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ae ee Local fishermen’s paper
| Finance AT LARGE Fens ble | !
lotowa Had Aut Elctionste Getin Ahead emands pubdire inquiry
|Of Possible Recession in Fall ae

TING fe into Prince Rupert situation

COM
— ‘UNCANADIAN anxious Fl
Liberals are despers wh ich. 3 2 ; A call for a public inquiry into the situation at Printe Rupert in order ‘to bring the abuses an
Ottawa— Te of the change soy Wahine vai? . |the grievances of the Indian people into the light of day” was made editorially last week by The Fish 4
frank public oer the unCan, told an ae. man, a local trade union paper which has a big circulation up and down the coast. The editorial Sal
debacle er Sst. routers’ in full:
country bolt Gardens here on will realize befor All quiet at Prince Rupert! For two successive Mondays it has been considered as newsworthy

at Winsto pee =

for the press to publish reports

Wellington Jeffers, financial editor of the Toronto Globe and
Mail, held off his ominous prognostication until after the election
‘was over. But LPP national leader Tim Buck told the electors as
far back as July 7 why Prime Minister St. Laurent had called a
hurried election. His warning was suppresed by all daily papers

and radio networks.

Fighting for the PT

Battle for 1,

000 subs

begins September 15

On September 15 the Pacific Tribune annual circulation campaign

for 1,000 subs and renewals begins.

But this isn’t just a “normal” drive

this year — rising production costs have created a financial crisis which

only a larger circulation can solve.

PT business manager Rita
Whyte started out this week on a
tour of Powell River, Comox,
Cumbertand, Campbell River to
win new readers in these centres.
Later she will visit other cities and
towns on Vancouver Island and
tour the Fraser Valley.

In addition to securing new subs,
we intend to make a real effort to
increase street sales, both in Van-
couver and outside points,

Street salesmen could take a les-
son from 86-year-old Arthur Wil-
bee, senior, who sells 100 or more
papers every week, rain or shine,
Some weeks he handles 200 papers.

Press clubs wanting back issues
of the Pacific Tribune for canvas-
sing in their areas can obtain these
papers free of charge at the PT
office.

Although annual financial. drives
are always necessary to maintain
a paper like the Pacific Tribune,
which is cut off from the heavy

- advertising revenue that enables
capitalist papers to operate at a
profit, we don’t want a paper that
just keeps its head above water on
the basis of our readers digging
deeper and deeper into their
pockets each year.

We want a paper of increasing
circulation, reaching out to more
and more people and exerting a
powerful influence on all political
events.

Where else but in a paper like
ours can people read the truth
about such important Canadian
events as the Paul Robeson concert,
the Trades and Labor Congress
convention, the Canadian peace
movement? Where else can you
get accurate information on great
international events such as the

ARTHUR WILBEE, SR.

French strike, the situation in
Iran, the Korean negotiations, the
German peace treaty talks?

In the coming period the fight
for a Great Power conference and
the growing world movement
against American domination will
occupy the centre of the stage.
For accurate news on these de-
velopments the Pacific Tribune is
indispensable.

The national and international
situation today provide an unpre-
cedented opportunity for the ex-
pansion of our circulation. All our
problems can be solved if our read-
ers go forward and grasp this 04
portunity.

Back-to-work movement
rejected in France

PARIS

Failure of French workers to
go back to work despite the plea
of some Catholic and right-wing
union leaders has deepened the
crisis of Premier Joseph Laniel’s
government.

Some five million workers are
still on strike and the Laniel gov-
ernment is tottering.

Officials of the national assem-
bly refused Monday, this week, by

al10to8 i to recall that body
back into session, Pretext given
was that only 207 signed requests
had been received and validated,
two short of the 209 needed to
make the assembly’s recall man-
datory. .

This action halted for the mo-
ment the political offensive
against the |Laniel government,
but it is expected that the assem-
bly will have to be recalled before
the week is out.

that mass arrests were not made
at Prince Rupert the previous Sat-
urday, that tear gas bombs were
not thrown again to disperse “‘un-
lawful assemblies.”

A week ago the Prince Rupert
Daily News reported “‘there was a
different feeling on Saturday than
on the previous. two Saturday
nights, when the block on Third
Avenue between Sixth and Seventh
Streets was jammed with people.
Police who patrolled the area stop-
ped and chatted with natives and
whites when the three beer parlors
in the one block closed between
six and seven o’clock in the even-
ing.

Apparently the resolution passed
by the city council earlier in the
week ‘asking the RCMP to exer-
cise more restraint in addressing
persons with whom they came in
contact”? was obeyed and peace fol-
lowed. It is good news—even if

is should be so customary as to
require no comment.

Now that quiet reigns there
should be a séarching public en-
quiry as to why and how the
disorders that attracted nation-
wide attention to Prince Rupert
happened.

It. is a shocking state of affairs
when an Indian Superinfendent
must deny over the air rumors he
had heard of an Indian beaten and
killed by police, another beaten
and taken straight to hospital and
explain that they turned out to be
two Indian boys injured in a fish
boat fire,

When people see someone being
carried into a hospital or a morgue
in other cities it doesn’t start a
story that the police did it and if
someone started such a story it
wouldn’t ‘be believed. ‘Why should
Prince Rupert be different? ;

Mr. Anfield in his radio address

stated: “If there are honest griev a
ances that should be straighte®
out, you must ee them to thé
proper authorities . . . even t0
Minister at Ottawa. "They will be
honestly investigated and actio?
taken to correct any abuses.”

The greatest assistance t0 ;
correction of abuses is the fore
of public opinion, and the first ap
sential is public knowledge. | is

That is why a public inquly d
necessary to bring the abuses
the grievances of the India? a
ple in the north into the light ‘he
day. Only in this way ca
informed opinion of theif fe i
citizens be brought to bear 10
sure that they will truly be ®
rected.

All quiet at Prince Rupert, le is
find out why the quiet prance
that it will no- longer be

say all is quiet. oo

Communist editor ‘in contempt’

Terry Pettus held in jail for
refusing to play Judas role_

Thorny issues of Marxist: Leninist theory were discussed by defendant Terry Pettus e.

r Bh cs?

examination by special prosecutor Tracy Griffin at the Smith Act trial of books and ideas last wee ip

Pettus, Daily People’s World Northwest editor, was escorted into court Wednesday mor melt
custody of a U.S, marshal after spending his first night in King county jail for refusal to na
bers of the Commynist party’s Northwest district committee. Federal Judge William J. Lindberg 1

ately ordered him confined for con-
tempt of court,

Pettus will be kept in King
county jail until.he “purges” him-
self of contempt—that is, answers
the question. Pettus has made
clear “the threat of death itself”
could not make him answer.

Tuesday, the first day of the
trial’s 18th week, saw its biggest
audience. About 50 persons stood
in the hall waiting for seats when
noon recess began,

In the courtroom through the
morning session was Paul Robe-
son, famous Negro artist, who
said this was the second Smith
Act trial he attended. He said
he was a character witness in the
first such case’ in New York city.

. Pettus is the second witness in
the Northwest Smith Act case to
be jailed on a contempt citation.
Dr. Herbert J. Phillips, first major
defense witness, has been in jail
since July 21 when he refused to
tell the name of his Communist
party chairman’s club.

The question which brought
about Pettus’ citation was asked
by special prosecutor Tracy Grif-
fin within a few minutes after he
began cross examination of Pet-
tus last Friday. Judge Lindberg
withheld a decision on the mater-

iality of the question over the

weekend, but ruled Tuesday morn-
ing that the witness must answer.

Irvin Goodman, attorney for Pet-
tus and Barabara Hartle, objected
on the grounds the question
“proves absolutely nothing,” and
has no relationship to the intent
of state of mind of the defendant.

He charged the prosecution al-
ready had the information, say-
ing “it purchased that informa-
tion when it paid in excess of

TERRY PETTUS

\

$25,000 to Clark Harper and
Harley Mores.” Harper and
Mores are FBI informers sent in-
to the Communist party. Good-
man challenged the prosecution
to “deny in open court they do
not know the names of the per-
sons elected to the Communist
committee in 1950.”

Defense counsel John Caughlan
argued that a contempt citation
would not produce an answer to
the question because of ‘very
strong, deep-rooted American prin-
ciples” against informing,

He said an additional hardship
to all defendants would be suffer-
ed since imprisonment would make
it impossible for Pettus to carry
out his responsibility in raising
funds to carry on the defense, a
responsibility made greater by the
untimely death of defendant Wil-
liam J. Pennock, whose ‘loss to
this case” Caughlan described as

“incalculable.”

Jailing of Pettus would a
terfere with his reponsibill ples
his newspaper, The Daily pout
World, now involved in 4?

fund drive, Caughlan said.

ej
On the petition to have te f

‘jing deferred until Pettus ines

the witness stand, John iy fg
counsel for defendant Kar snpes
sen, said jailing now will wor deh
the case” and interrupt oF

ly procedure of the trial.

Henry P. Huff and paul Pe
en, defendants acting 45 eg
counsel, concurred, Huff we 1h
court to ‘find an altern@ mond! out
jailing now ‘“‘so we can CO

defense.”

Griffin spent the bulk of Yi x
nesday’s court session — Sf
day in the marathon tri 1g ‘
to twist George Dimitro t astit
famous book, United Fro
Fascism, to fit the PY? politi
view of a working¢ a ss
party asa “conspiracy:

u
Pettus, his composure sal

by the night behind 0
clear his understanding, ings
heart of Dimitrov’s teat ;
the united front: posed

“The question to PO Ts capt
our country is not put
talism versus socal cole
mobilization of all
mocratic forces fo
rise of fascism an
a world war.” his wh

While he freely he? a ie
derstanding of Dimitre jief
he emphasized his penis Pe
decade and a half of 10 oe
activities and writing am apf
he had testified earlier
best evidence of nis it
application of Comm ,
policy. pace

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — AUGUST 28, 1953 —

col’

pe te