“What's he been doin'?"
“Overthrowin’ the guvment."

| SIDELIGHTS |

Beginning with Spartacus

The old-time Wobblies were
as American as apple pie—and
so were their persecutors.

During the trial of Ettor and
Giovanitti in Salem, Massachu-
setts, arising out of. the. 1912
Lawrence textile strike, IWW

leader Joseph Ettor posed this’

question:

“I ask the District Attorney,
who speaks about the New Eng-
land tradition, what he means
by that—if he means the New
England traditions of this same
town where they used to burn
witches at the stake, or if he
means the New England tradi-
tions of those men who refused
to be any longer under the iron
heel of the: British aristocracy
and: dumped the tea into Boston
Harbor. = 2

In all-class societies the op-
pressed and the oppressors exist
side by side. And the oppressors
inevitably make the same mis-
take — they believe. that ideas
can be judged and sentenced.

Ettor had a few words to say
on that subject to the Salem
jury:

“Whatever my social views
are, with all respect to you,
gentlemen, they cannot be tried

in this courtroom, It has been -

tried before . . . And.I want
to know, does the District Attor-
ney believe for a moment that,
beginning with Spartacus, whose
men were crucified for miles
along the Appian Way, and fol-
lowing with Christ, who was ad+
judged an enemy of the Roman
social order, and put on the
cross—does he believe for a mo-
ment that the cross or the gal-

lows or the guillotine ever Set- -

tled an idea? They never did.”
Ettor mentioned old John
Brown, a descendent of New
England Puritans, who was hang-
ed in 1859 for his raid on Harp-

as Pacific Iribune

West Coast edition, Canadian Tribune

er’s Ferry, where he seized a
U.S. arsenal for weapons to con-
tinue his anti-slavery struggle.

Lying wounded on the floor of
the house in which he was cap-
tured, the six-foot, 70-year-old
Brown was interviewed by hos-
tile reporters.

Question: Well, Brown, sup-
pose you had any Negroes in

.the United States, what would

you do with them?
Brown: Set them free, sir!
And when told he was a “‘fan-

_atic” the old man uttered these

prophetic words:

“I claim to be here in carrying
out a measure I believe to be
perfectly justifiable; to aid those
suffering under a great wrong. I
wish to say further that you had
better, all of you people of the
South, prepare yourself for a
settlement of this question. It
must come up for settlement
sooner than you are prepared for
it, and the sooner you commence
that preparation the better for
you. You may dispose of me very
easily; I am nearly disposed of
now; but this question is still to
be settled—the Negro question,
I mean.”

Two years later the Civil War
was raging and the men in Lin-
coln’s freedom army were sing-
ing as they marched:

~“John Brown’s body
mouldering in the grave,

But his soul goes marching
on.”

And the struggle between the
oppressed and their oppressors
goes on — in Greece, in Spain,
in Portugal, in South Africa,
against U.S. imperialism at home
and abroad...

There is nothing more power-
ful than an idea whose time has
come. That is why the march to
Socialism is invincible.

—B. W.

lies

Editor—MAURICE RUSH

||__-

The answer: Organize!

Do we have fascism in Canada? The
term is widely used in some circles to
describe the War Measures Act. To
correctly understand what’s happening
requires an examination of just what
“fascism” means.

Marxist-Leninist science states that
fascism is the ideology and policy of
the most reactionary and chauvinistic
circles of monopoly. Fascism is the
naked, terroristic, reactionary rule of

the big monopolies, who dispense with |

bourgeois democracy.

We do not have fascism in that clas-
sical sense in Canada. We do have a
dangerous drive towards the restriction
of democracy which, if successful,
could lead to a form of fascism. Any
measures which suppress democratic

_ rights are a cause for alarm.

The Trudeau government is attempt-
ing to place the entire burden of the
developing economic and social crisis
on the backs of working people. It de-
nies self-determination for French
Canada. It-is trying to forestall the
growth and cohesion of the forces for
change in Quebec. It wants to put down
labor and farmer opposition to its aus-
terity program. -

_ The dangerous turn to repressive
legislation is a sign of weakness of the
ruling class in Canada which sharpens

all the contradictions in society and —

creates greater instability.

Trudeau has elected to emerge as
the “strong man” of the hour. His ac-
tions and policies are designed to win
over the middle classes and dissatisfied
masses.

The middle classes place their hope
in a “strong state” to protect them
both from the big monopolies and the
working class. The dissatisfaction of
the masses is demagogically appealed
‘to. Bourgeois democracy. is criticized
as being inadequate. The image of a
thrifty, honest state, ruled with a
strong hand, is cultivated. National
self-determination for qeiee is mis-
represented, and Anglo-Saxon chauvin-
ism is unleashed in the rest of Canada.
Communism is selected as the main
enemy.

_ The ruin of the middle classes by big
monopoly gives rise to ultra-right and
ultra-left tendencies in political life.
There are revivals of anarchist trends
and concepts which have infected some
of the middle class, intelligentsia and
students.

Driven to despair, the ultras reduce
the whole idea of social change. to an
armed putsch, divorced from mass
struggle. They play a reactionary role
by accusing the Communists of betray-
ing the revolution. Reforms, they say,
are a betrayal. Their movement be-
comes a provocation, as have the ac-

tions of the FLQ. The doors of their —

movement are wide open to police
agents.

These extremes can only stand in the
way of building the kind of movement
for democracy needed in today’s situa-

Which side are you on!

‘taken a trip to a socialist country; ,|

-employed organization, oppose wii

sibility of uniting a wide and dives
movement for the extension of dem)
racy. ee

To its credit the majority of NDP

~MPs voted against the War Meast

Act. But the fight didn’t stop theré ©
the hopper is the potent threat of mt
repressive legislation about which e@)
the capitalist media can’t conceal the
misgivings. a
T. C. Douglas has developed the dl
sical “third path” theme of Social !
mocracy towards this new legislat!
which supposedly avoids the wors il
the Left and the Right. In essence,
position he takes is anti-Communl®
for the curtailing of democracy ¥ |
capitalist society always means °
tailing the rights of the workers. —_
It is impossible to find a “better W4))
to control and limit democracy. It 187),
possible to have a harmonious soc)
without class struggle under capilé
ism. The ideals of socialism are) |
realizable under the capitalist sy
His line of reasoning can only #
Canada’s working people into agree
to limit their own democratic righ

@,0 é e
Political police
We are informed that the ROM
have been visiting people across
ada for the purpose of intimidaY”
after the invoking of the War Me)
ures Act. ee
That conforms to a distinct pat

established by the Canadian govely
ment over the years: visit people, “
for information via questions that?
innuendos, suggest guilt by associatil!

The suggestion is made that if you,

attended a meeting dealing with pe”
socialism, or resistance to the wi
Measures Act, or if you talked 1,
Communist on the street, you are
ty of some violation of the law.. q

It is, of course, the right of ev%
Canadian to read what he wishes ,
speak to whom he wishes, and to 89)
any meeting he wishes. People
aren’t Communists also don’t like
War Measures Act and repressive !4
islation, and mistrust the Trudeau
ministration. The War Measures
is used against all who are not 0
Establishment. |

The real aim is to silence the un@|
ployed, to weaken the trade um!)
movement. You don’t notice Saskate!
wan’s anti-Communist premier
cher refusing tax money paid by fat
ers who sold wheat to China and
USSR. .- _

If you give in to intimidation, J’)
can’t sign a peace petition, join an

<<

=se

guidelines. If you join in the fight *)
life—a million jobs, a low-cost hous”)
programs, for markets, for educatio!)
al, medical and recreational facili¥®)

you are against the. policies of the 8%

ernment—and consequently the ROM}
That’s the answer to those who pla!)
tively complain that everybody h@%)
cops. The choice given by Trudeal j
to lie down and die, or to stand up #
fight. More and more Canadians ®
fighting. a

tion. It is in the vital interests of the
working class and its allies to widen
the struggle for democracy. The work-
ing class must extend its rights. The
upsurge of protests against the War
Measures Act, the warnings about re-
pressive legislation all indicate the pos-

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Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288.

_Cireulation Manager, ERNIE CRIST z
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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 30, 1970—PAGE 4

Sb 7 ¥ oe ‘ REF 3s