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p rogressive Americans and
around the world were deep-
ly saddened at the death on Aug,
22 of Benjamin J, Davis, a lead-
ing member of the U.S, Commun-
ist Party,

In a tribute, the national ex-
ecutive of the C,P,U,S.A, said:
“Benjamin J, Davis was a dedi-
cated fighter whose devotion was
always matched with brilliancy
and militancy, He was a fighter
for the full citizenship of the
Negro American,

“He advocated unity of Negro -

and white on every front, He
advanced the cause of the work-
ing class on the path to social-
ism,”

Though Georgia-born (Dawson,
Sept, 8, 1903), Davis was “one
of Harlem’s proudest sons,” said
the Communist Party tribute,
From Harlem he was elected a
councillor in New York with
40,000 votes in 1943 and re-
elected with 63,000 votes in 1945,

“As the Communist city coun-
cillor, a title he shared with
Peter Cacchione until the latter’s
death, Ben Davis initiated one
campaign after another for hous-
ing for the low income classes
and for the levelling of the slum
lord’s rat-infested properties,”

A graduate of Harvard Law
School, Davis first set up prac-
tice in Atlanta, Georgia, His
experiences, including the de-
fenses of Angelo Herndon, charg-
ed with leading an unemployed

1

Hea ae ence pero eer eros pee
Lillian Green

Lillian Green, wife of national
US. Communist leader Gil
Green, died recently in Chicago,

An advocate and fighter for
socialism since girlhood, Lillian
courageously endured for more
than 13 years the enforced ab-
Sence of her husband who was
persecuted under the infamous
Smith Act, During that time she
reared their three children and
worked tirelessly for the release
of her husband and other political
prisoners, . :

BENJAMIN J. DAVIS
Devoted fighter

for freedom

-. ups ye teen FY FF.

demonstration, brought him to
join the Communist Party,

Coming to New York in 1935,
Davis became editor of a week-
ly newspaper, The Liberator, and
a writer for the Daily worker,

Along with Gus Hall and other
leading Communists, Davis serv-
ed a shameful five-year sentence
under the Smith Act, Again, on
March 15, 1962, Davis and Hall
were arrested under the notor-
ious McCarran Act, Ben Davis
said then;

“Before we register, before
we answer falsely that we are
witches and traitors, before we
expose a single citizen to the
pains and penalties of this act,
before we cooperate to destroy
political freedom in America, we
will sit in jail until we rot,”

Ben Davis held the post of
national secretary of the Com-
munist Party when he died, fol-
lowing a long illness,

In a wire to the U.S, Commu-
nist Party, the Communist Party
of Canada said: “Untimely death
of Ben Davis, outstanding Com-
munist, leading fighter for Negro
rights and the social emancipa-
tion of the American people, is
a great blow to the working-
class movement of the United
States, We extend our condolen-
ces to his family,”

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Vancouver 6, B.C.

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FS FRU Ff.

Parliament mustend |
delay on a new flag :

By JOHN BOYD

ow much longer is Parlia-
ment going to fiddle around
with the flag issue?

This is what millions of Can-
adians, from Newfoundland to the
Yukon, would like to know.

For months now, off and on,
our elected representatives have

* been studying, arguing and debat-

ing this problem. In the beginning
the people went along with this
and anxiously fallowed reports
of what Parliament was doing
about it. They understood that
this was an important, and by
no means easy, decision to make,

But it also became clear early
in the debate that far too many
of our politicians were using the
flag issue for their own partisan
ends, They weren’t interested in
advancing the cause of national

Harris in the Wall Street Journal
“Surely there must be SOME
peaceful use for these intercon-
tinental, guided, nuclear, mega-

ton, overkill missiles.”

unity’ rather they seized on the
flag issue to widen the already
dangerous rift between our two
nations, to aggravate an already
dangerous crisis.

For.“much of this situation the
Pearson government itself is to
blame. When early this summer
Prime Minister Pearson submit-
ted his proposal for a distictive
new flag, he won the support
and approval of the majority
in both French and English Can-
ada. Had he acted decisively at
that time, he would have won
the majority in the House and

in the country and we would have

celebrated Canada Day witha new
flag.

-Instead, he decided to play
politics, to see how the flagissue
could bring him more votes: he
brought in a motion for two flags
and two anthems, then had it
divided; he permitted speculation
and debate about a national re-
ferendum, then vetoed it; he
threatened to make the flag an

election issue, on which his gov-

ernment would standor fall, later
announced he wouldn’t; he called
on his own members as well as
others to vote for his proposed
flag design, now he is suggesting

_a “free” vote.

It isn’t surprising, therefore,
that amid all this vacillation
and confusion the Tories decided
to play politics with the issue
for all its is worth. For two
weeks now they have been carry-
ing on a virtual filibuster on the
flag, making a decision onit more
difficult than ever.

China says ‘no’ to

T he Chinese Communist Party,

in a letter to the Soviet Party
published recently, has rejected
the Soviet proposal for a world
Communist conference in mid-
1965, Next December 15, the date
proposed by the Soviet party for
a meeting of a drafting commit-
tee of 26 parties, would go down
in history as “the day of the big
split,” the letter said,

(The Soviet proposal was for
the Chinese party to be one of

the 26 to-start meeting in De-
cember,)

The Chinese letter said: “We
have already warned you that the

ing will be the day you step inte
your grave,

svour letter .<- shows that
disregarding all consequences,

day you call a schismatic meet-

you have taken another long step
toward this grave, ... We hope
you will weigh the pros and cons
and choose carefully between
continuing on the road to doom
and turning back to safety,”

Referring to Chinese wishes
for an international meeting on
the basis of Marxism-Leninism,
to be held after “ample prepara-
tions,” the letter said:

“We will never be taken in by
your fine words, never submit to
your threats, never be accom-
plices in your devisive activities
and never share with you the re-
Sponsibility for splitting the in-
ternational Communist move-
ment,

“If we were to take partin your
schismatic meeting, it would be
tantamount to legalizing your il-

Greetings and Best Wishes
Labor Day, 1964

} EDMONDS CLUB
GPG

Greetings to all readers
and workers on the
North Shore
North Shore Club
CEG:

Labor Day Greetings to all
our friends on the Island

Nanaimo Club.

Labor Day
Greetings
fois
All Our Friends from

Federation of .

Russian-Canadians
600 Campbell Ave.
Vancouver 4, B.C.

We greet all our friends
and supporters on this
Labor Day, 1964
Broadway Club
CPG,

September 4, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pag?

It is little wonder that the
people are fed up. The issue has
long been clear: the majority of
Canadians want a distinctive neW
flag and they want it quickly.

It is time to bring the entire
three-ring circus to a close
Parliament must heed the will
of the people, It must stop play-
ing political football with this
matter, adopt a new flag and
get on with the numerous other
important items of the nation’s
business.

Since Parliament seems 10
have reached an impasse of itS —
own making, there is only one
way it can be moved forward:
the people must prod it into ac-
tion, A. flood of letters and tele-
grams to the members of Pat-
liament, particularly the Con-
servative M.P.’s, would settle the
question very quickly. Our ele¢c-
ted representatives have show?
themselves to be pretty callous
about public needs and desires
but they are still quite amel-
able to public pressure — if i
is applied in sufficient volume

Procrastination on the f1a8
issue is dangerous to national: —
unity. We cannot, dare not, allow
it to continue. A distinctive flag:
even though it will not at first
have the approval of every Call-
adian, will take us a step forward
toward a new democratic unity of
our two nations. This in turn will
make it easier for us to go ahead
in seeking solutions to the many
other big problems facing ou?
country and our people.

parley

legal activities ... to accepting {
the Communist Party of theSovié
Union as a patriarchal fathe?
party.”

The letter described as i
“whopping lie” aSoviet claim th?
in calling the international meet
ing it sought “things in comm?
which will unite all the fratern? —
parties,”

The most urgent common task —
of the movement was to oppos
U.S. imperialism andits lackey> —
but the Soviet Union was * bent % :
collusion with the U.S, imperl® —
ists and on seeking comme {
ground uniting you with them,
the letter said.

Labor Day 3
Greetings

to the PT and all
readers from

A. U. U.C.
COUNCIL
805 E. PENDER ST.

Hall available at reasonablé
rates for weddings, ba™
quets, etc., with or withou
catering.

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INFORMATION:

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