STANLEY B. RYERSON

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Outcry against insurance scandal

YNAFELL, what does she look

like2”’ The question, put
by a millworker and former sea-
man, referred to the political wea-
ther here in British Columbia. It
prompted this reply, in which I'll
‘ty to compress a few thoughts
gleaned in a several-weeks’ visit.

ofa storm of opposition to the

Coalition government's  step-

Ping-up of the hospital insurance

premiums is a pretty meaningful

_ development. It is engendering

a parliamentary crisis for the big

_business government at: Victoria.:

It has started the widest ‘mass

public debate throughout. the en-

tire province. And it is doing
these things because the anger at
the “wage cut” which the increase
In premiums represents is con-

' nected with. something far bigger:

the widespread and growing un-
Willingness of great massés of
People to go along with the “war

instead of welfare” program of

the rich,
‘The outcry against the Coalition

4n B.C. over héspital insurance is

Not wholly unconnected with the
Sroundswell of popular opposition

‘ bi Which called: forth the T.:C.:Doug-

las anti-war pronouncement in
Saskatchewan a month or so be-
fore. Both express a ferment in
Politics and the appearing ‘of

' . Mings that are new, as a conse-
eee of people’s resistance to
? he impact of the war program.

Sy eee is needed above all in this
ighly charged situation, with its

~ tremendous possibiilties for new
‘ advance, is leadership. Leader-
Ship that will point ahead to the

ore step for the mass movement
8ainst the Coalition, and fight for

United action © everywhere to

pe it; leadership that will
elp the masses of people who are
€ing drawn (many for the first

time) into political action, to see

© connection between the social

- 8nd economic issues and the fight

for peace: leadership that will

+) Peed the coming of a new align-
' Ment with a people's government.

This is the challenge facing the
abor-Progressive party in B.C.

The program of action adopted
Y Our LPP provincial convention
Sig

outlines the job to be done. The
test of the doing is in the many
actions and mass activities that .
our. members are engaged in —_
and in the leadership work of the
party as a whole.

The nub of the problem is our
work’ for thé united front.

Our party is wrestling with this
problem, in the self-critical spirit

Stanley B. Ryerson, national or-
ganizing secretary of the Labor-
Progressive party, who on this
page gives his impressions of the
B.C. political scene and the re-
sponsibilities of the LPP in the
f*zht against provincial and fed-
eral war policies, has just con-
cluded a visit to the Coast.

of the fourth national convention
—and in the light of experience
gained so far in applying its de-
cisions. -

We face two difficulties in par-
ticular. ;

'

One is in sizing up the nature
and scope. and prospects of the
present storm-period. —~

Can a people’s opposition be
united and led to triumph over
the war program of Ottawa and
Victoria?,

Can péaceful coexistence of the
socialist and capitalist worlds be
imposed on the American war-
makers and their lieutenants? .

Mastery, in our thinking, of the
line of victorious people’s strug-

reflects resistance to war drive

gle through united front action —
on this we are still weak. it’s a
matter of building conviction,
through‘study of the full meaning
of Stalin’s interview, study of Tim
Buck’s Fight for Peace as for
Life, in close connection with the
practical activity that provides
repeated confirmations: of the
soundness of our stand.

The NELY’s picketing the mur-
der-incitement film Steel Helmet,
and the demonstrative reluctance
of the people to support the film
(going far beyond our area of di-
rect influence) ; the heartening
success of the Peace Lobby to Vic-
toria, following the splendid B.C.
Peace Conference; the evident
and striking yresponse of people
wherever a constructive lead is
given—here is the stuff of con-
fidence, the wherewithal of mili-
tant understanding that the unit-
ed front can win,

“Peace will be preserved and
consolidated if the people take the
cause of preserving peace into
their own hands and uphold it to
the end.”

Here is the condition of peace-
ful coexistence: action by the peo-
ple. Disbelief in the possibility of
peace is disbelief in the people. It
is the gospel of helplessness and
hopelessness which it is the
bosses’ dearest wish to instil in
the workers.

We test the soundness of our
policy right here.” The possibility
of winning peace is proven not
just in the strength of the peace
camp everywhere except where we
ourselves are — but in the first
place right here, where we fight.

Events in British Columbia of-
fer plenty of grounds for confid-

-ence in the depth and strength of

the people’s will for peace, of their
readiness to oppose the big busi-
ness program of wage cuts, lower
living standards, fascist repres-
sion and war.

Our job is to give to that will
and readiness, direction and con-
scious understanding.

* rhe test of our work for the
united front is the way we work
with non-Communists for our
common objectives: peace and the
people’s welfare.

¥

7,

The Spanish

ople fight back against Franco

What does it mean, when as
sometimes happens, we try to
substitute party relationships and
methods of work for those of
united front, people’s organiza-
tions? Disregard of the very es-
sence of the united front, which
is common agreement and joint
responsibility in a common strug-
gle; denial of the seriousness, the
reality of unity; and hence, ‘aid
and comfort to those who hope
and strive above all else for the

_ break-up of unity—the enemies of

peace.
The “other side” of this error

is that of failing to ensure that

our own views find expression
in the united front. We’ve had
experience of both these tenden-
cies in the current struggle.

We have an enormous job to do
in puilding the united front in
action. We have got to have the
approach that will speed its
achievement, not one that hamp-
ers it. The crisis-in-making in the
CCF is of extraordinary import-_
ance, because it means that tens
of thousands of workers and city
middle class folk and farmers are
questioning the Coldwell policy of
support to the war machine of the
trusts.

Yet this questioning and actual
opposition have the greatest diffi-
culty in finding expression —
thanks in the first place to the

'Trotskyite stool pigeon agency

which works to head it off. The
forthcoming provincial CCF con-
vention undoubtedly will show
what a ferment there is among
CCF rank and file.

But it is the duty of every mem-
ber of the LPP to reach and dis-
cuss and seek ground for joint
activity for peace, with COF sup-
porters everywhere. Premier T.
C. Douglas’ speech reflected a po-

4

“REARMING THE NAZIS _

(Original cartoon, Seenlanly drawn for WORLD TRADE UNION MO

VEMENT by Couniban)

_“By whom is Western civitsa-

tion to be defended, unless it be —

by the joint efforts of men who re-
spect one another and who feel
that they can rely on their fellow-
soldiers?” —- German Admiral
Gottfried Hansen.

All, all are here, the old familiar

faces,

Officers and gentlemen, and jolly
decent chaps,

Though, ten short years ago they
tried to blow us all to blazes:

Chivalry will overlook a temporary
_ lapse.

*

‘A ‘small. misunderstanding in the
Red-infected _ thirties

Caused a momentary, weakness in
our bulwark to the East.

But now we're back to normal,
and the new Wehrmacht’s ex-
pertise

‘Where we came in

Can be utilised unhampered since
A. Hitler is deceased.

*

A real, reliable Aryan like Gen-
eral Guderian

Should surely find employment

‘at the head of “Western”
troops;

We shan’t leave standing idle Gen- |

erals Heusinger or Seidel—_

We've already made arrangements
to secure the help of Krupps.

ee fet

The Soviet: Army saved our skins,
so we fear it like bubonic,

But the German soldier’s honor is
as pure as yours and mine,

Our Fechtelers and ‘Eisenhowers
will keep the side Teutonic,

And we'll all goose-step to glory
past the Oder-Neisse line.

JAMES THORNLEY

tential for united action that must
on no account be underestimated
by any one of us.

The storm is rising. Its in-
tensity will vary, and its direc-
tion. But the fact of its presence
is unmistakable. How the Cana-
dian working class and the whole
people will get their bearings, gain
confidence in their strength, and
navigate a course to victory, de-
pends on the speed with which we
master and apply the fourth con-
vention decisions of our party.

In building the united front be-
low, in action for peace and the
people’s needs, it is well to remem-
ber this: that the initiative and
activity of the people on the su-
preme issues of today bespeak
their growing power to change
the world tomorrow; and that real
confidence in socialist victory is a
hollow thing if it doesn’t include
confidence in the people’s power
today to stay the hand of the im-
perialists and defeat their drive to
war.

The working people of British
Columbia have a big responsibility
indeed in this struggle. And they
have the stuff to win.

Foot in mouth
Our Alfie

«Every time the general opens
his mouth a4 : cea his foot

“The greatest single contribu-

tion that the Christian church ©
can make toward the preserva- —

tion of peace is a teaching and a
sacramental ministry to the souls”

of men, helping them by the grace —
of God to accept loyally the neces- —
sity of military service, higher |

taxes, rationing, austerity, wage
and price controls, and all the oth-
er sacrifices and irritations that
lie before us.” — Rev. Henry B.
Leland, executive director of the

Commission on Christian Social

Relations, in the New York Times.
fe A KS

In view of experienced diplb-

mats there are indications that the

Soviet Union intends to try once ©

again to get what it wants in Ger-
many through negotiations with
the West .... ‘Suppose Vishinsky
were to agree to meet all the

‘demands we have made on super-
vision of the elections and with- __

drawal of troops,’ one diplomat
asked, ‘what do we do then?” —

Drew Middleton in the New York _

Times. : .

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — APRIL 6, 1951 — PAGE 9

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