. | A rising tide of labor support for the striking Canadian seamen is evident in Vancouver and other
/major ports throughout the world as the CSU tie-up of East Coast ships extends into its eighth week.

war schem

By BERT WHYTE

Former U.S. Defense Secre-
tary James Forrestal committed

_& hospital in Bethesda, Mary-
land, where he had been in-
carcerated since insanity forced
his resignation from his gov-
ernment post.

Brooding over his failure to
turn the “cold war” into a
“shooting war” against the So-
viet Union, Forrestal began to
suffer delusions of a “Red in-

sign” as defense secretary short-
ly before he was admitted
to hospital, allegedly suffering
from “combat fatigue.” Despite
official efforts to hush the af-
fair up, it leaked out that he
had run through the corridors
of Washington’s Pentagon
building yelling, “The Reds are
coming!” '

Following the economic
breakdown of American capi-
talism in the crash of ’29, jump-
ing from Wall street windows
became almost a national rite
with bankrupt Yankee bankers
and stockbrokers. Now, two de-
eades later, collapse of the “war
with Russia now” plans of Wall
street imperialists may encour-
age a similar suicide bendér, for
which Forrestal’s fatal leap sets
a pattern.

When Forrestal was locked|up,
the Soviet radio succinctly com-
mented that many of his war-
minded friends who were just
as mad were still walking about
freely, continuing their crimin-
al policy of war preparations.

Forrestal in the past few
weeks ad taken to reading
the works of Sophocles, the
tragic poet of ancient Greece.
Perhaps he reflected moodily
upon the failure of his policy
in Greece today. But biting
deepest of all in his mad, tor-
mented mind must have been
the failure of his attempts to
unleash an atom-bomb war.

A book of Sophocles’ poems
was found by Forrestal’s bed-
side. Many of the poet’s lines
must have struck home like
daggers in the madman’s mind.

“For money “you would sell
your soul,” wrote Sophocles.
Forrestal was a millionaire and
former head of the banking
firm of Dillon, Read and Com-
pany.

“War. loves to prey among
the young,” said Sophocles. For-
restal, aged 57, had schemed to
send millions of young Ameri-
cans and Canadians to an early
grave.

“The very hair on my head
stands up for dread.” declared
Sophocles. Forrestal’s obsession
with the delusions he had
shaped into American foreign
policy fully revealed itself when
he dashed outdoors in pyjamas,
screaming, “The Reds are com-

Suicide last Sunday by leaping
from a 16th stery window of

vasion” and was allowed to “re-,

VICTIM OF OWN ATOMANIA

Forrestal, insane cold

er,suicides

His plans collapsing and his
mind deranged, Forrestal was
in a fit mood to agree with
Sophocles’ nihilist cry:

“Never to have been born is
much the best;

And the next best, by far,

To return thence, by the way
speediest,

Where our beginnings are.”

Forrestal crossed the corridor
from his hospital room and en-
tered the diet kitchen. He tied
the cord of his bathrobe around
his neck, opened a window and

SESS

JAS. V. FORRESTAL

“Unseasonable, unfitting, mounts
the wall,
Only to hurry to that fatal

fall.
—Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus.

plunged out, his body plummet-

ing down to the narrow offset

at the third floor. That too. was

in Sophocles’ lines, although

the poet had a different thought

in mind.

“Unseasonable, unfitting,
mounts the wall

Only to hurry to that fatal
fall.”

Forrestal is dead, a suicide,

and the daily press across the

continent, in inspired reports,

attributes his death to the fact

that he was too “sensitive” to

bear up under the strain of at-

tacks on his policies. ad
But Forrestal was fanatically

insensitive to the real tragedy

his suicidal policies brought in-

to countless Greek homes, to

the suffering and death they

visited on China, Malaya, In-

donesia, to the horrors they

contemplated for Americans

and Canadians.

His. death serves sharp notice

that Canadians in the coming

elections are being asked to

endorse policies which origin- -

ing!”

ated in the mind of a madman.

| daily by voluntary kitchen staffs.

| Last week “contempt of court”
' charges were dismissed against 23
_ pickets, and company applications
for injunctions against picketing
struck vessels on Vancouver water-
_front were denied. One supreme
| court anti-picketing injunction still
| stands, but the union is seeking
|to have it repealed.

Vancouver women have ar-
ranged a huge “shower of food”
for the seamen at Pender Audi-
torium Monday evening, May 30,
at 3:30 p.m. Visitors are asked
to bring donations of food and
canned goods. An _ interesting
program has been arranged, in-
‘cluding the showing of a labor
film and a short talk on the
CsU_ strike situation by Don
Rinder. During the evening a
draw will take place for several
valuable prizes, including a
hand-carved, black walnut coffee
table from India, and a hand-
painted lacquer cocktail set from
China, donated by seamen.

Some of the major recent dona-
tions to the CSU strike fund in-
clude: Fishermen, $192; Civic Em-
ployees, Local 28, $162.41; Boiler.
makers, $128; Pulp and Sulphite,
$75; Police Association, $50; and
from _ Bricklayers, Carpenters,
Plumbers, Longshoremen, Railway
Carmen, Building Service. Employ-
ees,

» Other donations came from seven
LPP clubs, one CCF club, Associa-
tion of United Ukrainian Cana-
dians, Federation of Russian Cana-
dians, Chinese Benevolent Associa-
tion, United Jewish Peopels Order,
UJPO Youth Group, and the La-
dies Auxiliary at Britannia Mines.

National Federation of Labor
Youth held a benefit dance at
Finnish Hall and an auction of
seamen’s souvenirs raised $100.75.
A CSU rally at Pender Auditorium
last Sunday drew 500 people and
netted a collection of $161.

The seamen themselves have
responded magnificently in giv-
ing aid to their striking union
brothers. Crews of the following
ships donated: Waihemo, $750;
Waiguna, $1,210; Triland, $747;
Lake Canim, $1,500; Seaboard
Enterprise, $1,242.

| pany of ‘inability to pay’ in view

. Local trade unions, fraternal organizations, poli:ical parties and individual citizens are
'and money into CSU strike headquart€rs at 53

Powell, where some

pouring f
200 pickets are being fed three times

As the knockdown, bitter fight
to a finish continues, the need for
support to the striking seamen is
still urgent. :

Vancouver citizens interested in
learning more details about the
great seamen’s wtrike would do
well to drop around to the People’s
Cooperative Bookstore, 337 West
Pender, to view the fine exhibit
of seamen’s souvenirs in the win-
dow and talk over the strike situa-
tion with one of the strikers who
is on duty in the store. Photo-
graphs taken on local picket lines
are also on display.

Sixty ships are still tied up in
ports around the world. The CSU
has slapped a libel suit for $250,000
against the owners of the Argo-
john, currently tied up in Seattle.
The unign is claiming $5,000 per
man for attempted blacklisting;
$5,000 .per .man .for illegal .dis-
charge; and wages for all crew
members up to the end of articles,
plus subsistence at $5 per day.

A U.S. court injunction prohibits
picketing of the Argojohn, but the
suit prevents the ship from leaving
port until $250.000 bond is posted

BCER

make concessions, an early strike
appears inevitable.

The public of Vancouver, New
Westminster and Victoria is ‘still
smarting over the political deal
whereby new franchises were
handed to BCElectric, and the
power monopoly’s subsequent gen-
eral fare increases and_ traffic
manipulation which stand in -mark-
ed contrast to the 1948 record pro-
fit statement.

The union has engaged in three
previous strikes, in 1919, 1945 and
1947, winning partial victories each
time.

“It’s rather difficult for the SRU
to’ reconcile the plea of the com-

of the fact that Mr.
reported in the press that the
BCE is presently enjoying the
highest profits in the history of

Grauer has

the company.” acidly comments the
union’s statement.

‘Save CIO’

call issued

—CHICAGO:

A call to action “to the rank
and file of the CIO... to save
the American labor movement
from suicide and destruction” wa
issued this week by 70 rank and
file members of the Internation’
Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter!
Workers (CIO) meeting in Wash-
ingtcn, D.C. The group was if
Washington in the hope of attend-
ing the CIO executive board meet
ing as observers.

The statement rejected the ClO
executive board’s majority motiol
of “censure” against Mine-Mill 2%
“undemocratic, demagogic and b
pocritical.” i

Commenting on the CIO-United
Steelworkers’ raid on Mine-Mill 10
cals at Bessemer, Alabama, which
led to a brutal assault on Maurice
Travis, Mine- Mill internation®
treasurer, the statement char;
that the CIO “dares to turn th®
facts upside down.”

CIO president Philip Murray dis
missed the assault on Travis 4°
“a minor incident,” maintained h®
had sustained no more than t
black eye. But Mine-Mill preside®
John, Clark informed Murray this
week that Travis had his right ey®
removed in an emergency operati i
and suggested that if documenté
proof were not sufficient, Mute
“make a trip to Chicago to invest
gate Travis’ condition person
before you continue the braze?
falsehoods retailed by the major
of the CIO executive board again
Travis and his union,” :
Travis sustained the eye inj
April 20 when he was attacke
without provocation in a Bessem@’
radio station by a gang of Stee”
workers’ goons led by Nick 20?
arich, Steelworkers internation
representative, and Robert Chris
offerson, publicity director for

CIO’s Southern Organizing atv

‘SIGHTED SUB, SECURED SAME’

“Sighted sub, sank same,” was
one ofthe famous battle mes-
sages in World War II. “Sub”
Meant submarine, of course. But
“sub” also means subscription, and
in the current election battles Pa-
cific Tribune boosters are begin-
ning to report, “Sighted sub, se-
cured same.”

One of the victories

labor can

The Pacific Tribune
is your weapon in this

WIUC gives superintendent

a good run for

Action on the job, led by WIUC
job stewards, won a quick victory
for workers at Bloedel’s Camp 5
last week. When fire hazard
brought a temporary shutdown of
operations and workers leaving for
town went to collect their cheques,
they found they were two hours
short in their pay.

Some 300 crew members held a
meeting, elected’ a committee to

men’s moriey

interview superintendent Jack
Challenger and, led by WIUC stew-
ards, set out for his office. They
found him—but only after chasing
him over the hillsides. They won
their point, too. The. sight of 300
men standing outside his office
during negotiations caused him to
reconsider his stand that he would
deal only with the IWA. The men
got their pay.

important fight. A
@ If you are NOT a sub-

scriber then you should

USE THIS 9g~

If you are a subscriber
then YOU should get your

neighbor or shopmate TO

USE THIS — =

New readers mean votes won |

win in the elections will be an
increase in PT circulation. Not
only does every subscription mean
a progressive vote won; it also
means that for 52 weeks another
person will be reading the truth :
on national and_ international
events.

During the March-April finan-
cial campaign 214 supporters rais-
ed $25 or more for the paper and
became Press Builders. These PBs

Oust the Coalition in B.C.
Elect Fighters for Progress

é
‘

can do a big job between now ang
the’ provincial elections cue
by going out and winning outs
NEW READERS each. How ab
it? ow
Speaking of Press Builders, fay
final drive story missed 2 “4
names, which we include now il
Lindberg, Jchn Gustafson, ” ;
Job, Myles Nugent, Mona More.
Kuldeep Baines, Shand Rober”
and Fred Yaremchuk.

Pacific Tribune,
650 Howe Street,
Vancouver, B.C.

E) $250 a year

Circulation Department,

Amount
Enclosed $

CO $1.35 - 6 months}

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MAY 27, 1919 — PAGE