FLASHBACKS FROM THE COMMUNIST PRESS 50 years ago... FASCISM STARES AT GERMANY BERLIN — The German presi- dential elections are resolving themselves into a clear-cut strug- gle between’ the monarchists, im- perialists and big industrialists on the one hand and the Commu- nists on the other, as sole repre- _ sentatives of the working class. Despite desperate political man- oeuvres, the social democrats ap- pear at this time unable to pre- vent a successful right-wing, fas- cist coalition... The socialists ad- mit that they must either join with the extreme right wingers or see their petty bourgeois party disintegrate as the result of. the elections. The presidential elec- tions may mean the rise of fas- cism to power in Germany. The Communists are expected to poll a tremendous working class vote as many workers have turned away from the social de- mocrats in disgust at the persecu- tion of Communists in the Beu- then “conspiracy” trial. Worker, March 21, 1925 25 years ago... CANADA-WIDE MEET ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS An event of exciting significance took place in Toronto last week- ‘end when, for the first time in €anada, there was formed a na- tional organization to advance and fight for the rights of Cana- dian’ women. The conference of the Congress of Canadian Women, which was — attended by more than 300 dele- gates, fashioned a Bill of Rights for Canadian women. “We main- tain,” it says in the opening para- graph, “that without the full equality of women, no human rights can be fully realized.” Many resolutions were brought forward on every vital aspect in- cluding education, child care, health, industry, farm, citizen’s rights, culture, international co- operation, understanding and peace. Also passed was a resolu- tion to press for the setting up by the Canadian government of a women’s bureau. Tribune, March 20, 1950 Profiteer of the week: Well, 1974 was another big year for res- traint. Westinghouse Canada Ltd. man- aged to wrestle profits down to $10,789,000, only a $4,440,000 jump from 1973. Canadian General Electric (known to its employees as Generous Electric) applied fierce will- power and kept its 1974 profits to a mere 25°) increase on 1973's $20,800,000 ending up with $26,000,000. Westinghouse plans to sell its major appliance operations to White Consolidated Industries Inc. of Cleve- land. Another foreign take-over for Ottawa to approve, or just a deal between U.S. companies? “I want a voluntary overtime Edttorial Anti-labor crusade needs rebuff The gang-up against labor by the capitalist class and its hirelings went into high gear recently. In one five-day period almost every labor-hating creat- ure hidden in the woodwork came out into the media. , Efforts to split the workers are not new, but the idea of setting the private and public sectors against one another seems to titilate the boss class just now. The illogic of appealing to workers to embrace the system which exploits them seems not to matter. Repeated often enough, the lie that workers are responsible for the ills of the capitalist system — unemployment, inflation, recession, and their own eco- nomic lag — is expected to win some converts. Steeled labor unity is more needed than ever. A fierce effort is afoot to disillusion the natural allies of the workers as well—working farmers, small business people, salary-earning professionals, students — and house-’ wives. . ‘Finance Minister Turner worries more about workers’ demands for catch- ing up with living costs than about the deepening recession, and inflation now some 78 points above 1960, both creat- ures of the capitalist system. ‘The. system’s press rails against the working class — slashing at publicly- employed blue collar workers. The reac- tionary Toronto Globe and Mail ham- mers at the theme: “the right to strike should be removed.” The Vancouver Sun calls for prosecution of strikers by a federal government it calls “permis- sive to a fault.” In Tory-run Ontario, Education Min- ister Wells rages from right field that teachers’ wage demands are “nothing more than public blackmail”; and Agri- culture Minister Stewart insists the federal government should “legislate” its blue collar workers back to the job. Such an orchestrated onslaught on the working people proves beyond argu- ment the urgency of unbreakable labor unity against this crusade by monopoly capitalism. - The Toronto Star, in on the act, al- lowed its rabid anti-labor columnist to pour out insults against Ontario teach- . ers, calling them a “gang,” in need of “moral leadership.” Moral leadershiv from the bosses and government lead- ers we see around us? The ones we read about in that very capitalist press? An Respect sovereignty! Hands off Portugal! The demand is clear and precise to U.S. imperialism, the snarling NATO generals at its command, and the oft- exposed murder and subversion gangs of the CIA. The common people, the working peo- ple, the anti-fascists of the whole world have their eyes on Portugal and on Por- tugal’s ill-wishers. They cry in a mighty warning voice: Do not attempt to kill Portuguese freedom as you killed free- dom in Chile! People of goodwill throughout Can- ada, who have seen the Ottawa govern- ment comfort and support the NATO _ military pact, and consort with the in- famous CIA, are justified in making it their internationalist concern to tell Ottawa to use its influence to prevent interference in Portuguese affairs. unfortunate reference, indeed! Five days in March, and all of this and more anti-labor poison spewed forth. Canadian workers heard the questionable claim that their wages now outdo those in the USA. The so- called Citizens’ Coalition in Toronto, which can always afford giant news- paper ads, advised 10 things to do about: the postal maintenance workers’ strike — and crowned them with the idea of making strikes illegal. The eccentric Canadian Federation of Independent Business surprisingly came up with the same idea, its president declaring, “the right to strike should be taken away from postal workers.” How quaint. And Calgary Herald columnist Lawrie Joslin lamented about some “great silent majority” being made the“goat” of labor disputes. That great majority is made up of workers and workers’ families— _ and what irritates the ruling class is - that it is not any longer silent. Can it be that the frustrations of keeping up extortionate profits while trying to make capitalism look like — “everybody’s” system, and throwing — dirt in the eyes of the working class so it won’t notice the flourishing socialist world, is driving the monopoly bosses, their governments and their media to the present state of frenzy? Whatever the appearance, capital-— ism’s rulers mean to keep workers pay- ing for capitalism’s excesses. The fight-’ back demands unity in the present-wage struggles, against anti-labor legislation — and in the final analysis must face up to changing society so that it works for, not against, the interests of the working class and democratic majority. Expand trade horizons Prime Minister Trudeau recently completed a trip to Europe, ostensibly to seek trade alternatives to Canada’s heavy reliance on the shakey economy of the USA. The impression given is | that he got non-committal answers aS he breezed about Holland, France, Italy, — and Britain. Somewhat understandable, since all those capitalist countries are flailing at the same crisis as is Canada’s | government. But why, one might ask, and Mr. Trudeau has never troubled to answer this — why does the Prime Minister — take no interest in the fact that flourish- ing economies conducting buoyant trade, are located in the eastern part of that same ae continent? 4 The Gerrhan Democratic Republic, for example,has excellent trade experi- ence, as has Poland, which has agree- ments with numerous capitalist coun- tries. And there is the Soviet Union which is regularly closing massive deals with other capitalist countries. Surely, the Canadian government doesn’t think. that everything possible has been done in those areas to step un trade that would mean jobs for Canadian workers. - To extricate Canada from the crisis- _ and inflation-ridden U.S. economy, as- the Communist Party proposed in its letter to other concerned organizations. means to embark on new economic and — trade policies based on peaceful co- existence and detente. The results of Mr. Trudeau’s short- sighted journey, as so far known, are — no cause for great expectations.