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» » PACIFIC TRIBUNE—-AUGUST 90;1968~page2

Delayed action

Barbwire ‘Democratic’ Convention checkpoint at one main entrance

EDITORIAL -

The Democratic ‘jungle’

es old Stockyard area of Chicago which Upton Sin-
clair vividly portrayed in his classic book The Jungle
over half-a-century ago, is today the site of the Democratic
Convention to nominate a candidate for president of these
United States. It is today a military jungle designed to
“protect’”’ this Democratic (?) convention — from the Am-
erica of the common people...

This Democratic Convention stockyard is ringed by barb
wire, armored tanks, National Guardsmen, ‘“‘seasoned’’ GIs'
from Vietnam, security guards, police and sundry other
varieties of state “‘law enforcement’’ organizations.

Estimates differ as to the exact number of military forces
so employed, but local press reports indicate 8,000 U.S. army:
regulars, 5,000 national guardsmen, 14,000 metro and State
police, 1,500 federal agents of the FBI specie, together with all
sorts of armored and “riot’? mobile equipment. A
considerably larger military force is said to be held in reserve
on Chicago’s outskirts, ‘just in case.’

Such an unprecedented mobilization of armed potential
violence is there to assure that no demonstrations for peace in
Vietnam, for Negro-American equality, opportunity or jobs,
for impoverished farmers or any protesting and militant
segment of the people shall be permitted to come within
earshot of this Democratic convention — not even as spec-
tators. And the representatives of those millions demanding
an end to their government’s genocidal aggression in Vietnam,
must be especially barred from the convention proceedings.

It is a cynical commentary of U.S. democracy that the key
figures of the Democratic machine dominating and ‘man-
ipulating this convention, are the Joudest in'their denunciation
of the so-called “‘destruction’’ of democracy in Czechoslovakia
by the Soviet Union and other Socialist states, but are silent
about the destruction of the democratic processes in their own
militarized stockyard jungle, euphemistically called a ‘con-
vention.’ Their prime concern is to silence the protests of the
American people with massed military and police intim-
idation and violence. :

Whatever the end result of the Democratic Convention or
who emerges as its nominee for president, one factor is
already fairly obvious, viz; that the common people of the
U.S., black and white, will not be halted in their struggles for
for justice, racial equality, peace in Vietnam, and economic
security for all, regardless. Massed guns, cops and barb wire
will not keep these vital issues off the convention floor.

CORRECTION

In the Central Executive Committee statement on the
Czechoslovakia crisis published in Jast week’s Pacific Tribune,
a serious typographical error passed unnoticed. The first
paragraph of the statement should have concluded with the
words — both this judgment and declaration were at variance
with the estimation and declaration of leading bodies in
Czechoslovakia. The editor regrets this error on an issue of
such grave importance.

Pacivie Tribune

‘West Coast edition, Canadian Tribune
3 tery coe —

Editor—TOM McEWEN Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH
Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.,
Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288.

Subscription Rate: Canada, $5.00 one year; $2.75 for six months.
North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year.
All other countries, $7.00 one year. Authorized as second class mail by the
Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash.

Youth vote long overdue

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

Nineteen year old homeowners
and tenants will be able to vote
in Vancouver civic elections, but
not until 1970. City Council has
agreed to reduce the voting age
from 21 to 19. However, under
our outmoded setup this requires

'- an amendment to the City

Charter, which can only be made
by the provincial legislature.
Since the legislature is not
expected to go into session until
next spring, our young people
will still be denied the right to
vote in the upcoming December
11 civic elections. This is a
rather ridiculous situation. The
city should have the power to
amend its own charter; why
Should the provincial
government have a veto on how
we run our own affairs?

Extending the vote to 19 year ,

olds is long overdue. Actually it
should be reduced to 18 years.
My view has always been that’
our young people should have all
rights that correspond to their
responsibilities.

At 18 they are legally
considered’ adults and all laws
apply, including conscription in
time of war. In these
circumstances we have no moral
right to deny them the right to
participate as equals in decisions
affecting their future. As long as
our governments fail to extend
the vote to all 18 and over, they
are guilty of discrimination
against our younger citizens.

*

The action of PNE officials in
doubling parking fees from 50¢ to
$1.00 during the. exhibition is
completely unjustified. They are
simply taking advantage of the
public. The PNE board of
directors is well aware that car
drivers have no alternative
except to stay away from the
PNE entirely.

What’s the purpose of doubling
parking fees? Why does the
PNE need to make such an
exorbitant charge? The only
explanation I can think of is that
funds raised through these
excessive charges are used to-

subsidize professional sports
promoters by handing out low
rental leases to sport promoters

using the stadium and the

coliseum. Fleecing car owners

to pay this kind of subsidy to |

private interests is completely
unfair. It again shows how
wrong it was for City Council to
turn the operation of the PNE
over to a small group of
businessmen who exploit this
publicly owned facility for
private benefit instead of the’
public good.

. The PNE board of directors
Should install multi-storey
parking and in this way
overcome the chaotic situation
we have in the surrounding area
each year at exhibition time.

Parking rates should be kept
down to 50¢

If the PNE board of directors
continues to operate as it does,
arbitrarily increasing admission
fees and doubling parking fees, it
may yet find itself faced with a
public boycott of the PNE and
then it will be in trouble.

By GUS HALL
General Secretary,
Communist Party, U.S.A.

The entrance of the troops of
five socialist countries into the
territory of Czechoslovakia is an
action which will have far-
reaching consequences for the
future of socialism and the unity
of the socialist world. It is to be
regretted that matters came to
such a pass that military action
was considered necessary.
Military solutions are never the
best solutions for any problem.

Our Party’s leading
committees have not yet had the
opportunity to make a full study
of these events. Nevertheless,
we cannot be silent at this

GUS HALL

moment. I therefore present the
following preliminary statement
as my own.

The central issue in
Czechoslovakia is the defense of
socialism against the threat of
counter-revolution. It seems’
clear that what has happened, in
the course of a process of vital
democratic reform, is an
upsurge of. anti-socialist

forces of subversion of U.S. and
West German imperialism. At
the same time, because of
divisions and weaknesses within
the leadership of the Communist
Party of Czechoslovakia, there
developed a paralysis which
gravely increased the danger of
an anti-socialist take-over.

We do not yet have all the facts
necessary to make clear whether
or not there was. any other
alternative to the action taken.
However, from the vantage point
of a party existing within the
world center of imperialism, it
seems to us the most fatal error
would be to underestimate the
subversive powers of
imperialism or the dangers of an
anti-socialist take-over - in

~ Czechoslovakia for the entire

socialist world.

Statement on Czech crisis |

We are for the defense of
socialism. We are for the
development of a democratic
structure that is in keeping with
the advancement of socialism.
We are for freedom. But we are .
not for the freedom of those who
endanger socialism.

Imperialism never gives up its
struggle for domination.
Wherever it is not prepared for
immediate Military
confrontation it works, by every
means at its command, to
infiltrate, to undermine and to
soften up those countries that
are the objects of its attack, in
order to lay the groundwork for
military intervention, at a later
date.

These are some of the
fundamental premises on which

we must judge these and all
events.

Soviet statement
on Czech action

Following is the text of a
Soviet statement made public in
New York Aug. 20 by TASS, the
Soviet news agency.

Tass is authorized to state that
party and Government leaders of
the Czechoslovak Socialist
Republic have asked the Soviet
Union and other allied states to
render the fraternal
Czechoslovak people urgent
assistance, including assistance
with armed forces. This request
was brought about by the threat
which has arisen to the Socialist
system existing in
Czechoslovakia and to the
statehood established by -the
Constitution — the threat
emanating from the counter-
revolutionary forces which have

entered into collusion with
foreign forces hostile to

Mucialism 6.6

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The events in Czechoslovakia
and around her were repeatedly
the subject of exchanges of
views between
fraternal socialist countries.
including the leaders of
Czechoslovakia. These countries
are unanimous in that the
support, consolidation and
defense of othe peoples’ Socialist
gains is a common
internationalist duty of all the
Socialist states. This common
stand of theirs was solemnly
proclaimed in the Bratislava
statement.

The further aggravation of the
situation in Czechoslovakia

affects the vital interests of the _

Soviet Union and other Socialist
states, the interests of the
security of the states of the

Socialist community. The threat

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