The tidal wave of dissen
on the U.S. college campu

By BOB LEESON

MAGINE a three-day college

discussion on Vietnam with

speakers from the American
government, the Communist
Party and the National Libera-
tion Front of South Vietnam.

Imagine 120 universities Jink-
ed by radio and television ad-
dressed by top government sup-
porters, engaging in a nation-
wide debate on Vietnam.

These two examples — one a
couple of weeks ago, the other
on the May 15 weekend — give
some idea of the size and na-
ture of the tidal wave of dis-
cussion and dissent which has
hit the American campus.

Add to the first example that
the students of Antioch College,
Yellow Springs, Ohio, actually,
with the blessing and financial
assistance of the college admi-
nistration contacted the Libera-
tion Front representative by
phone in Havana and broadcast
his speech over the college radio.

These discussions, often in
the form of the “teach-in” —
extended talks and debate be-
tween students and lecturers
going on perhaps through the
night — are having a dynamic
effect. :

It is as though the conscience .

of a whole people tongue-tied
for too many years had found
voice — and found that it was
in good voice; too.

_The striking thing about the
“teach-in” is that-it involves not
only thousands of students, but

HE QUESTION of autonomy
for Canadian sections of
U.S. international unions

“operating in Canada has been
in the news_again. A resolution
calling for full autonomy for
Canadian Steelworkers was dis-
cussed and turned down by a
reported vote of 20 to 1 at the
national policy conference of
the United Steelworkers, hed
recently in Toronto.

Just before this the interna-
tional of the International Typo-
graphical Union voted the terms
of a contract accepted by the
Toronto local of the Mailers, af-
filiated to the ITU. The contract
would have ended the Mailers’
walkout against the Toronto
daily newspapers.

‘An interesting feature of the
discussion on autonomy at the
Steel conference was the fact
that international Presiden t-
elect I. W. Abel felt impelled to
devote an important section of
his speech to defend the exten-
sion of American unionism in
Canada. And he did so before
the matter was properly before
the conference. That Abel
should defend this curious ano-
maly is not suprising; but the

hundreds of lecturers and
spokesmen from the top of the
government tree.

President Johnson has become
so alarmed over the widespread
questioning of his policy that
he has sent out representatives
known as “truth squads” to
combat criticism.

Of course the government is
worried. For along -with the
wave of free discussion in the
universities, the “teach-ins” or
“study-ins,”- goes a- mounting
wave of student action against
government policy on Vietnam.

. Last month’s demonstration
by 20,000. in Washington for
peace in Vietnam was organ-
ized by Students for a Demo-
cratic Society, an expression of
the ferment on the campus.

The government’s. “truth
squad” men are not in a good
position to answer back in the
debates. The Times man in
Washington reports: “The few
I have heard have been both
condescending and irate.”

- Averell Harriman himself,
suave, roving diplomat, was re-
duced by his audience of 1,500
at Cornell University New York
to shouting out: “How many of
you are Communists?”

There are many attempts to
explain why American ‘students

‘ are in the lead in this great and

heartening campaign by Amer-
ican public: opinion to put a
stop to the mad policies of its
rulers in Vietnam and the Do-
minican Republic. a

emulate both.

The civil rights movement gave the nation the sit-in.
Our professors and students have devised a form which
combines intense study, free-wheeling debate with pro-
_test and the search for a way out of the atomic dead
end of present U.S. foreign policy.

Both have learned, borrowed much from each other.

The rest of the nation, especially labor, can well

—Mike Davidow, The U.S. Worker

~

Why, it’s the latest fad, now
that pantie-raids have gone out
of fashion, says one view, ex-
pressed in at least one news-

_ paper.

They'll have to do better than
that. Many of the young stu-
dents now leading in this bat-
tle for peace and free speech
had their baptism of fire in the
Deep South last year, in the
great Negro fight for votes.

They suffered injury, impri-
sonment and abuse. They’re
still at it, only more so.

In the battle for political free-
doms which has raged over the
past year at Berkeley campus,
part of the giant University of
California, 800 students were
arrested when police were sent
into the campus by the. state
governor.

Even now some 155 students
are for mass trial on various
charges arising out of their
battle.

bankruptcy of his argument is.

Abel twists the issue to suit
his purpose. He turns the ques-
tion of autonomy into division
by asserting that those who
favor autonomy suggest that
members’ interests would be
better served if the union was
divided at the border. Posing
the argument as he wants it he
then declares that ‘nothing
could be further from the
truth.”

In typical horse-trading fa-
shion he clinches his argument
by dangling a financial carrot
of $3,000,000 before delegates—
$2,500,000 of this posted by the
international being held in es-
crow pending “an appeal from
demcees against the union as a

result of the Murdochville strike,
and $500,000 put up as security
for* a union health centre in
Sault Ste. Marie.

Such a placing of the issue
begs the question. To say this

does not mean to dismiss fin-_

ances as unimportant, nor ‘the
need of the unions to work out
special forms of cooperation
and solidarity between Ameri-
can and Canadian workers be-
cause of the place U.S. indus-
tries occupy in Canada. .

International cooperation and
solidarity are one thing, how-
ever, and the subordination of
the Canadian section to interna-
tional headquarters in the USA
is another, It is this subordinate
relationship which Abel covers
up when he charges that those

And this is what three pro-
fessors from California said
about their students:

“A sense of aliveness and of
concern with the issues of the
day infused the campus. The air
is electric with discussion of
our relationship to the commu-
nity, the future of the univer-
sity and the political and social
cross-currents of the world.

“Far from sneering at the
opinions of the students as im-
mature and unworthy of consi-
deration, we are stimulated by
them to re-examine our basic
assumptions . . . As teachers
we find this a rare and stimulat-
ing experience and will do what
we can to perpetuate it!”

A significant point about the
battle of the California students
against the authorities — the
“regents” — is mentioned by
the National Guardian, quoting
a study by a graduate student
that “taken as a group the reg-

who advocate Canadian auto-
nomy are union dividers.

The question of subordination
js not academic. For instance,
final authorization for a union
to strike or call off a strike
rests with the head offices of
most unions. In the case of the
internationals it rests with the
international presidents.

It can be assumed that in
most cases international presi-
dents are guided by the dec-
lared wishes of Canadian mem-
berships. But there are times
when they choose not to ac-
cept the decisions of Canadian
members. What then?

There are two well-known
examples in the Toronto Print-
ers’ strike of how international
headquarters can, if they wish,
overrule decisions of the Cana-
dian membership. The example

_ of the Mailers has already been

given. The other concerns the
Typos. When they decided to
accept the terms of. a new con-
tract’ the international vetoed
their decision. As a result, the
publishers forced a lockout.

It is not a question here of

arguing the merits or demerits
of the contracts. What is involv-

fe Gg
June 4, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE

‘that reaction in this

ents are representative ©
one thing — corporate

America’s: student pop!
in answer to the technt’
race, has doubled in 1!
10 years.

You cannot attempt ")
the educational level ™
dreds of thousands o
people at a time of
world changes and ty
same time to damp down
inquiring spirits.

To a certain extent tH
dent ferment is seen 45 “%
tion to McCarthyism.
young people are dem
accounting — how is it

form could stifle free
for more than a deca@

They want to knoW
swer to this question 4”
others. The effect, for
ing number of them, % 4)
Communism cast as #
less evil rather than 4
phy which moves mill
make them want to kn?
about it. :

In the era of the BO
effect of ceaseless PY?
for war has been to mat
desire peace and tO 4
pared to go to great
get it.

Indeed for those W: f
firmly in the ability °
beings, no matter t
odds, to fight their way
to the truth, the prese?
of these American stl
a vindication.

ed is the right of 4 fe)
people to make their ©
sions free from ou
ference. The propo?
American unionism i
turn a blind eye to th
the question.

Brotherly advice and
ance, when requeste ce
thing; outside interfere?”
ed by authoritative
and the threat of ec”
prisal is another.. :

If the officers of AM@&
ternationals are g0V"
the spirit of trade vale
nationalism they will y
with their Canadia) d
desiring autonomy #
work out the forms
can be put into effect

If they. continue to nA
growing urge of Canadl
ists to be masters in
house the internation@ ot
will be guilty of prom jan!
division between Cana!
American workers.

Whatever the path ©
the internationals, it!
predict that Canadian pe
will establish its inh,"
by asserting its sovel é
to decide Canadian