PARLIAMENT HILL By MARK FRANK LaCroix’ revised police state bill can be defeated again ILFRED LACROIX’S effort to make himself and his police-state bill more palatable to democratic Canadians who on two occasions in 1947-48 rejected his anti-Communist legislation, is expected to meet stiff opposition again when his revised bill comes up for second reading in Commons. Public opinion against such a measure was reflected in the House when the LaCroix bill was introduced at the last session. None- theless, MP’s will need to be prodded again. The bill asks that ‘‘any association, society, group or organization which has similar aims or purposes” to those of the Labor-Progressive Party or ““a Communist foreign government or world Communist movement,” shall be deemed illegal. His first bill wanted the governor-in-council to decide the matter. Now he asks that a superior court of crim- inal jurisdiction be held: responsible.. ? A further proposal seeks a Section 988A of the Crim- inal Code which would make it unlawful “‘to establish in Canada a totalitarian dictatorship the direction and control of which is to be vested in . any foreign government, foreign organization, or foreign individual.” The wording of the bill does not include a precise definition of just what constitutes a “‘totalitarian”” regime, and who decides the matter. Absence of such a defin- ition and the wording given would imply that a totalitarian dictatorship of a native complexion would be entirely dn order, so long as it suited the politics of Wilfrid LaCroix. As claimant for honors as a democrat LaCroix makes a poor showing on his record and reveals indirectly the Yeactionary character of his “‘anti-Communist’’ legisla- hon. Here ‘is the LaCroix dossier: During the Second World War LaCroix was sympa- TRIAL OF THE ‘12’ XN thetic to the fascist-infiltrated League for the Defence of Canada. “‘It is well known,” reports former mem- _ber of parliament Fred Rose in his celebrated ex- posure on fascist activities in Quebec, “that LaCroix was a member of the Arcand fascist party.’’ He is known to have had association with Paul Bouchard, the notorious Hitler agent. @ LaCroix is a bitter racist and is regarded by his | compatriots in the House of Commons as an ‘‘English- baiter.”” @ During the Second World War he was known to have had access to highly confidential military intelli- gence documents. The minister of national defence, on March 24, 1942, promised a full inquiry into the matter and described as a “complete breach of duty” on the part of certain civil servants working with La- Croix. : LaCroix Bill blasted TORONTO. The LPP national convention held in this city last week requested Prime Minister St. Laurent to state “clearly and unequivocally your opposition to the’ so- called LaCroix Bill”, which, like the infamous Sec- tion 98 it plans to revive, is a complete negation of the fundamental rights of the Canadian people. “This denial of fundamental rights ‘of people is foreign to both French and English ideals of justice ' and freedom for which they have fought for years,” the LPP stated. “We ask you and your government to oppose the LaCroix Bill and advance legislation guaranteeing civil rights.” US Communist leaders transform tria _ into exposure of rigged juries NEW YORK. \VITHIN a few minutes of the opening of the trial of the 12 Communist leaders here it was obvious that the odds were all stacked against them, For this is no Ordinary trial. It is clearly intended to serve \as a politi- Cal witch-hunt and the Communist leaders are to be Crucified because they have dare2 to advocate Marxian Socialism. , ; That is the indictment against them, that they have advocated Marxian Socialism. and for holding these ideas and teaching them they face 10 years i prison. The indictment charges them with no overt acts. Upon the eLiame of this trial depends the freedom of political expression in the United States, If these 12 Communists are convicted, then the dangerous precedent is established that can, and no doubt will, be used against Others who are not Communists but whose views clash With those of the powerful interests that rule the US. And obviously, the verdict will also have a far-reaching effect in C a ; , = There eran be no mistakes at this trial. Behind his desk the middle-aged judge, Harold ‘Medina, rocks to and fro gently, denying every motion presented by ye lawyers for the defendants, denying that he is biased, denying that the system of jury selection is wep: Ty; ing g request to postpone the trial because of the il sa of William Z. Foster, denying a mection Aur no one be Permitted to enter the courtroom armed. Like the man who presided at the trial of Sacco cee Vanzetti, this judge too, by his insistence on his i Partiality, reveals that he has already made up his mind. He is not here to preside at a trial. He is here to help the Prosecutors get a conviction. : There ae correspondents here from all parts of ie world. Some of them, more cynical, are surprised a nothing. During ‘intermission they say, “It’s rigged. wee twelve haven't got a chance.’ Others cannot believe tha’ a. self-proclaimed democracy is capable of such outrageous Misbehavior, The accused men sit quietly, conferring — with their lawyers, confident of their innocence, confi- dent that Betate the trial is over they will become the accusers, : ‘ ‘ eit At the moment the defense has been challenging relentlessly the system of picking jurymen for the Rbsionss eral court. It contends that the jury will be packed with blue-stockings from Park Avenue and Wall Street, There is a mountain of proof submitted showing that the poor, the manual workers, the Negroes, the Jews, and the foreign-born are deliberately left out of the panels from which the jury is being chosen. One lawyer, Harry Sachar, pointed out that, since this system was adopted, no Jew living on the East Side has ever been admitted to the jury. The man who introduced this selective jury method, Senior Judge C. Knox, has admitted bias. “In answer to this indictment,” he said. with a broad grin, “I cannot do otherwise than admit my guilt.’ To him, it’s a joke. To the prosecutors, this trial is a joke. It’s fixed. But throughout the U.S. and across the world, the great weight of public opinion that all the wealth and influence of Wall Street cannot “fix” is being brought to bear, It too, is a force to be reckoned with. Some 600 Dutch writers, artists and other profes- sionals of varying political convictions have. set up a “Committee of Iniative against the Trial of the 12 Ameri- can Communists.” The Dutch committee is the third to be organized in Europe, similar committees having al- ready been set up in France and Czechoslovakia. The Association of Polish Trade Unionists, repre- senting three and a half million workers in that country. has also, cabled protests on the “disgraceful trial of the 12 Communist leaders.” . In the U.S., three trade unions with a quarter of a million membership asked for the right to appear as “friends of the court” in support of the Communists’ challenge of hand-picked. juries. The unions are Fur and Leather’ Workers, Food, Tobacco, Agricultural and Allied Workers, and Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. (In Toronto last week the LPP national convention strongly condemned the charges and demanded release of the ‘12.’) : / A deiegation of seven local officials: from five New York unions met with Judge Medina in his chambers — urging that he quash the indictments, Medina told the unionists he was “besieged” by letters, wires and messages demanding he quash the indictments, ; ~ * ATLANTIC PACT New alliance runs counter to UN i By ISRAEL EPSTEIN PRESIDENT TRUMAN, in his inaugural address, said he would work to get Congress to approve the North Atlantic Military Alliance, which U.S. diplomats and soldiers have beer negotiating for some time without benefit of congressional authority. The alliance, as pro- jected, could call on its members for automatic warfare if any government signing it is threatened from without or within. It would pledge the U.S. to participate not only in war, but in the suppression of domestic revolts in other countries. : ; Many authorities say the pact, the first peacetime military alliance proposed in U.S. history, would be un-- constitutional from start to finish. The U.S. Constitution reserves the right to declare war\to Congress and Con- gress alone. This right cannot be prejudiced by any previous commitment. To cause Congress to depart from constitutional usage and pledge itself in advance is the aim of the current wave of anti-Communist hysteria now reaching a new ¢limax in the American press. The pact would include the U.S., Canada, Britain. France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Denmark and Norway. A subsidiary alliance is planned to include Italy, Greece, Turkey and other Near East countries. The cannon-fodder of the alliance would be mainly for- eign—at the start. It would ultimately include a revived German army of at least 500.000 men, according to the U.S. News and World Report. The overall commander would be American, possibly General Omar Bradley. Weapons would come mainly from the U.S., providing fat profits for U.S. industry, \ The main cost would be borne by U.S. taxpayers, about $20 billion over the next four years. The main aim of the pact would be encirclement of the Soviet Union and its kindred non-capitalist states. While officially described as “security,” it hopes to range against the USSR, which now produces about 22 million tons of steel annually, the combined ‘steel production of the U.S. and western Europe, totalling almost 150 mil- lion tons. The U.S., which would provide the strategic bombing © air strength of the alliance, already has bases in Green- land, Iceland, the Azores, Britain and west Germany. It has asked for further bases in Norway. Comparison of the relative distances cf these points from Russia and the U.S. will show the fallacy of the “defense” ’ argument. : , : . 2 The main result of the pact would be the revival of German war power. Production in Germany’s indus- trial heart, the Ruhr- valley, is already practically up to prewar level. U.S. News and World Report says frankly that “the German aim is to use western need for Ruhr production . . . to restore Germany to a position of power and influence in Europe.”* Since German restoration is to be “against communism,” the most reliable anti-Com-— munists, open and concealed Nazis, have been placed in. charge. By representing Germany as “a barrier against Russia” Hitler built his Third Reich up with U.S. and British aid before the Second World War. Now it is happening again. The fears this generates inside the projected allies may rip the pact apart before birth. U.S. pressure on Sweden and Norway. nearest to Russia, has already caused a near-panic there, Sweden is reluctant to take part in the pact, which is supposed to “defend” her. Norway, which has a border with the Soviet Union, has received both a warning and an offer of a non-agression pact from Moscow’ Walter Lippmann, New York Herald Tribune writer, blames the new scare in northern Europe on Washing- ton. He wrote on February 10 that “before there was even ‘an agreed draft of the treaty, before it had been shown. even to the leaders of the Senate, much less the Ameri- can people. . . . thoughtless officials began exerting pres- sure on the Scandinavian countries.” The first cost of the projected alliance, in blood and tears, falls on colonial peoples, in Indonesia, Malaya and Indo-China. The Dutch invaded Indonesia knowing they would get no interference other than words because they were needed for the North Atlantic alliance. The British are storming through Malaya. The French are fighting the Viet-Nam republic. A pact supposed to protect the peace thus makes aggression safe in Asia, and may un- leash war throughout the world. Truman, in his inaugural speech and his answers to Stalin’s peace talk offer, said he would do nothing outside the United Nations The U.S. state department now presents the alliance as consistent with the UN charter. It isn’t. The existence of any threat of ageres- sion must be announced to the UN Security Council. The U.S. has proclaimed it alone. : Only regional security pacts are sanctioned by the UN in peacetime, to prevent war between neighbors in the same geographical area. The U.S. and Canada are a region. The U.S. and Canada plus western Europe. plus Germany, plus Scandinavia, are not. Moreover, the pro- visions of the Atlantic pact do not foresee mutual se- curity. If they did, Russia and other countries would be invited to join in the pledges—which has not been done. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 18, 1949 — PAGE 9