The Times ‘squeeze’

WITHIN hailing distance of its first anniversary the

Vancouver Times is appealing to its readers and .

supporters for $100,000 or more to meet immediate “sur-
vival” requirements.

Just prior to the birth of the Times in mid-1964 this
paper commented editorially: “If the Times editorial poli-
cies conform to the special interests of Big Business, adver-
tizing, that life-blood for continued publication, is as-
sured.”

Obviously during its brief advent the Times has not
fully conformed with the dictates of Big Business, hence
no big advertizing revenue, and its current urgent appeal
to the public for financial aid.

It may be recalled that thousands of B.C. people in
all walks of life, convinced of the need of a news media
competitor to the highly centralized and controlled mon-
opoly press — the Vancouver Sun and the Vancouver Pro-
vince, invested their dollars and their moral support in the
Times. They had had more than enough of this “Charlie
McCarthy” twin echo of Big Business. They wanted an
out-spoken champion, a new media for the “little man.”
They believed the Times was the answer.

That the Times is being systematically deprived of
this advertizing life-blood is now glaringly evident in its
“survival” appeal. It is also convincing proof that while
the Times may not be all its readers and supporters may
have wished it to be, it is much more than some of our big
monopoly interests, including its “Charley McCarthy”
‘compettitors intend permitting it to be. Hence their joint
efforts at its financial strangulation.

The problem now facingtheTimes projects a long-
overdue need, raised in the House of Commons by NDP-
MP Douglas Fisher, a Combines Investigation into the
monopoly character and ramifications of the Vancouver
newspaper situation. A situation which clearly points up
the existence of a monopoly combination sufficiently
powerful to strangle a competitor in less than one year’s’
operation — when the latter fails, or refuses to conform to.
the policy dictates of a monopoly hierarchy.

“If the Times is to survive,’’ warbles a local oracle,

atetatatetete®
nooo nececenelerece.

Tom

~McEWEN

hen the immortal American

author, Mark Twain wrote
his satirical “War Prayer”
around the period of 1899, when
the U.S, was waging a murderous
war upon the peoples of the Phill-
ipines, little did he think that this
same “prayer” would be highly
appropriate sixty-six years later
in the case of Vietnam, :

It might be mentioned, en
passant, that U.S. imperialism
holds no monopoly when it comes
to annexing “God” in their wars
of aggression and conquest. Most
of our “free West” politicians,
“statesmen” and warmongering
tubthumpers invariably take it
for granted that God is “on their
side” in the bloody business of
subjugating others, Mark
Twain’s “War Prayer” isa
classical illustration of this
monstrous hypocrisy,

“O Lord, our Father, our young
patriots, idols of our hearts go
forth to battle ——_be Thou near
them, With them in spirit, we
also go forth from the sweet peace
of our beloved firesides to smite
the foe,

d
gaat:

“O Lord, our God, help us to
tear their soldiers to bloody
shreds with our shells. Help
us to cover their smiling fields
with the pale forms of their
patriot dead, Help us to drown
the thunder of the guns with the
shreiks of their wounded writhing
in pain,

“Help us to lay waste their
humble homes with a hurricane
of fire, Help us wring the hearts
of their unoffending widows with
unavailing grief. Help us to turn
them out roofless with their little
children to wander unfriended,
the wastes of a desolated land,
in rags and hunger and thirst —
sports of the sunflames in
summer, and the icy winds of
winter; broken in spirit, worn in
travail, imploring Thee, Lord,
for the refuge of the grave, and
denied it,

“For our sakes who adore Thee
Lord, blast their hopes, blight
their lives, protract their bitter
pilgrimage, their steps make
heavy, water their way withtheir
tears, stain the white snow with
the blood of their wounded feet,

The American Way of Life —Eccles, Br. Daily Worker

$e See

“it must prove to the public that there is good reason for
it to survive.”

That sounds profound, but it is mostly sound. The
public has already “proved” the right of the Times to
“survive” with their dollars. It now remains the job of a
thorough Combines Investigation to establish the identity
of the monopoly strangler.

Celebrating our own 30th annniversary this year, the
“PT” would regard it as a signal victory for a free press in
1965 were the Times to survive on its merits, rather than
fall another victim’ to monopoly strangulation.

O VER 2,500 American clergymen, Protestant. Catholic
and Jewish are the signatories to an “Open Letter’’ in

one of last week’s editions of the New York Times.

The letter urges an “immediate ceasefire” in Vietnam
and a conference of all “involved nations, including China’
to work for peaceful negotiations.

The letter begins: “‘Mr. President—In the Name of
God, stop it!”

“We ask it, in the spirit of love
of Him who is the source of love,
and who is the ever- faithful
refuge and friend of all that are
sore beset and seek His aid with
humble and contrite hearts,
Amen,” :

towns, literally tons of bombs of
all kinds; napalm to burn the
flesh off the bodies of little
children; fire bombs, the new
“incendigel” kind, which destroys
all vegetation, crops, the very
land itself, The “sport” of low-
flying machine-gunning, designed
to wipe out entire village popu-
lations, “anything that moves,”
as a U.S. G.I, “adviser” proudly
boasts,

To get the best sound effects,
Mark Twain’s. “War Prayer”
should be intoned in a soft Texas.
you-a-1-1 draw-a-1, justafter the
one thousand and umpteenth “ex. '
planation” from Washington,
London or Ottawa, on how the
U.S. is “saving” South Vietnam
from Communist aggression,”
After that, as Mark Twain would
undoubtedly agree, some genuine
prayers — coupled with mass
action would be in order —— to
absolve both Man-and “God” from
the war crimes of U.S,
“Christian” gangsters.

And just recently the U.S, ad-
.mission (with voluminous “ex-
planations) of the use of poison
gas, outlawed by all civilized
nations —— except the U.S.A,
Since a U.S, government official
recently claimed the “right” of
his government “to lie” all such

*

President Johnson has termed

| Worth |
Quoting |

“The U.S. Chambers of Commett
has undertaken an ‘objective &
academic’’ study of poverty in Amel |
ca. The study will be conducted bY
100 leading business executives. _

It is reported the executiv®
were cautioned fo wear gloves W i
shaking hands witth a ‘‘subject,” ™
scrub thoroughly immediately aft
Advice to the poverty-stricken sub |
ject: Wear pants without pockets ™ |
count your fingers immediately #™
the handshake. ‘

—MINE-MILL COMMENTATOR,
Local 480, March, 1965

*

An official from the U.S. Consul 4
“too busy” to meet a deputation” |
Sydney warfies, longshoremem ~ |
11:30 a.m. last Wednesday when
sought fo tell him what they thous” |
of his Government's actions in vier

nam. dt
“He may be able to meet yO",

5 p.m.” they were told. ‘Well,
him” sand the warfies, .‘that we ©
also busy.. and may be too busy”
load U.S. ships.”

The official found he was no !0
“too busy.”

—AUSTRALIAN TRIBUNE,
February 24, '65.

*

Credit where credit is due: iy
Americans have taught some Englitt
to everybody in the world whatew
their language. Three words any? |
“Yank, Go Home.” ie |
—PEOPLE’S VOICE, New. |
Zealand, March 10, ‘65:

*

Any political party coming to P®
immediately falls heir to all the 9
ters, drifters and gimme guys t a4
swarmed around the trough during ™
last party in power, as well as collec ee
ing new ones of their own. . ©

If the party stays in too long Mi ;
political scene takes on a jack
round carrion” look till there's noth
much left but the carrion. It’s health)
fora party to get scuttled at !é oe
every 10 years — a new bunch pie a
chance of staying clean for awhile is
the jackals congregate again. S¥¢
our democratic way of life . . -

—LILLOOETT NEWS,
April 1, '65.

wet
rife

ct
explanations are highly sus :
and don’t square with the face

Moreover, since U.S. pombine
raids upon the sovereign SY |
of North Vietnam also invol¥?
wanton murder of civilian popu
lations, President Johnson’
complaint about “a wanton act a
ruthlessness” applies with MWY
greater force against his 0”
regime, than against the peOP™ |
of Vietnam, S

For. President Johns0?
however, there is anes
route —— which doesn’t apPlY ©,
people defending their home!
from the “ruthlessness” of U¥"
aggression Get out.
Vietnam! :

Pi as

the bombing of the U.S. Embassy
in Saigon “a wanton act of ruth-
lessness,”

This display of ”indignation”
should fool no one, when com-
pared to the countless wanton
acts of violence by the armed
forces of U.S, of which President
Johnson is “commander-in-
chief,” against the peoples of
Vietnam,

Published

Vancouver 4, B.C.

Indiscriminate bombing of
Vietnam villages, hamlets and

of postage in cash.

Associate Editor — MAURICE RUSH
Circulation Manager — JERRY SHACK 2

Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.

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—

April 9, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE--Pag? ©