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