NTT

A review by Alf Dewhurst

Look on Canada, Now, a col-
lection of selected writings from
the pen of Leslie Morris cover-

lg the years, 1923-1964, takes

Its title from an epic poem with
Which the book opens. The edit-
Ors chose well when they gave
this poem pride of place, for it

- truly reflects the basic content

of the book—the author’s deep
8fasp of one of the essential
teachings of Marx: that people
are the real makers of history.
The selected writings virtual-
ly radiate his basic conviction,
and boundless confidence, that
the class of men and women
Whose labor (poorly paid at
that) built this Canada of ours
are the real custodians of the
destiny of Canada.
coke. * *

Leslie Morris’s life-long work
4s a Communist publicist, orga-
hizer, theoretician and leader
Was nurtured and sustained by
the vision he had of the socialist
future of Canada. He, better
than most Canadian Commun-
\sts, mastered the art of linking
ina popular way that vision of
the future with the everyday

Struggles of ordinary working

People, whether they be strug-

-8les for work or wages, food for

the hungry, lodgings for the
homeless, freedom for the op-
Pressed, an end to wars, a mean-
Ingful and happy life, and a se-
Cure and dignified retirement.

NOW AVAILABLE

1923-1964
216 pp.
Paper: $3.95 Cloth: $10.00

ISBN. 0-919396-13-5

ORDER FROM

Quebec.

LOOK ON CANADA NOW

Selected Writit:gs of Leslie Morris

long-awaited tribute to the late leader of the Communist Party of Can-
da. The selections not only take the measure of an outstanding leader
of the working-class and revolutionary movement for a socialist Canada,
but provide an introduction to the history of the stormy 30s, 40s, 50s
Gnd early 60s. Young people, workers new to the trade union move-
Ment, and others who are today seeking radical and socialist solutions
to contemporary events will find extraordinary value in these pages.

Progress Books, 487 Adelaide St. W., Toronto 133, Ont.

Book World, 72 Gerrard St. W., Toronto 2B, Ont.

Cooperative Bookstore, 341 West Pender St., Vancouver 4, B.C.

Co-op Book Shop, 882 Main St., Winnipeg, Man.

Universal Gift & Books, 10553-97 st., Edmonton, Alta.

New Times Book Service, 100 Northern Crown Bidg., Regina, Sask.
librgirie Nouvelles Frontieres, 96 ouest ave. Sherbrooke, Montreal 129.

This concept of man’s destiny
is eloquently expressed in the
last few lines of the poem
which opens this book:

Canadian man, woman, child

Kin in toil and peace with all
who labor and love peace in
all lands.

Look on Canada, now, and see.

history anew
An epoch past and a new life;
fashioning under your hands
Communism, to which all
roads lead.

% * *

The writings reveal that the
author’s early experiences in the
working class movement made a
lasting imprint on his social con-
sciousness. The fact that Leslie
Morris entered the ranks of the
working class in Winnipeg as a
worker the year following the
General Strike and participated
in the resultant lively and heat-
ed political debate in that city,
had a big influence in determin-
ing the direction this young
worker was to go in his social
activity and political develop-
ment. By 1922 he was to partici-
pate in the founding convention
of the Workers’ Party of Can-
ada. a8

His writings convey to the
reader also the depth of the au-
thors internationalism — the
keystone of which is one’s atti-

tude to the first land of social-
ism, the USSR. His internation-
alist outlook — the hallmark
of every true Marxist — was
founded in good part on his ear-
ly experiences of which he
writes so well. For, the working
class he had the good fortune
to grow.up with was made up of
immigrants from many lands.
They came to Canada rich in
the traditions of numerous dis-
tinct (but related by common
bond) democratic struggles for
freedom, rectification of age-
long injustices, repressions and
persecutions: in fierce class bat-
tles for land, bread and social
advance. They came in their
tens of thousands:

«|. in tubs without a
Plimsoll Line,

In steerage, stinking in the
bilge water,

to entrain in colonist cars

steamy and fetid,

(cheap labor, pu. “ed aside)”

(Look on (¢ ‘nada, now)

Arrived in Canada immigrant
workers instinctively banded to-
gether to carry on the common
struggle for the dignity of hu-

_man labor emancipated from the

exploitation of capital in the
new land. It was from this
school of international solidarity
that the young Communist pub-
licist and fighter graduated.

# * #

This book of selected writings
covering forty years of the life
of the author provide a good in-
sight into the growth and devel-
opment of an individual as a

~YCL and Communist Party acti-

vist, organizer, publicist, theore-
tician and leader. But it does
more than that. It provides an
equally good insight into the
source, growth and development
of that Party which is the living
expression of Marxism-Leninism
in Canada—the Communist Par-
ty of Canada.

Leslie Morris wrote and com-
mented on the actual day by day
political activities and experi-
ences of real working people.
He wrote about their dreams,
spiritual and cultural aspirations,
their economic aims and needs;
about their worries, sufferings,
victories and set-backs. He pub-
licized the proposals advanced
by the Communist Party of
what the Party thought work-
ing people should do to improve
their lot. His writings throw the
lies that “communism is a for-
eign importation” back into the
teeth of the ruling class bigots
and reactionaries who have al-
ways slandered the proponents
and champions of social pro-
gress and hyman emancipation.
In 1939 Leslie Morris wrote these
lines:

“Remember some of these slo-
gans: unemployment insurance,
trade union unity, national uni-
fication, against the Hepburn-
Duplessis alliance — remember
them next, time a_ red-baiter
spouts the slander that the Com-
munists are ‘foreign agents,’ and
then realize that these great
Canadian ideas, first advanced
by the Communists, are today
the issues around which the
whole political life of our coun-
try is revolving. . . . That one-
ness with Canadian life, guided
and enriched by the world ex-
perience of the workers, is the
guarantee for the success of the
principles which the Communist

. Party -has held aloft through

thick and thin, in

fair weather
and -foul.~ Seis7-"3 :

_ The message of Leslie Morris for today

The editorial team of Norman
Freed, Nelson Clarke and Mark
Frank has done a good job in
selecting and compiling the writ-
ings of Leslie Morris for this
book. They have managed to do
this in such a way as to define
in fairly clear order the signifi-
cant historical periods through
which the working class and
peoples of Canada have passed
in the forty years under review.

The sectional groupings of the
writings fall into the following
categories: A Better World’s in
Birth, 1923-1929; Work and
Wages, Peace and Democracy,
1930-1939; Unity Against Fas-
cism, 1940-1945; Peace Shall
Conquer War, 1946-1952; The
Banner of the Nations, 1953-
1960; Socialism — The Univer-
sal Challenge, 1961-1964. This

‘method makes for easy refer-

ence and comparisons of Com-
munist Party policies and tac-
tics in different periods.

The selected writings are from
newspaper articles and columns,
articles published in the theore-
tical organs of the Party, ad-
dresses "made to Party central
committee meetings and con-
ventions. The writings reflect
the positions of the Communist
Party from the earliest days of
the author as a publicist through
to the period when he served as
general-secretary of the Party
from January, 1962 until his un-
timely death in November, 1964.

The writings not only ably de-
pict already defined positions of
the Communist Party in the dis-
tinct periods under review in
the book. They depict equally
well (see final section) the
search for new positions the
Party must develop to meet new
conditions of class struggle (and
the corresponding relationships
of class forces) which historical
developments make necessary
from time to time.

The selected writings. show
also the ebb and flow of the
mass movement, the rise and
fall of struggle and growth of

“consciousness on the part of the

working class, and the conse-
quent ups and downs of Party
strength and influence. And,
they show within all this, the
new quality of struggle which
emerges with every new flow of
the mass movement.

The writings depict the reality
of life to which Marxist-Leninist
theory and method must be ap-
plied in the development of pol-
icy and tactics to move the
whole movement forward to the
socialist goal. They reveal also
the source of the pressures aris-
ing from the real situation exist-
ing, which always press upon
the Party to digress either to
right or left positions in its po-
litical assessments and tactical
considerations.

* * *

Above all, the selected writ-.

ings of Leslie Morris, clearly and
in simple terms, demonstrate
the ‘source .of the great inner
strength of the Communist Par-
ty which enables it to steer a
generally correct course, name-
ly, faithful adherence to the
principles qf Marxism-Leninism,
a creative approach to theory
and practice, the maintenance of
close and solid ties with the
working class.

It is fitting to close this review
with the final words of the Fore-
word to the book written by the
general-secretary of the Com-
munist Party, William Kashtan:

“This book is but a partial
contribution towards an under-
standing of a truly great Cana-
dian who labored unceasingly
for the people and social ad-
vance .as. Communist spokes-
man, journalist, revolutionary
politician and_ internationalist
and in his last year as general
secretary of the Party. Nonethe-
less, a reading of this modest
volume will provide not: only a
measure of Leslie Morris, the
man, but stimulating lessons for
Canadians who are today seek-
ing to realize. the, kind: of. world
he fought for.”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1970—PAGE 7

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