\

memb
‘bmitted a
“ying “I th

of the CCF has
letter to the Tribune
y COR ink there are many,
Way Tg ers who feel the same
I doubs © about the defeat but
Monweatty > much if the Com-
lish ip h would see fit to pub-

The ;
fut letter is carried below in

Hditor, Canadian Tribune.

| yy Ex-Stubble-Jumper
7 r Sir:

oat Two c
Bane like to add to Nelson

| “hiss ~§ analysis of the CCF
: askatchewan.

Unt
“tepjy_ Tecently our family was
of the MVvolved in the fortunes
| itis Party in that province
diff, Bene gies
‘ Cult to -be objective.
ers therefore, are
Mients ° to challenge my
a and I would hope
(9) “fr € of the challenge
Pe braities CCF members on
once s who might feel free,
» to let their hair down.

“Intain that the defeat at

PE caecente ea

Ch a ae AS een Ra

el: You are the father.

i : You are the mother.

ar to all men.

recog

far to all women.

As
Shield mankind;

SASS SRS

Nerna ° ° ’

tional Childrens Day
June 1, 1964

if OF every child in the world, father,

f every child, mother,

°U cannot turn your back on any of them.
The love that you bear your son,

e love that you bear your daughter,

®U cannot turn your back on any of them.
you shield your child,

Dd, you keep him from harm,

bare the Peace of the Earth.
U CANNOT TURN YOUR BACK.

—David Martin (Australia)

One CCF member's opinion

the polls was inevitable for the
following reasons:

ONE, the leadership has for
too long been out of touch with
the people;

TWO, the government allow-
ed a bureaucracy to take over
administration;

THREE, the leadership was
literally afraid to let the people
organize except at election time;

FOUR, the leadership did
things FOR the people, never
with them.

_ To elaborate:

(1) Saskatchewan people ac-
cepted with open arms ‘trade
deals with China and the Soviet
Union. Provincial officials might
have been the ones who brought
these deals about, simply by
militant advocacy and by mak-
ing visits to the socialist coun-
tries as did Alvin Hamilton, etc.

Now, it is the Tories and the
Liberals who are associated in
the minds of the farmers with
their present prosperity, not the
CCF. The government might
have openly advocated and at-

Nostalgia

Sir: Here is how I feel
about recent events in our
province:

The sun will shine,
The wind will blow;
The golden moon
Look down below.
But there’s a change
That shades the glow.
Some things are gone
-I used to know.

—George Evans, White
Fox, Sask., in a post-
election letter to the
editor of the Western
Producer.

tempted trade with and aid to
Cuba. They did not, for they
were afraid.

The government has always
underestimated the basic pro-
gressivism of the people.

(2) Too many times were the
people of Saskatchewan honest-
ly puzzled and frustrated by the
actions of civil servants. In
road building, land expropria-
tion, activities of the timber
board, fish marketing, lake clo-
sures, etc., civil servants acted
first and explained afterwards
(if citizens raised enough hell).

Tory-Liberal sympathizers in
strategic civil service positions
were. able to create trouble con-
founded, but so far as we know

held their positions to the bitter

end and will no doubt long be
doing service for Thatcher.

(3) The membership were en-
couraged to become beehives of
activity once every four years
at election time; to send dele-
gates to conventions twice a
year (constituency and provin-
cial) and the rest of the time to
leave things to George or the
government.

Thus, we actually did not

understand the structure of the

medical care plan when it be-
came law in April, 1962, and
we were almost unprepared to
argue its merits because we did
not know, frankly, anything
about it except that it was a
“sood” thing.

The lies and innuendos of the
K.O.D.’s and the medical asso-
ciation caught the mass of the
people completely off guard.
Every CCF party group in the
province should have been
brought up to date on the plan
by careful education and in-
struction long before it became
law.

Once the furore started, the
membership wanted desperately
to counter the hysteria foment-
ed by the Thatcherites and the
medical association, but here
again no leadership was given.
In effect, we were “shushed.”

Finally left wingers, trade and
farm unionists and the liberal-

- minded folk of all creeds took

matters into their own hands
and set up committees to offset
the almost fascist propaganda
being spewed around the coun-
try. .

|

One must remember that the
press, radio and TV coverage in
Saskatchewan did not take the
broad minded approach of the
news media of other provinces.
The pro-medicare people were
subjected to an almost total
news blackout.

If ever a time was needed
for militant leadership, this was
it. However, polite restraint was
the order of the day. Citizens
for medical care, gritting their
teeth as they watched the reac-
tionary elements in their prov-
ince spread their influence far

‘and wide, came together and

organized. f

The government realized that
they could not give further con-
cessions to the medical profes-
sion, and Woodrow Lloyd, who
was in no position personally
to do or say other than he did,
was given strength to outlast
the Thatcherite-doctor clique.

(4) A perusal of the CCF
newspaper by an objective out-
lander would bring him to one
conclusion: that the CCF party
and its.government had been ap-
pointed by the Almighty to save
the little man. We are not per-
sonally acquainted with the staff
of the paper, but have always
pictured them «as being ex-
missionary types, possibly of
the old maid variety.

One does not argue, criticize,

or get involved in heated dis- .

cussions over policies with
haloed disciples. This attitude,
that the party and government
can do no wrong, is reflected
“at the very bottom level by an
unwillingness to openly discuss,
criticize and suggest.

This attitude leads to actions
such as once taken in the north
of the province where govern-
ment trading stores became co-
operative stores overnight —

Defeat in Sask. was inevitable

with no prior consultation with
the people who traded in them!
* * *

Some of your readers may
think this criticism niggardly
and unjustified. However, we
maintain that this savior com-
plex was rejected by the cyni-
cal younger generation; by the
farmer who didn’t see how he
was being ‘‘saved,’”’ and by the
intellectual who in some cases
saw it as being a hindrance to
development because it immobi-
lized the people.

The CCF government brought
in some fine legislation which
serves as an example for the
rest of the country. But it was
not enough. Had the rank and
file been honestly and heartily
involved in the progressive re-
forms brought in, Thatcher and
his type could never, never

have taken the government
from them.
The inspiration, excitement

and involvement that should be
present in a people’s movement
has been sadly lacking these
past few years in Saskatchewan.
The leadership constantly look-
ed back; never said to the
people, What and where to this
year, and next?

Now the question has to be
asked by the CCF party in Sas-
katchewan. If they sincerely
examine their position, objec-
tively admit their own failings
rather than blame the “stupid-
ity” of the people, the monied
class, the press, etc., some vital
answers will be evolved.

The basic progressivism of
the people of Saskatchewan is
still. there. One of these days
the old fighting spark will be
revived by the very nature of
the Thatcher regime, and then,
Ross, look out!

not have been reached.

ment when they see one.

government has done.

A nation perplexed

From an editorial in The Commonwealth

S THIS IS WRITTEN we still do not know the final out-
come of the Saskatchewan election. By the time it
reaches our readers a clear cut decision may or may

Whatever the outcome, at this point we-can report that
throughout the length and breadth of Canada has been re-
corded shock and surprise that the people of Saskatchewan
could have failed to register strong support for a.government
which had done so much for the province. Indeed, faith in
democracy itself has been shaken, for people are asking what
sense there is in voting if people don’t know a good govern-

But we hasten to point out that this is a wrong and dan-
gerous attitude. It is not democracy that is at fault; the
trouble lies in the fact that those of us who have been trying
to make democracy work have fallen short in our endeavors.

Democracy depends upon having the voters informed
about and identified with the big issues of the day. We in the
CCF-NDP, despite all our good intentions, have failed to
adequately inform enough people about what the real issues
are, what our own party stands for and what our elected

That is the big lesson to be learned from the disappoint-
ing result on April 22. If we properly learn that. lesson now,
we can remobilize our democratic resources and get on with
the job of building a better society of which we and our chil-
dren and all humanity can be proud.

June 5, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 7