to Joseph Godson,

or “fellow travellers.”

its final report.

take their seats as lawfully ac-
eredited delegates * elected from
their local unions produced from
rank-and-file progressives and their
- allies,a real fight for democracy
in the TLC. Hines, who made the
charge that the convention leaders

were taking orders from an Ameri-

can agent, point out that the con-
vention “has reached the stage
where the leadership is deleting
and changing harch words in re-

with communism” but that he felt
‘the barred delegates should be
seated. He told the delegates that
“the executive of his local had heard
: levelled against As
‘Wright (who is president 0
Sree wee local) put had shelved
them because Wright was “0
valuable a man to the union.

. loeal had full confidence in
1 as a business agent. Kane
pointed to Gauld’s 25 years with
= bers’ organization and to
the fact that under his leadership

e Montreal local of the union
: from 32 members to

apmions, or voice them while
oting,” declared Orville Braaton,
Pulp and Sulphite Workers (Van-
ouver), “but in the long run it
in the shops

The direct charge that an “agent from the United States is on the
floor of this convention and is giving orders to TLC officers.” was made by
John Hines, AFL Painters Union, Vancouver. Hines was howled down
- when he attempted to explain that he was not referring to American frat-

_ernal delegates to the 65th gathering of the Trades and Labor Congress but
“labor attache” of the American embassy in Ottawa.
Godson, who sat at the convention press table from the .
‘opening session, beckoned merhbers of the TLC executive
‘council to leave the platform for private discussions with him-
self, and gave every indication that he was giving’ instructions
as to procedure on certain issues.

The charge levelled by Hines came when the credentials
committee read the second section of its report and openly
barred Helen Weir, Hotel and Restaurant Employees (Toron-
to) ; Reg Wright, Chemical Workers (Toronto) ; Sam Lapedes,
- United Garment Workers (Toronto); Alec Gauld, Plumbers

- (Montreal) ; Jack Phillips, Civic Workers (Vancouver) and D.
Guise, Civic Workers (Vancouver). They were barred on the

undemocratic grounds that they were either “Communists”

: "Two members of the United Garment Workers’ Union
delegation, Helen Halter and Lillian Roff were seated after
having their credentials refused until they were “investigated.
Twelve other leading unionists were also barred, but their
casés were not dealt with until the credentials committee made

Debate on the right of the six unionists first named to

to the labor movement.

James Beattie, president of the
Can Workers Federal Union (Ha-
milton) appealed to the delegates
to change the tone of the conven-
tion. “Now,” “he said “it is echo-
ing the attitudes of the capitalist

press. It is no longer a free con-
vention because it will not permit

\

elected representatives to take
their seats.”
“Only one rank-and-filer took

the floor to speak on behalf of

|the administration, and the top

brass defending the dictatorial de-
eree was led by TLC president
Percy Bengough. —

Bengough made it clear that as
far as the executive was concerned
democracy was ended in the TLC.
In a redbaiting speech that has
hardly ever been equalled at a
TLC convention, Bengough reveal-
ed that the top leadership had
knuckled under to government war
policies to the extent that if there
is an “element of doubt” concern-
ing whether a unionist was a
“Communist or fellow traveller’
that the benefit of the doubt would
be given to the Congress, not to.
the accused.

He spoke of “stiffer laws” and
declared that if “some innocent
people were hurt it )couldn’t be.
helped” because the Congress was
determined to “get rid of Com-
munists and fellow travellers.”

Bengough’s’ speech was a. far
ery from the ringing resolution
adopted by the TLO executive
council only two years ago, in
September, 1948. Then it declared,
over Bengough’s signature:

Nothing ‘could jlustrate the ex-
tent of the Congress leadership’s
capitulation more effectively. a

MONTREAL

PERCY BENGOUGH
* A somersault on democracy

The U.

Yankee state department ‘labor attache’ —
pulled lead strings at TLC convention ©

, =
MONTREAL

The majority of rank-and-filers are not aware of it yet, but the leader-
ship of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada has completely capitulated
to the St. Laurent government’s war plans.
about 65th TLC convention was the fact that, like the St. Laurent adminis-
ration, it was under the domination of the U.S. State Department.

What was especially indecent

S. embassy’s “labor attache,” Joseph Godson, sat at the press
table during the entire proceedings. He.took careful note of
the names of all delegates who opposed TLC policy on war
and the right of progressives to sit in the convention on behalf

of the local unions that elected them.

When he wanted a

corridor discussion with one of the executive council, all he

had to do was cock his finger.

By the fourth day of the convention the executive had
not even mentioned the recent national rail strike or the
strikebreaking Bill No. 1. A large number of important reso-
lutions on economic needs, peace and other issues were dis-
pensed with in one day by lumping them into substitutes.
More than half of the total of resolutions to be dealt with
were jammed into the last hours of the convention.

The hysterical wave of reaction which is sweeping Ameri-

ca was introduced into this convention from the start.

Dele-

gates suspected of being “Comimunists” or “fellow travel-
lers” had to undergo an inquisition “trial” at the hands of

their accusers.

Leaving aside the democratic right of unions

to elect delegates of their own choice, or of a Canadian to be
a Communist or a member of any political party of his choice,
no evidence was even submitted if an accused said he was not

MICHNICK TELLS COURT

Quiet - spoken Sam Michnick,
RCAF veteran brutally beaten at
Toronto’s Canadian National Ex-
hibition police station by detec-
‘tives and uniformed police for re-
fusing to surrender a copy of the
Stockholm Peace petition filled
with names of petitioners, told a
court here last week he was ‘“‘dumb-
founded” at their violent action.
He is charged with “ofstructing
the police.”

Council for the prosecution re-
fused to file the petition on re-
peated request of defense lawyer
Newman, seeking apparently to
blot out the fact that the right of
free petitioning is at stake in the
case. “A man’s liberties are at
stake,’”” Newman told the court.

Special significance attaches to
the case since it is fhe most out-
standing example of police bru-
tality against peace petitioners in
the country.

An earlier appearance by a
mass delegation of 150 to Board
of Control drew from Mayor Mc-
Callum the promise that should
the court findings justify it an
investigation into police methods
would be launched.

While claiming there was cause
for “suspicion” as to Michnick’s
action, the facts from his testi-
mony to court show he was openly
displaying petitions of the Cana-
dian Peace Congress calling for
outlawing of the atom bomb.

Defense counsel established that
Michnick had gone voluntarily to
the police station and at no time
had any charges been placed
against him for his work with the
petition.

Police slapped two _ further
charges on to the one of obstruc-
tion “against Michnick. They

dow broken by the _ petitioner
when he tried to speak to citi-

youth to passers-by. :
Although Detective Temple and
Mace maintained they had not
struck Michnick, the young man
graphically and minutely described
the ferocious beating he received
at their hands. ati

“JT would not surrnder the filled
petition form,” Michnick told Mag-
istrate Prentice. “All right give
us the petition’,” one detective
shouted, _ ; :
“‘T claim the right . . .’” Mich-

nick told the court he started to

Beating by cops
dumbfounded him

TORONTO | Say when

“they hit me—one in
the front and one in the back.” He
told the court he was “dumfound-
ed” at their actions, and backed
up seeking to protect himself.

One policeman actually threat-
ened him with a fist closed on an
object drawn from his pocket.
“Tll give you this,” the policeman
said, according to Michnick’s tes-
timony.

“They were hitting me right
and left,” he said, “My only pro-
tection were the citizens outside
the window. That’s when I bent
down and ran for it smashing
the glass and calling to people
below for help.”

“I wanted a lawyer. I wanted to
know whether they had the right
to take my petition,” he told the
court. He said he knew the hbeat-
ing up was definitely wrong no
matter what and that is why he
rushed to the window, not with
the intention of causing a disturb-
ance as claimed by the police.

“Many ‘hours after the event”
(the beating in the CNE police
‘station) had passed before Mich-
nick got the right to call a lawyer
and then only because he was able
to ask some passers by to call his

e. /
Photographs filed .as exhibits
showed injuries to Michnick’s face.
No evidence was adwanced that
complaints about petitioning. had
been received from the CNE man-
agement as earlier. claimed by the
police. |: : vee

Throughout proceedings the no-
torious Sgt.-Det. Dan Mann sat
on the sidelines. A large delega-
tion from the Civil Rights Union
backing the case was present in
the courtroom. ;

Police admitted that Michnick
was a free agent when as! to
come to the police station; that no
¢harges had been placed against
him; nor was there any cause for
“suspicion” about his activities
since he was openly displaying
what he was doing.

The prosecution carefully point-
ed out that it was not fighting the
young man’s right to petition, but
Was pursuing the charge that he
had “obstructed” the police in the
performance of a lawful duty.
What that “lawful duty’ was,
never Game out. Police skillfully
avoided this point, blandly stating
they did not know what Michnick
was doing or what he was con-
cealing in this pocket.

Hearing of the charges, adjourn-
ed until defense witness could be
called, was to be resumed on Tues-

day this week.

a member of the LPP.

One member of the executive
council, William Jenovese, TLC
vice-president for Ontario and
president of the Toronto and Dis-
trict Trades and Labor Council,
miade it clear that the real reason
the Congress bosses wanted to”
silence progressives was that they
feared progressives opposing view-
points and did not want floor
criticism of their policies.

Jenovese blurted out during one
of the examinations that a barred
red delegate had given him
“trouble” on many ‘occasions on
the floor of the Toronto council.

By “trouble,” Jenovese meant

the delegate would not always
agree,

Despite the hysteria whipped up,
there was a lot of restlessness
among the rank-and-file. -They
sensed to some degree that the
Niagara of red-baiting was design-
ed to cover up something. What,
they were not certain. The fine
role played by rank-and-file pro-.
gressives on the floor helped to
clear issues to many, but the aura
of terror created in the conven-
tion hall by the top brass, the
fear of reprisal from international
presidents and road men, silenced
many a voice and delivered many

a vote in spite of individual con-
science.

The depth»to which some right
wingers have sunk was illustrated
in a remark made by Bernard
Shane, official of the International
Ladies Garment Workers Union.

Shane, in a speech which con-
cerned Helen Halter, delegate
from the United Garment Workers
Union who was first barred and
then seated, referred to this.
staunch unionist as “Helen Hitler.”

His foul remark, delivered with
a smirk, was greeted with cries
of “shame,” but the fact is that
Shane felt this was one conven-
tion where the tone had been set
to the degree where he could get
away with anything, even to ‘in-
sulting a working union girl by
linking her with a name that is
hated throughout the world.

The fight, however, is not ended;
it has just begun. Despite their

delivered, machine majorities the —

right-wing was never comfortable.
They publicly protested peace lit-
erature, demanded that a mimeo-
graphed statement of the demo-
cratic 1948 policy be not distrib-
uted. They were always on the
= for the slightest sign of re-

Facing them are still the facts
of life, which one delegate sum-_
‘med up when he said: “In the
long run it will be the nares

\