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Humphrey Dumphrey .

EDITORIAL

A menacing choice

n covering the U.S. presidential election campaign,

‘the political soothsayers of the smear press are hav-
ing a ball.
Democratic Party candidate, vice-president Hubert Horatio
Humphrey resemble nothing so much as the tales of the
legendary Micawber, but without that famed character’s
classical touch in his patient vocation of always ‘‘waiting for
something to turn up.”’

According to one scribe who seemingly consults the Zodiac
for hot tips on election results, the first strike against Hubert
happened when his parents presented him at the baptismal font
and hung the moniker of Hubert Horatio Humphrey on their
adored offspring.. Over half a century later a Vancouver
newspaper headlined its daily election prognosis with a ‘“‘Ho
Hum, it’s Hubert,”” much in the same genre as Tom Legrer’s
popular song, ‘‘Whatever Became of Hubert?”’

However, there are greater handicaps in partisan politics _

than a name. What goes with it is one. After all, according to
our history books a Horatio won the battle of Trafalgar, and
there is no reason to doubt, if the sentiment of the American
people is any criteria, that Hubert could win the U-S.

presidency, provided he could muster sufficient courage to .
outweigh the handicap of a name, and to state openly, loudly, ,

and without any ifs; ands-or buts: . ‘‘as. president of these
United States I will stop the bombing of Vietnam, and I will
halt all U.S. aggression in Vietnam. Furthermore I will
remove all U.S. forces immediately from the soil of Vietnam,
and I will enter into negotiations with the representatives of
the people of Vietnam for a just and lasting peace.”’

As a pitiable and long confirmed ‘‘yes man’’ to the mur-
der and terror regime of President Lyndon Baynes Johnson,
such a declaration, requiring only a few words, but a lot of
courage, could score a big victory for HHH — but more im-
portant it could close the door against the impending tragedy
and threat of a fascist USA under the leadership of a nazified

‘ Nixon or a racist Wallace. It could also restore to the U.S. its
former eminencr of respect and trust in a troubled world,

and for us in Canada remove the menancing threat of.

reactionary government by U.S.-directed fascist blackmail.

Having permitted the U.S. shackles of economic, political

and military subservience to be rivetted upon Canada by
successive Tory, Liberal and Socred regimes, we now face,
with the American people, all the disastrous end results of
their tragically limited choice; that of a presidential
candidate timidly shedding the political plumage of a ‘‘hawk’’
in a belated attempt to become a ‘‘dove,” or a pair of
screaming racist hawks, their talons already sharpened for
suppression at home— and the nuclear kill abroad.

What is at issue in the current U.S. presidential elections is
not the fate of HHH or the future of the Democratic Party— or
the political career of a Nixon or Wallace. What is at issue
above all else and immediately affecting all else, is the issue of
peace in Vietnam and flowing directly store that focal point,
world peace.

In that context, the outcome of the U.S. elections are of no
less vital importance to the people and future of Canada. Since
Confederation we have conditioned ourselves to tolerate and to
live peacefully with mediocre ‘“‘statesmen’”’ so-called. But we
shall not, nor shall we pretend to— live peacefully with fascist
colossus next door!

The canned. opinion served up for or against the’

‘West Coast edition, Canadian Tribune

Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH

Editor—TOM McEWEN
Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.,
Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288.

Subscription Rate: Canada, $5.00 one year; $2.75 for six months.
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Tribune

axes and democracy top
Winnipeg election issues

WINNIPEG — “A New mee
Deal and Civic Democracy”’
the theme of the program of
progressive candidates contest-
ing the civic elections here on
Wednesday, October 23.

The Winnipeg Labor Election
Committee, the progressive
civic organization, last week
called for a new tax deal for
homeowners and tenants, now
crushed by the heaviest tax load
in the city’s history.

In Ward 3, Don Currie and
Andrew Bileski are candidates
for alderman and school trustee.
W.A. Kardash is seeking a Metro
Division 3 seat for the Labor
Etettion eamittee,

‘‘Winnipeg’s tax crisis can only
be solved by a new tax deal from
the provincial government, .
Currie and Bileski state in their
election call. On a per capita
basis Winnipeg should receive
$42 million in provincial
assistance. It now receives only:
$11.8 million.‘ ~

Low income homeowners and
tenants are victims of tax
policies which soak the poor,
fatten the rich. Don Currie and

’ Andrew Bileski cite the facts:

Manitoba’s government forced
Metro on the people without a
referendum vote, costing
Winnipeg taxpayers millions of
dollars: j

The attack on the living

standards of the people continues’

with no let-up, while rich mining
companies are given tax
reductions! Last year they paid
$4.7 million in royalty fees, but
this year they will pay one
million dollars less. Last spring
taxes on Winnipeg homes
jumped 12 mills. What happened
to the taxes of the big
corporations? They will this year
pay to the provincial treasury
$800,000 less. Wage earners on
‘the other hand will pay $5 million
more in taxes!
@

Mayor points in the program of
the Labor Election Committee
include exemption of all owner-
occupied non-revenue homes of
the first $2,000 of assessment;
the provincial government to
pay 65 percent of Winnipeg’s cost
of education; return the 50
percent of the gas and vehicle
taxes to Greater Winnipeg; and

compel the CPR ‘to pay full taxes
to the City of Winnipeg.

Paper late

The PT is sorry that this
issue and last week’s were
mailed out later than usual,
which accounts for your
paper arriving late in the
mail. The trouble is due to
press difficulties in the
National Tribune’s print shop
in Toronto. The centre pages
have been arriving in
Vancouver later than usual.

We hope that the
difficulties will be ironed out
soon and that we will be able
to return to our regular
mailing schedule in the very
near future.

DON CURRIE

" WILLIAM KARDASH

Busi ness favored
by city council

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN
._ The longer I’m. on Council the

‘more evidence I come across —

that business receives
preferential treatment while the
small homeowner gets the short
end of the stick.

The most recent example
concerns a case of expropriation
of a home by the city. The city
requires the property and it is in
the public interest that the
owner should sell. But I can’t

blame him for’ refusing the ~

terms offered by the city.

The lot is 32’ by 130’; the house
has four rooms, is old but not in
need of repairs and quite livable.

All the city offers the owner is
$8000!

Where in this city can the
owner buy another home for
$8000? Of course he can’t. In
most cases a lot alone costs that
much. For this homeowner
expropriation means the end: of
the road - he’ll now be forced to
rent rooms and even then $8000
won’t last long.

When the city expropriates or
buys business property we pay
through the nose for it - often
three or four times its assessed
value. The Shaughnessy Golf
Course, for example, is assessed
at $1 million but we’re
negotiating with the CPR right

now over a price in the
neighborhood of $4 million. -

To say that such practices by
city officials and City Council
are unfair and discriminatory is
an understatement.

Citizens have every right to
demand that when their homes
are expropriated in the public
interest, the least the city can do
is to offer the full replacement
value. Then the homeowner,
even if uprooted, can start over
again with a home at least, as
good as the one he. was
compelled to sell.

Don’t you agree that this
should be the policy of City
Council?

MEETING ON
FREEWAYS

Should Vancouver have
Freeways? Is it the best
means of answering our
transportatation problems?
What are the costs and who is
going to pay for it?

The Sunrise Ratepayers
Association has invited
Alderman Harry Rankin and
Alderman Halford Wilson to
speak on this subject at:
United Church, First Ave. at
Renfrew, Thursday, Oct. 24 at}
8 p.m.

GENET STRANGELOVE

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