Victory for democracy

D EMOCRACY won a victory last Friday when the U.S.

Court of Appeals, by a 5-3 decision, held that the no- toriously anti-labor Landrum-Griffin Act was unconstitu- tional in barring Communist Party members from holding union office.

The action reversed a 1962 conviction of a San Fran- cisco longshoreman, Archie Brown, who was sentenced to six months for holding an executive post in the Longshore- men’s Union while being an admitted member of the Com- munist Party.

The court ruled that the Landrum-Grfiffin provision violated the Constitution by punishing a man for what he is rather than for what he does or intends to do. To be con- stitutional, said the ruling, the provision would have to re- quire proof that a Communist was using or planning to use his union office to overthrow the federal government.

Of course, nothing of this kind can be proven against a Communist because the “force and violence” gimmick is merely an invention of the red-baiter and has nothing to do with the true stand of the Communists, either in the U.S. or Canada.

The decision of the U.S. court will be welcomed by all true democrats. It will also cause widespread consterna- tion among the red-baiters in and outside the labor move- ment. It’s a known fact that many U.S. international unions wrote this notorious Landrum-Griffin provision into their constitutions, and even tried to foist that provision on their affiliates in Canada.

It’s not so long ago that a well-known B.C. trade union leader was removed from his position under this provision in his international union constitution. When appealed, a B.C. judge held that his removal was legal since it came within the interpretation of the international constitution’s provision, which was based on the Landrum-Griffin Act now declared illegal.

Many right-wing trade union leaders in Canada, anxi ious to intimidate left-thinking workers, used the Land- rum-Griffin Act to attack Communist trade unionists. The decision of the U.S. court has now knocked the feet from under them.

It’s time that the full democratic rights of Communists in Canadian unions were fully restored and that those who have been the victims of such attacks should have their full rights restored in their respective unions;

was not the guest of Adolph Hitler

or Benito Mussolini in their hey- day, . ..” A-later edition of The

rom numerous of the editor- _ial blurps in our local mon- opoly press it is obvious that the

South Africa today : Sh indi ion! show indignation! HE answer of South Africa’s racist government to

T world-wide protests against the vicious life sentences handed out to the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement has been to extend the death penalty against those oppos- ing the police state regime.

Flying in the face of growing opposition in the country and the United Nations vote last week, which virtually de- clared the Verwoerd regime as an outlaw government, the

South African racists have moved to crush ruthlessly all criticism.

Leaders of the South African people have called for world pressure and for strengthening of the boycott to bring the facist regime to its senses. The least every right-think- ing person can do to express indignation is to boycott all South African goods on sale in B.C. stores.

It may be added here that aside from being one of British Co- lumbia’s outstanding socialist women, in, and outside the Legis- lature of this province, Mrs, Dorothy Steeves is also one of the countless thousands of Cana-* dian mothers whose sons gave their lives -in order that the “heyday” of fascism would be ended; a stern and harsh truth,

own Liberal chieftain, the late Mackenzie King, also made atrip to the Third Reich, andcame back to Canada all “spooked” up with the Nazi maniac of Brechtes- gaden, Tory “Gorgeous” George Drew was another “guest” who trumpeted his “favorable prssions” far and wide, especial- ly on how Hitler “solved” unem- ployment, We alsohad innumber-

im-

-~coldwar can still stand a lot of “defrosting”, Seems it will need a real big “thaw” to penetrate

Citizen (North Vancouver) ran the same coldwar cannard, almost word for word,

the editorial sanctums of not a -

few of our coldwar trained seals,

Just to illustrate, Some weeks ago Mrs, Dorothy Steeves, oneof B,C,’s vetean members of the CCF-NDP movement, paid a visit to Cuba, Upon her return Mrs, Steeves related her impressions to sundry interested groups and individuals, Without any attempt to gloss over the things she didn’t like about Cuba or the Fidel Cas- tro government, Mrs. Steeves ex- pressed the opinion that Fidel Castro “has done a wonderful job in Cuba,” or words to that effect,

That was the cue for the trained seals of coldwar journalism to inject their editorial two-bits worth, An editorial in The Van- couver Sun (June 3) got off the insulting observation that, “it is well Dolly (Mrs, Steeves, Ed,)

The intent of such low-grade editorializing and its implica-

tions are self evident, First to.

discredit anything of a praise- worthy nature Mrs, Steeves may have to say about Cuba, its people or its government, And secondly, that Mrs, Steeves isnot a qualified person to discern between the benefits of socialism and the vile evils of fascism, and hence would probably be as fulsome in her praise of the latter, had she been a “guest” of either of these mur- derous brigands in their “hey- day,” 4

One would be hard put to it to find anything more insulting, ig- norant and cruel than such edit- orial comment, but there it is in cold print, the end product of coldwar prejudice and bigotry, Who says we have no “John Birchers” in Canada?

unworthy of such editorial able leading bankers, industrial calumn, tycoons, financial and monopoly calumny, wizards who made safaris to visit.

But, as The Sun says, “Some Canadians went over there, and Englishmen and Americans, and came back to say that in spite of their (Hitler and Mussolini) being dictators, they were doing a won- derful job, .. .”

The Sun should know, since it was, and still is the spokesman for many of these “some Cana- dians’’ who were greatly ‘‘im- pressed’’ with the achievements of Der Feuhrer,

While Mrs, Dorothy Steeves was not one of these we might mention just a jew, since The Sun failed to identify any in its effort to smear her, Lord Home,

the present Prime Minister of —

Great Britain, and Chamberlain’s chief aide at Munich was one of those “most deeply impressed” with the political and economic “successes” of Herr Hitler, Our

“Der Feuhrer,” and returned all “hopped up” with what he was doing — and wishing they could “emulate his example” in Canada,

As is customary with the mon- opoly press, which exists pri- marily to give ample coverage to their views and opinions, (without snide insult or inuendo), their

Mr, Hinnissey, “is freedo™

1

“defeat in November, a ma

~ They recall with horror

jews -Steeves, because of her view st

Every responsible leader in ul bit! q i s (Republican) knows that, ecb e

coating of moderation must be au lacked over the views that have . uttered by the present front-t Goldwater. :

13 —GOVERNOR SCRANTON, June

*

The U.S. has misread a to misread the (Cuban) revolut Cuban people are not likely to we! toke as liberators the exiles who WOU eoplé back the farms given to 20,000 ea and the millions of acres once ® by United Fruit.

nd continues jon.

the old ie (still being eliminated) in thell ie

and the unemployment rate ok ve cent under Batista. They! farship

pride at the thousands of scho ji students who before the rev? high would never have had a chance a tion er education. This is their roe and they are not going to perm din be consumed by worms wraPP stars and stripes.

—Editorial in the Naniony GUARDIAN, progressive U.5-

*«

, ror Shocking is the word for ihe ; posed B.C. Hydro fransit fare Fa: ers It looks as if fearful municip? gov” may be right and that the Benne the ernment is manoeuvering to ¥" ment transit system upon local 9 Oye aa 3 Public opinion is bound to ques” the need for such large increases “yp be welfare of the public should be P fore politics. yF

Ih — VANCOUVER SUN, June —

*

What would happen to the econo of this country if all workers in” try had such a notoriously bad ie in record as our elected representa’ Ottawa? What is only 30 out ofe 265 railroad, factory or office W°"

showed up for work every day?

a —THE COMMONWEALTH, Res!

“favorable impressions” gote coverage during the “heyday a their gangster hosts at Brechte?” gaden and Rome,

The editorial insult and 6 bage thrown at Mrs, Dor

almo

Cuba, used to be reserved” 5 unis

exclusively for the Comm ry But the disease of coldwar bié fe widens the range—and non€ "| entirely immune from its in¥® tive—except those who conlor to its destructive influenc®

* * *

» MI “Freedom av th’ pres%: ong Dooley explained to his

call yez all th’ names th’ himself couldn’t invint, thumb their nose at yeZ Wied object, A foine freedom me pho

meal Iie oof AG Gi SANE

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wie

Editor

Vancouver 4,B.C. .

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4 e June 26, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—P99