Collins addresses unemployed at Ottawa

“What oul: dead comrades fought. for must be won,” Fred
Collins, leader of the Unemployed Action Association, Vancouver
(center), stated during the impressive ceremony at Ottawa ceno-

*

taph conducted by delegates to the convention of unemployed er-
ganizations recently held in the national capital. Collins will re-
port to Vancouver unemployed at a meeting to be held at Pender

Auditorium, May 25 at 2 pa

World’s peoples reject solution

by war, Endicott tells Pearson

That the “Crusade for Pena.

collection of half a million’ signatures for ‘

‘banning the bomb” and *

opened a tie. Second National

TORONTO
Peace Congress around the
‘peace committees everywhere,” can

influence the government, is seen in the report on the public debate between the Peace Congress and the
government to the Congress sessions May 6-7.

External Affair Minister Peason’s
reply to a deputation of the Canad-
ian Peace Congress on behalf of
the first 200,000 signers of the pro-
jected 500,000 signature Ban the)
Bomb petition, is awaited “with
interest," Dr. James Endicott,
Peace Congress Chairman, told the
Congress. “I would regret to see
him answer us with red baiting,”
he said.

‘The great pups debate on Cana-
dian foreign policy reached a new
climax in Ottawa May 4 when Dr.
Endicott, heading a delegation of
eight, presented the ban the bomb
demand to Pearson who said he
would submit it to the cabinet.

.

. ‘The debate began several months
ago when the national office of the
Peace Congress requested an audi-
ence with Prime Minister St. Laur-
ent. Dr. Endicott reported that St.
Laurent, refusing the delegation,
“suggested rather contemptuously

. that we address ourselves to the
Soviet Union.”

By coincidence this was made pos-
sible through the World Peace
Committee and Dr,-Endicott went
to Moscow with a delegation to pre-

‘sent the “ban the bomb” demand)

to the Soviet parliament.
Returning to Canada to meet a
hostile press—a press which did
not hesitate to portray this peace
mission in a false light—Dr. Endi-
eott again sought an interview with
the government. L. B. Peai™on
was also invited to address the
Peace Congress sessions. ~
Simultaneously with a vindictive

speech in which Pearson accused

Dr. Endicott of making statements
in Moscow and in Peace Congress
literature which were “beneath con-
tempt”-the government bowed to
public pressure and agreed Pear-

son would receive a delegation be-.

fore his departure for the North
Atlantic pact meetings in London.
The delegation introduced the pe-
tition, which urged the government
to take the following action: —
 “}. Urge in the Assembly of
the United as: gualueeke fem peer
: bomb be banned.
_  {*2. Press for the niches iebers
_ national control to ensure compli-
ance of all nations in outlawing

of our people.”

“The delegation appended an affi-
 davit “attesting to the collection of
signatures of Canadian citizens”.

It did not deposit the names of the
signers of the Ban the Bomb pe-
tition “ for fear of police and em-
ployer reprisal,” Pearson was told.

Endicott told the minister of
achat affairs: a
“In commencing the ‘second, part
of our public campaign for an. end
ito the cold war, and for a new
departure in Canadian foreign poli-
cy to ensure world peace, the Sec-
ond Canadian Peace Congress will
in all likelihood adopt the proposals
of the Stockholm meeting of the

of the Peace which represented the
peace movement of 52 countries and
which the Canadian Peace Congress
endorsed. These proposals are as
follows:

“ We demand the unconditional
prohibition of the atomic weapon
as an instrument of aggression
and mass exterminaticn of people,

‘and the establishment of strict
international control over the ful-
filment of this decision.

“2. We will regard as a war)
|. criminal that government which
| first uses the atomic weapon

against any country.
~ “3. We call upon all people of

good will all over the world to
| sign this call.”
| Concluding its representations,
the brief to the government, read
to Pearson, concluded:

“This deputation has come to
urge our government to give weigh-
ty consideration to a new foreign
policy based upon the banning of
the atomic weapon and assuming
the initiative in re-opening in the
United Nations those direct nego-
tiations which can lead to the end-
ing of the present armaments race
and the cold war. We are con-
vineed that the government of
Canada, if it exercises independence
and forthrightness on this matter,
could initiate a new era of under-
standing and cooperation. The ma-
jority of the governments of -the
would would support you.” —

Pearson refused immediate com-
ment on these proposals, stating
he would submit them to his col-
leagues in the cabinet.

He spoke to the delegation—
which he received courteously—for
about 10 minutes. Reported .Dr.
Endicott:

“He (Pearson)
things the big business press has
been saying for two years and per-
haps that is why they made such
little impression on me.” —

Pearson accused Dg. .Endicott
and Congress of following the ‘Com-
inform line” by the expulsion of

World Committee of the Defenders |:

said the usual

Yugoslavia from the World Peace
Committee.

“I did not care to debate that
point,” Dr. Endicott reported, “he-
lcause we only want to debate the

,| reasonableness of our ban the bomb

proposals. I could say this. I was
one of the first to raise objections
to the Yugoslav peace delegations.”

Pearson also said a Peace Con-
gress pamphlet. had “viciously
slandered him.” Dr. Endicott’s an-
swer to this charge, as he told the
Congress:

“T do not think we slandered him,
but we could be charged with read-
ing more into his actions than he
admits. However, it is my firm
opinion that Mr. Pearson on that
occasion personally intervened to
prevent Canada from making a
compromise suggestion and that in
the matter of the bomb he has not
deviated one iota from the unwork-
able Baruch Plan.”

Pearson followed up the delega-
tion by sending a prepared state-
ment on government foreign policy
which Dr. Endicott read to the
Peace Congress at its opening ses-
sion.

While declaring government poli-
cy was based on “peace and the
establishment of security,’ Pearson
did not make the slightest devia-
tion from the ‘previous government
declarations. In essence, Pearson’s
policy is: :

1. Lack of faith in the UN,
which “cannot now guarantee any
state’s security.” :

2. All blame on “Soviet imper-
ialism” for the threat to world
peace, but not a single word in his
statement about ‘U.S. warmonger-
ing. U.S. re-armament threats to
drop atomic bombs on Soviet ci-
ties. .

3. Full dependence on regional -
alliances such as the North At-
lantic pact.

“Many overtures have been made
by the western democracies for
the purpose of encouraging easy
and normal contacts between our
people and the people of the Soviet
Union.” Pearson’s statement said.

“These approaches have been sy-
stematically rebuffed.” He did not
say if Canada had made any of.
these overtures independently:

“In conclusion,” he said, “I give
you the assurance that for its part.

support of the Canadian people.
will do its best to preserve peace,
to promote progress and to guaran-
tee our security against agression.”

Congress, Dr. Endicott replied to

In his keynote address to the.

|

|

4ences mean war?

the Canadian government, with the |,

|}of any

this of

policy:

statement government

“What is the essence of Mr. Pear-
son’s position? That the desire for
peace is the sole possession ofthe
western powers, and that the Lib-

}eral party wHich at present forms

the’ government makes no serious
mistakes that endanger world
peace, (one or two minor mistakes
are conceded) and that anyone who
challenges its policy has base ul-
terior motives and is seditious. To
what level has the politics of the
cold war reduced this country!

“Peace is not the private preserve
political party. Peace is
the people’s business, the business
of the people who will have to do
the dying should the atomic bomb-
ers drop their hellish loads on
towns: and cities! a

“Peace is not an ideological ques-
tion, as the government of Canada.
claims it is. We were allies with
the Soviet Union against an ideolo-
gy—the ideology of fascism—which
the Soviet people and the Canadian
people alike opposed. Ideologica!
differences did not stop our unity
in the war, nor did they prevent
the formation of the United Nations
Why then should ideological differ-
Anyone today
who insists that differing ideologies
cannot get along in peace, really
means that he intends to make his
particular ideology triumph by war,
The people of the world reject any
solution by war.

“There are no differences, poli-
tical or ideological, that cannot
be solved by reasonable compro-
mise and without war. This con-
vinction forms the basis of the
Canadian Peace Congress. That is_
_our only reason for existence; that
is our single purpose. Around
this point of view, all Canadians
can unite.”

Dr. Endicott said that the red-
baiting attacks of the government
supported by CCF leader M. J.
Coldwell and Tory leader George
Drew— “is itself proof of noe weak-
ness of its casé.”

“We in the Peace Gonekes do
not discriminate against anyone as
long as he is a person of good will
who wants peace,” he declared.

“At this moment, the internation-
al situation is grave. The danger
of war is great. But the Canadian
Peace Congress is also convinced
of the growing power of the peace
movement in every country and
especially among the people of
Western Europe.

“War will not help Canada and
will bring us all the miseries

the people of Europe and: Asia.
We can regard the future of our

country with confidence only if
that ree is one of peace.”

which have been experienced by. ‘

Youth stage
peace parade
in Toronto

By BRUCE MICKELBURGH
TORONTO
“No More War! War!
No More War!”
This roared chant rolled through
the crowded streets of central To-
ronto as hundreds’ of young men
and women, boys and girls from ali
over Canada marched for peace.
The long column of marchers, the
decorated: slogans, the forest of pla-
carded slogans, the hundreds of
“peace beenie” hats drew rounds
of applause from the watching
crowds. It was the opening demon-
stration of the Second National
Peace Congress, held here earlier
this month.
The young people made up close
to 500 of the 1,700-odd Congress dele-
gates and played an active part in
all Cortgress deliberations.
Perhaps it was the peace torch
relay that stirred the hearts of the
delegates more than anything.
The relay runners covered the
long road from Montreal to Toron-
to with their flaming symbol’ of
peace, breaking through police at-
tempts to stop their inspiring de-
monstration.
Meeting in special session, over
three hundred youth delegates pro-
posed Audrey Tobias of Toronto, an
active member of the Student
Christian Movement, as chairman
of the youth sub-committee of the
national council of the Peace Con-
gress.

In her report she recounted
growth of the youth peace move-
ment since “a few gathered togeth-
er last fall” through the sending
of a delegate to the Peace Congress
at Mexico, the reception for Father
Duffy, the 200-strong Southern On-
tario conference, the Montreal
founding conference of the Youth
Assembly for Peace, the High
School Peace Parliament, and the
snowballing representation gather-
ed for the national congress in the
course of intense Ban the Bomb
petitioning.

The youth pledged all-out partici-
pation in the drive for 500,000 Ban
the Bomb signatures and undertook
to send a youth delegate to the
World Peace Congress in Rome
next fall.

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: 28 eisai TRIBUNE — MAY 19, 1950 — PAGE 2