nue NATION

Wall Street's

N the month that followed the U.S. imperialist aggres-

sion in Korea, the members and leading committees
of the Labor-Progressive party faced an historic test.
For the first time since the slogan “Keep Canada,
Independent!” was put forward by the party, we had
the task of applying that slogan in conditions of an
international emergency. For the first time since the
call of our February 1950 national committee meeting,
é to strengthen decisively our struggle for peace, we had
the task of conducting that struggle in an atmosphere
of open war incitement and international crisis.

It can be said, in the main, that
the party measured up to the test.
Under rhe leadership of Comrade
Buck, the LPP stood forth’ as the one
party that works for peace, against.
the involvement of Canada in the
Yankee war, for a policy of Canadian
independence, for Hands Off Korea!
and the restoration of United Nations
legality.

On June 27, Comrade Buck de-
nounced the U.S, military interven-
tion in Korea as “open and brazen
aggression against the Korean peo-

ple’s struggle for national independence and unity”—
and called for “Hands Off Korea!” ae ‘

On July 8, the national executive of the party issued
a manifesto calling upon Canadians to act to stop the
War from spreading, to condemn the U.S. armed inter-
vention, and to restore the United Nations to a legal
% footing by seating the Republic of China.

‘ In reply to the sending of three Canadian destroyers
to serve under MacArthur, the LPP demanded a halt to
the military involvement of Canadian forces in Wall
Street’s war in Korea.

On July 10, Comrade Buck addressed an open letter
to Prime Minister St. Laurent, exposing the govern-
ment’s betrayal of national independence, contrasting
it with the stand taken by the King government in 1948,
of opposition to the U.S-dictated partition of Korea, (This
letter was published as a tract in: 26,000 copies.) On
July 18, the LPP national leader wired St. Laurent to
demand that Canada support the Nehru-Stalin proposals
for peace.

The national executive of the LPP from the outset
called upon all committees and members to drastically
strengthen our work for peace. In the first place this
Meant radically stepping up the tempo and volume of.
our output of propaganda and agitational material—to
tell the truth about Korea, to urge united action to save
Peace. In this reSpect it can be said that a foe Der
ning was made, though unevenly as between eren’
areas, and with stili insufficient boldness and imagina-

. tion. t

During July, over a quarter of a million pieces of
literature See apron by. the LPP in the ee a
Camps and neighborhoods all across Canada—calling oF
action to save ‘world peace, to stop al le from spread-
ing, to halt the U.S. armed intervention.

as ‘that. same month, the LPP held a oth pa
“Tell the Truth about Korea” in dozens of towns eat

- cities—mass meetings in public halls, street oe a

shop gate meetings, open-air rallies and picnics. Radic

Ye de- »
broadcasts by the LPP on the war in Korea we <
livered in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Mani
toba, ~ :

ters with the slogan:
ce Korea’—‘“Des Vies :
Coree?—

ee In Quebec, the party put up P

“No Canadian Lives for the War

‘Penadiennes pour la Guerre Americaine ¢n
ON!” ?

In Toronto, street corner meetings with ae dete
in the needle trades market attracted hundreds © ee
ers, and police attempts at intimidation werp bee

back. :

chewan, LPP leaflets
flew over an open air
by. Prime Minister St.

At Fort Qu’Appelle in Saskat
Were dropped from a plane which
rally which was being addressed

uren

On rae Pacific Coast, the public activity ee aoe
has evoked howls of rage from the big a ae

editorials dealing with the LPP stand on
in the Victoria Colonist, the Times, the

News-Herald and Province. ‘ ' : os
Th the forefront of the struggle to_ bring the trith

have been the

the leadership for peace
Canation amibane, the Pacific Tribune, and the progress-
ive working class press as a Whole,
. tional

The lesson driven home at Ane Eebrusry, AS hace,
“committee meeting had been—in the wt Sea sation
the action of the party is decisive for the,
of the masses.

The fight for party initiative has
the present emergency. ;

made headway in

“Work of LPP against

vancouver Sun, —

if

Das ill

aE

By STANLEY RYERSON

war in Korea
Hell, No!

HE BEST illustration of how workers

feel about peace occured in the big
Ford .plant in Detroit when one member
of Local 600, UAW, approached a fellow
worker for his signature on the National
Labor Conference for Peace petition urg-
ing the outlawing of the H- and A- bombs.
The worker first objected to signing it.
Then the petition collector: drew another
petition from his pocket and said:

“Well, then, sign this.” The new ‘peti-
tion said: “I am in favor of an immediate
A-bomb war.” Then the reluctant worker
said: “Hell, no. I don’t want any A-bomb
war or any other kind of war,” and prompt-

ly signed the peace petition.
—James H. Durkin in March of Labor.

But inseparable from the putting forward of the
party’s position, is its application in mass, united front
work. The activity of the Communists in the general
movement for peace, in the collection of signatures to the
world peace petition, is decisive—and must be greatly
strengthened. In a letter in mid-July to the provincial
and regional committees, the national executive commit-
tee was sharply critical: “Our work for the success of the
peace petition is not satisfactory . .. The success of the
petition is-the criterion of the success of the peace fight.
This is the essence of the matter.” :

The party forces are directed to give full support to
the aims and work of the Canadian Peace -Congress—to
its series of public meetings on the issue of Korea, to
the campaign for the sending of at least a score of dele-
gates to the World Peace Congress in October, and above
all to the work for signatures to the petition.

The basis for united front activity is broad and strong
—despite the frantic barrage from the hostile press, and
despite undoubted inroads of the “cold war” propaganda
among wide sections of workers. ;

Certainly, the anti-Soviet lie about “Red aggression”
has fooled masses of people. Certainly, the role of the CCF
leadership in giving eager, servile support to Ottawa and
Wall Street, in helping to put over the lie about “UN
action” in Korea, has given important aid and comfort to
the imperialist camp. (It is worthy of note that the shame-
less hoisting of the Wall Street flag by the CCF leaders
is accompanied by the most open renunciation yet made
by them, of any and all pretense at socialist aims.)

¢ Yet the Canadian people want peace.

One leading party comrade in Saskatchewan writes
as follows: oom ‘i

“A friend of mine who works on the railway, tells me
that the men in his department are unanimous in their
condemnation of the Yankee intervention, and are de-
lighted at the victories of the North Koreans, _

“He feels the situation among the people is different

- from what it was at the time of the Czechoslovakian and
Berlin crises. There is less confusion now. My friend is
not a man given to over-optimism .. . Another friend who
is attending summer school] at the university along with

several hundred other teachers reports that it is surpris- —

ing the number of people who are opposed to the Amer-
ican action. Another friend working on a summer job
with 10 men says that two of them are somewhat con-

-. fused, the other eight are opposed to the Yanks.

_ “The job is to crystallize all this healthy thinking, and
give it a means of expression.” :

_The breadth and depth of the will to peace among the |
great masses of Canadians is unmistakeable. The adher- —

ence of 70 French-Canadian, Catholic municipalities in

Quebec to the Stockholm Appeal; the signatures of 64

members of. the clergy to the petition; the evident effect

on the Canadian cabinet of mass popular opposition to the

sending of troops to ‘Korea—all point to the great potential
for peace that is present in this country, >

The report of the Canadian Institute of Public Opinion

on July 29, that only 34 percent of the public approve the

sending of Canadians to fight in Korea (in Quebec, only

_ 21 percent), bears out the position of the party and points

to the great possibilities of stronger, broader struggle _

in behalf of peace. ; ‘

Our task is to build the broader, stronger united front
for peace—in the fight for signatures to the peace petition,
in organizing the peace movement, in bringing our poli-
cies ever more widely to the masses of the Canadian
people.

LABOR FOCUS

-Railroaders enter
crucial stage

VERY WEEK as I write this column I wish we had

E a daily instead of a weekly paper. Events and issues
of transcending importance hammer at us day by day.
The big business press drowns the people in a sea of lies.
Throughout the country there are no more than two or
three English weekly publications which serve as islands
of truth. The result is that every week as I sit down at
the typewriter I find a flock of issues perched on the
keyboard clamoring for priority. :

This week, however, I couldn’t argue myself out of
the weekly dilemma with the result that I am setting
a precedent for myself by dealing with
more than a single issue:

Railroaders are now entering the
most crucial stage of their struggle
for the 40-hour week, for a wage in-
crease and for the defense of their
jobs. Their right-wing leaders are mas-
ters at the game of wearing down the
rank and file..As a result of that lead-
ership the railroad workers of this
country have fallen behind many other
sections of organized workers during
the last ten years. Railroaders work
longer hours, receive less pay and
have smaller pensions that workers in
many other industries in which there was no unicn 10 or
15 years ago. Nor is there another industry in which the
workers are threatened with the wholesale loss of jobs
as are the railroaders because of the rapid replacement |
of coal engines with diesels.

By J. B. SALSBERG

The negotiations for the new contract have dragged so
long that railroaders have forgotten when they started.
The conciliation board recommendations were truly a ~
“slap in the face”. The strike vote showed the workers
were almost unanimously for strike action unless their
just demands were granted. But what now? is

The Frank Hall leadership cannot be relied upon to
follow the instructions of the rank and file. They will now —
closet themselves with the new labor minister, Milton
Gregg, to seek a formula to cover up their capitulation.
That has been their pattern for years, But this need not
and must not be allowed to happen. In the face of the
new jump in the cost of living the railroaders’ families —
need not only the increase demanded a year ago but are
justified in raising those demands. But nothing will be
gained unless and only if the rank and file of all railroad
unions develop an irresistible pressure on their leaders.

Railwaymen must make it abundantly clear that they
will stand for no sellout and no phony settlement. The
best way to de that is by setting up strike machinery
throughout the country. Every local or lodge in the coun-
try must make that clear to their leaders as they enter
the new round of negotiations with the government. The
railroaders can count on the wholehearted support of all
organized workers in the country but the victory which
they are entitled to will not be gained if they leave it
Frank Hall and company. :

.

In a number of columns I have dealt with some of the
overriding issues which will face the trade union move-_
ment at the two annual conventions next month. The fight |
for peace, for trade union unity, for inner trade union
democracy_and for Canadian autonomy will, quite ob- —
viously, affect every aspect of the workers’ struggle for —
a better life. ; :

What the militants in the unions must, however, not
forget is that.all immediate economic and legislative mat-
ters must also be dealt with specifically and find their
way to the convention floors. The need for curbing profit- _
eering, the preparations for a united and coordinated new _
round of wage increases te protect living standards, old-
age pensions, health insurance, defense of civil rights, etc.,
should be dealt with in special resolutions. Don’t leave
these immediate needs to others because those “others”
will not deal with them. Just glance at the resolutions of
the past conventions and you will realize how the Frank

. Halls and the Archie Johnstones ignore even these bread-
and-butter questions. Bee akg

For the last few weeks, I have felt an inescapable need
to pay my respects to a great, unique and most colorful
working-class fighter who passed from our midst. I want
.to do it now by giving this salute to M. A. MacKenzie, who
was perhaps best known as the editor and publisher o
The Steelworker and Miner which has appeared uninter-
ruptedly for the last 17 years in Sydney, N.S. “M.A.”, as
he was affectionately known, was a legendary figure for
me for many years before I had the privilege of meeting
him in person. M.A.’s paper—for that’s what it was—
described itself as “an island of truth in an ocean of lies.”
And that’s what The Steelworker and Miner was in the
Dosco-dominated island of Cape Breton. : i:

’ How the entire MacKenzie family struggled to bring
out its small but dynamic paper week after week con-
stitutes one of the most dramatic episodes in the
of labor journalism in this country. Some day, I’m sure,
working-class creative artist will do justice to that un-
usual experience. F 5 eG

At best the paper provided the MacKenzie family with
bread but no treasure could buy or substitute for the
love, respect and appreciation which M.A. and his family
enjoyed among the coal miners and the steelworkers of
Cape Breton and among the honest leaders of the working-
class throughout the a? 2 3e

Salute to a courageous working-class warrior.

et