVED TARGETS
Advanceen fae pales. = 63 60
A. E. Smith 51 60
Building Trades 38 40
Civic Workers ... 42 =
Bast End: sa, 41 40
Electrical ...... 78 80
Fairview 9% 75
Forest Products occ... 75 144 50
Forest Product No. 2 ..... 50
Georgia 45 25 30
Grandview .... 200 207 200
Hastings East ...... 50 31 50
Kitsilano ........ 125 110
Martime .... : 22°: 50
Moberley ..... 46 50
Niilo Makela 62 50
NDNA yet eel Ga key 62 70
Olgin . 22 25
Peng Pai 4 5
Philip Halperin .. 45 45 45
Point Grey. ....... 35 29 35
Sea & Shore .......... 75 35 60
ship i&> Steele oo oe 85 109 50:
Ship & Steel, Drydock .. 50 ‘
Strathcona .......... 42 50
Victory Square 168 175
Waterfront 33 40
West End ... 245 140.
Capitol Hill 82 85
South Burnaby , 46 50
Vancouver Heights .. 70 53 60
NFLY *30 24 36
e
Province
Pi berni eect ks eta 150 160 125
_ Albion-Haney 13 15
Britannia 23.53 % 20
Campbell River 87 75
‘Copper Mountain 67 50 i
Courtenay 35 40
Cumberland . 24 25
Fort Langley . 30 352);
Kamloops . 35 30 |
Kimberley ... 10 10
Lad. 6 10 i
Lake Cowichan occ. ccc 25 40
Fernie Michel Natal ..........._ 90 62° 75 ys
Mission 14 15 he
Nanaimo Area 552 500 f
New Westminster . 89 150 He
Notch Hill 14 15 i
Powell River ... 29 30 ;
Port Kells 18 15 ie i
Princeton ...... 21 20 i
Prince Rupert . 31 35: et
Salmon Arm ..... 26 30 ;
Sointula 24 30
Trail . 145 125
Vernon-Enderby 29 30
Victoria 289 275
Websters Corners 6 10
North Surrey . 30
South Surrey 15 26 30

&

___ PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JANUARY 16, 1953 — PAGE 2