ore ae: BERGE GEESE by é St ke dae Pe Mpg Wi eT een WT APSA a Legion war rally flops, audience hostile to conscription motion (Reflecting widespread public oppositionto. conscription in any form, within the past ten days one Canadian Legion branch in Vancouver has ttrned an emphatic ‘thumbs down” on the national Legion resolution demanding conscription, and a public meeting on conscription sponsored by another city branch was turned into an anti-conscription demonstration. ~* Members of Canadian Legion branch 16 defeated by 2 stand- ing vote the national Legion. resolution adopted at the Win- nipeg convention demanding con- conscription. Only half a dozen veterans voted for the warmong- ering resolution, and executive officers who called for a “yes vote were roundly heckled. : On Wednesday last week, New Veterans’ branch 168 held a pub- lic meeting in its new center on Burrard Street. Designed to arouse general support for Otta- wa’s war, program, the meeting backfired on its promoters when the 300 people attending showed they were almost unanimously op- posed to conscription. ae Two guest speakers, provincial Legion president Bernard Isman and NPA Alderman Halford Wil- son, found it rough going from the start. Vocal protests inter- rupted every attempt at warmong- ering and upset the orators visi- bly. ! It was when the speeches were over and the began that chairman Tom Mc- Ewan really lost control of the meeting. An 18-year-old in the front row started the fireworks. “What do we want conscription for?” he shot at Ald. Wilson. “We want peace and jobs and recreation centers. We don’t want to be eannon fodder.” When. Wilson fumbled on that one, Repeating Wilson’s arguments that “the army provides sports for young people” he went on to assert that “all the free peoples of the world must unite against totalitarianism.” “Are Greece and Turkey free countries?” a mémber of the aud- ience wanted to know. : “We're not concerned with that,” snapped Isman. PSs STOUT GOGO UOC OU UOUUOUn A gO nnn 0 Oe G Unt e 0G eC ie 0 discussion period |* Isman tried to. answer _ it. NO WAR WITH CHINA NIGEL MORGAN LPP Provincial Leader WHY A STAT OF EMERGENC .AT A PROTEST RALLY at the Pender Auditorium Ne sks Feb. 11, 8 p.m. Admission Free Auspices: City Committee LPP : ' 501 Ford Building Here U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson is seen as he gave General Eisenhower a few last words of advice before he left for Europe. hower.” , In Rome, Paris and London, and at Ottawa, working people had some advice for Eisenhower. It was, ““Go home, Eisen- A veteran of the battle of Nor- mandy stood up. “Are we being forced to defend our soil against any invasion of Vancouver Is- land, or are the Chinese being forced to defend their soil against a threatened invasion on the part of United States and UN troops, who have already invaded Korea?” he asked, bitingly. “At one stage Canada had been prepared to recognize China,” con- tinued the veteran, “but it is now clear that United States pressure has forced Canada to vote with i HEAR 1 ELLY RSS TY TL TG SEONG E the U.S. in falsely branding China as an aggressor. “Evidently some people have forgotten who the totalitarians are since a number of Nazi gen- erals have been incorporated in- to the American army in Europe. And I see in the Vancouver Sun that Ottawa is considering the release of Major General Kurt Meyer, who murdered 18 Can- adian prisoners in cold blood in July, 1944.” “T am sure -no German officers you for ever ordered the murder of any read: ‘GREETING’ AT OTTAWA By CAMILLE DIONNE | - OTTAWA A group of French-Canadian youth from Quebec met Eisen- hower with angry shouts of “Hisen- hower va-t’en chez vous” (Go home Eisenhower) “Pas de Conscrip- tion” (No Conscription) when he arrived here January 25. The young demonstrators dis- played several banners which read: “La Guerre n’est pas une Solution Christienne’ (War is not a Chris- tian Solution) “Pas de Vies Can- adiennes pour des Guerres Ameri- eaines’ “(No Canadian Lives for American Wars) “La Jeunesse du Quebec Dit NON a la conscription” (Quebec youth says NO to Con- scription.) They also had one poster in English which read, “Save Canadian Lives: Bring the 'Pats back from Korea.” The French-Canadians “greeted” Eisenhower as his car approached the Chateau Laurier and picketed the hotel for half an hour march- ing to the rythm of “Eisenhower va-t’?en chez vous.” Later the de- monstration moved to the front of the U.S. Embassy. “Police were thicker than dand- ruff,” said one young demonstra- tor. x y The young people waited forover an hour in the cold before the “pink pants” general arrived.. A plainclothesman asked one of the youth on the lookout for Ike’s car, “Doing some sight-seeing?” “Yes,” said the youth. “I served under him in the last war. If he doesn’t come soon I'll have to re- turn to the office.” : When one or two retired civil servants began to tell the young French-Canadians “Go back to Quebec,” “You're not patriotic,” they were answered by Ottawa youth: “Go back to Washington,” “You're not patriotic, you want to sell us to Washington wind bags,” “The Yankees can’t fight, they want us as shock troops.” Toronto youth joined their Que- bec brothers. Members of the Tor- onto NFLY covered the shopping district of Ottawa with stickers which read: “MacArthur wants eannon fodder,” others “French and Engilish-Can- Canadians, and I am sure Kurt!adians want no conscription.” Meyer never did any such thing,” declared an apologist in another part of the audience. ment brought a chorus of boos and cries of “Nazi! Nazi defen- der!” “Did some fascist-minded offi- cers at the top of the Legion start this resolution?” queried a veteran of the first world war. “Canada is already following the lead of American stooges. I don’t want my son to die for a pot- bellied Yankee.” : “We should be prepared, yes,” said a Hong Kong veteran, “but ference This state-! “member When- news was heard that a of the Toronto group, Chuck Fine was arrested for put- jting up stickers a feeling of anger swept the French-Canadian dele- gation. It was accentuated when they read the anti-Semitic com- ments about Fine in the Ottawa Journal, After the demonstration, one big question had to be answered: why the ‘Mitlerite filth and the arrest of Chuck Fine on the one hand; and on the other hand, no inter- whatsoever with the I’m not prepared to be baited French-Canadian demonstration? into following General MacArthur, a literal madman. t There can be only one answer: I don’t want!the Ottawa quislings are afraid conscription, if conscription means | of the popular anti-war, anti-con- being prepared to kill women andj scription sentiments of the French- children in Korea.” 4 Isman: “We're not warmonger-] cwept Quebec had any of their We're only trying to teach; our boys the art of self-defence.” ee WN aeek htt Rae ing. (Gries: Of. “Oh! 40h!) Isman: “We need conscription because we can’t get enough men by voluntary enlistment.” : “Why?” roared the crowd. “T’'ll tell you why,” said a young man, rising to his feet. “If Can- ada was in danger, young people would be flocking into the armed forces. But there is no threat of attack against Canada -—- even Prime Minister St. Laurent and Defense Minister Brooke Claxton have: stated that there is no dan- ger of invasion. “If this conscription resolution meant that our homes were in danger and needed defending, then okay. But tf it means— and it does mean—that we are being called on to go 5000 miles away from home, invade other people’s lands, burn their homes Canadian people. They were afraid that a wave of anger would have a police. It shows that in speaking out boldly as the Toronto and Quebec youth have done that peace can be won. It points the way to bigger victories and gives inspiration and strength to the many peace committee and anti- conscription leagues which are be- ing formed throughout our coun- try: ‘and kill their women and child- ren, then our answer is ‘No siree’.” ee Earlier in the meeting it had been announced that the conscrip- tion resolution would be presented to. the audience for endorsation. But despite numerous demands from the floor, the Legion brass on the platform, aware that the crowd was overwhelmingly op- posed to conscription, refused to |}put the resolution to a vote and declared the meeting adjourned. Eisenhower, go home chant demonstators By RALPH R. COOK OTTAWA A dozen enormous placards un- furled, from high up in the Cha- teau hundreds of leaflets fluttering down,, hundreds more scattered over the heads of the crowd from the ground, The little applause fizzled out as attention was di- verted to the placards and leaflets. This was how Eisenhower was greeted by (Canadian youth when he arrived in Ottawa; this was the demonstration which the press de- liberately played down and at- tempted to belittle. Placards up to eight feet long raised to the chant of “Eisenhower va-t-en chez vous” (go home), let the General and his Canadian laquee-Claxton know how French- Canadians feel about conscription and the use of Canadian youth’ as Yankee cannon fodder. Police were obviously caught completely off guard by the split second organization of the demon- stration. R.C.M.P. and local police officials had boasted that demon- strations would ,be stopped by large numbers of police especially im- ported for the job. Earlier in the day thousands of civil servants and workers on their way to work had stopped to read stickers posted over the _ entire down-town area. © Charles (Chuck) Fine, editor of the children’s page of the new youth paper, Champion, was ar- rested and charged with posting bills without a license. This was the same charge thrown out of court twice before when brought against members of the Ottawa Youth Peace Committee. Fine was released. on $10 bail and judgement was reserved when the case was heard the next day. He was defended by George Bleakney who succeeded in having the other charges dismissed. “Special details of police were sent out to remove the stickers but others were soon put up and many were still in evidence when © Hisenhower atrived at 1:30. Despite the zero temperature children from the Notre Dame Convent were made to line part of the Yankee general’s route from the airport. The children who had to wait for over an hour for him to arrive, had been supplied with American flags by school authori- ties which they waved to the accompaniment of some _ feeble hand clapping. This was in marked contrast to the lusty yells for the picketers who greeted him at the Chateau. Contrary to what appeared in the daily press, reporters said privately that they were surprised at the perfect timing and organ- ization of the demonstration. It is obvious ‘that they had been. in- structed to play down the whole affair and give it the same treat- ment given to other anti-war de- monstrations which have accom- panied Hisénhower’s visits to other countries, Police are still mystified as to how one of the demonstrators got . into the heavily guarded Chateau Laurier to let go with the shower of leaflets which spread over the entire area as Eisenhower’s car drove up. Hundreds of the leaf- lets had been received by Ottawans in their morning mail. Under the heading — “Wisen- hower is in Ottawa to demand that our government turn over Canadian youth to be used as can- non fodder wherever the Yanks de- cide to use them” — the leaflet outlined the record of American aggression and Nazi collaboration in Europe and Asia. It ended with three slogans — “Bring Canadian troops home from Korea.” “Send Eisenhower home empty-handed,” “No Canadian lives for American. wars in Europe or Asia.” After “welcoming” Eisenhower to Ottawa, the demonstration mov- . ed to the American Embassy. Here they were joined by Chuck Fine who had just been released from jail and a number of- local young people. The picketers continued to chant their anti-war, anti-conscrip- tion slogans — “Hisenhower va-t- en” and “Pas de conscription”. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 9, 1951 — PAGE 2 ’