| the’ Postwar Era

lise the San Prancisco
id headed by ERY
oF Pine war.

Tig. “We of the ILWU
@ic quarrels among
Wj, economic struggles

«

jon with. much of its

& local of the IMMSWU
lestablished im Trail—

“id this while the cala-
@rs from the CCE were

H rovance of Ontario.

‘a Shore time since the
yeneral Workers F'ed-
js formed in British

orkers. 5

at union Snes all

following disruptive

all workers that make

1 e attainment.

‘astioned: the rele of the

‘what is its effect on
movement? => >

surprising to find that
=—which~ seems to be
le or ruin, invariably
] itself within ~ local
‘= disruptive attacks on

ce of anything con-

2 local.

> are the ieaders of

*ectly. attributable to -
if company unions in

nplementation- ef the

ia federation of 'ship-.
is which provides: the
=. national union we all

orkers is an end to be -
t, but it will not be

opposition. to the in-

iE between the two. main ©
ns centers only ‘Mmore: vay

: organized labor seri-

h itives on the basis of
tticism ‘with an abso-

wx in’ the interest pe

‘lakes,

this movement on the Coast? A
recent issue of thé CCF News
draws attention to George
(Paddy) Stanton who -is ac-
claimed as the leader of the CCF
industrial group in Prince Rupert.

To those thousands of people
who supported the Spanish people
in their struggle for democracy,
and especially to the hundreds of
Canadians who, like myself,
fought in Spain as members of.
the Mackenzie-Papineau Batta—
lion, it is an open insult that the,
CCF -should boast of ‘Paddy’
Stanton as one of its trade union
leaders. An avowed Trotslkyite, -

Stanton took part in one of the
‘most despicable acts of betrayal
-on record.

During the early months -of

“the Spanish War, when the peo- —
ple’s government was sending its

emissaries to tell the true story

of the fight against fascism ag
5 ‘@ression to the freedom-loving

peoples of the world, Isabel de
Palencia and Marcelino Domingg
came to Canada, they spoke in all
of the main cities across. Canada,

and were greted with the court-

esy and acclaim due representa-
tives of the gallant people who

“for so long resisted the fascist

aggressor.

But. when chee came to Van-
couver Stanton stood outside the

' Auditorium while the meeting
- was in progress, distributing a

leaflet containing a defamatory
attack on the Spanish govern-

ment.
ma-fide labor unions. ~~
joes this- policy lead

Itis the inevitable result of its
anti-unity policy that the CCE--
‘should attract such disruptive and ~
treacherous elements. And it is
ironical that the CCE News
should mention the appointment
of this betrayer of the Spanish
people as its industrial leader in
the same issue as WDorothy
Steeves rails against the ap-
peasers and betrayers of Spain
and Czechoslovakia. -

Wwe is the path of political
action for the ~ trade “union

+. movement ?

At the 1943 CCL Convention a
resolution was passed commend-

~ordinated -

ine the CCF as the political arm

_ of labor and urging affiliation by

local unions.

_ The main opposition came from |
those who feared that the un-

democratic method of affiliation
would not work in the best in-
terest of the labor movement and g
who put forward the proposition
that locals should affiliate on the
same basis as the British Labor

Party, giving fair representation

to the trade union delegates.

The events of the last year bear
out the fears of these delegates.

It is evident that affiliated lo-
cals are merely the industrial
finger of the CGF political arm
with practically no voice or pow-
er to influence the disastrous
policies at present being followed |
by that party.

Obviously affiliation with the

CF on the present terms and in -

view of their anti-war, anti-unity,
anti-Soviet policies, could only
lead to disaster for the whole
trade union movement.

Organized labor must take its
Own independent political action,

through political action commit-
tees set up in.each local and co-
in each district.” It
must elect -to such committees
the most capable people, those
who have learned from the past
‘and have the interests of organ-
ized labor paramount,

This purpose will not GE Revved!

by the latest: action of the CCL

“in appointing ©. H- Millard as

director of political action. He
has already, demonstrated that as

far as he is concerned, political .

action for organized labor means
blind support of narrow CCE po-
litieal expedients. ,

The tasks before us are tre-
mendous: The -part organized
labor must play in building the
future cannot. be circumscribed
by the narrow, disruptive policies

of the CCF.

The Finns Miscalculated

__woscow

KEEN sense of jubilation

Sweepine satisfaction is evi-

dent there at the unprecedented

military feats of the Red Army
in #innish- sectors.

The magnificent accomplish-
ments on the 1,250-mile Fimnish
front which smashed three pow-
erful defense lines that had been
considered the very peak of mili-
tary engineering skill, culminat-

ing im the capture of Viborg, are »

among the proudest deeds of the
Red Army.

No Axis defenses, either in
the east or west, had the strength
that the Finnish lines nm the
Karelian Isthmus boasted. Apart

_ from. the artificial fortifications,

the very topography of the Isth-

“-mus made it a Gibraltar of the

Worth. Dense woods, hundreds of
innumerable streams and
vast areas of strewn boulders—

two and a half years of forced

which had been reinforced by. -

two and a half years o fforced
labor by thousands of men work-
ing under the supervision of the
Nazi Todt organization. !

The Hinns, intoxicated with

' the “invulnerability” of the Isth-

mus walls began their “peace”
feelers merely for the purpose
of gaining. time. They calculated
something like this: If in 1940
it took the Red Army three
months to smash the Manner-
heim Line, then the new and im-
measurably more powerful 1944
line would defy every Soviet at-
tack. The Finns were com
pletely oblivious to-the fact that
at the end of three years the Red
Army, had become strong enough
to accomplish in nine days what

_it. took it to do in three months

in 1940. :
‘Their crumpled — defences:
smashed by an unprecedented

artillery barrage, are testimony
to their miscalculation.

by Ol Bill

suicide:

Political Prescience

Tes Soviet government has won 2 reputation for “calling the shots”
and for taking the lead in far-seeine moves which have always

“proved to be effective in strengthening the forces new fightine

fascism.

The latest of these political innovations is he decree of the Su-
preme Soviet. according to citizens of Byelorussia and Western
Ulawaine, as well as to Soviet citizens, who are now fighting the Nazis,
the right to Geclare themselves citizens of Poland if they so desire.

Only a’ government of the type of the Soviet government could
make such a decree, because only a Soviet government can consider
the ‘people in its territories as free, economically as well as politically.

Such an offer is not, in the Soviet system, the extension of a
privilege but the recognition of a right; the right to belong or not
to belong to a particular group, national or otherwise. It is the right
of self-determination of nations as Lenin understood it applied to
individuals. It is an indication that the Soviet Union has reached the
fullness of maturity.

One cannot for a moment imagine his right being’ recognized,
much less put into actual practice by the Polish government-in- =exile.
And the inability to imagine such a state of affairs is not the result
of theorizing on the subject or collecting statements of their policy

and programs uttered by spokesman and protogonists of that govern-

ment.

A Polish army has been growing to real military proportions in
Britain during the time the British and American forces were being
trained and equipped for the job they are now doing so well.

That Polish army has been the subject of much discussion in the

press and from the public platform in Britain. Whatever its military

value may be in the war against Hitler fascism is a matter for the
future to determine. It has not yet been tested. But one character-
istic about it stands out beyond any peradventure of a doubt. It is
shot through and through with anti-Semitism.

Nor are the open displays of anti-Semitism that have been proved
against it the disgusting spleen of individual Jew-baiters. They are
a considered policy of the Polish Pans and their henchmen who rule
the army. General Sosnkowski, the commander-in-chief, is a notorious
Polish Nationalist and anti-Semite. He tendered his resignation to

Sikorski when that general signed the. Polish-Soviet agreement—a.

protest against the Bolshevist Jews:

Polish prisoners captured from Rommel’s Afrika Korps in North
Africa have been allowed to join this Polish army. Unimpeachable
evidence proves that many of them are pronounced Nazis, proud: and.

* boastiul-of having killed Jews.

Before the debacle in 1940 there was a Polish army fighting in
France. There were 12,000 Jews in its ranks. Only 400 of them were
evacuated to Britain. The rest were left to the tender mercies of the
Gestapo.

And Political Persecution

In the army of the Polish government-in-exile today there are
600 Jews against their will. Two months ago, 30 of them were in jail
because they protested agaimst the anti-semitie attitude of their
officers. They all offered to serve in the British army but the Polish
government, which denies them the most elementary. citizenship rights,
refused them that privilege.

About three months ago, a Polish-Jewish. doctor named Elias
Wold, working at the Metropolitan Hospital in London, committed
He took an overdose of poison and feaped from the roof of
the hospital. ~

First reported as an accident, it later was learned that he feared
the anti-Jewish persecution in ‘the Polish army. He told a friend he
would rather kill himself than face it. Shortly before his death he
offered to join the French forces. The French military authorities

2

“were prepared to accept him provided he could get a release from the

Polish army. The Polish government-in-exile refused to release him
and ordered him either to enlist in the Polish army or be considered
a deserter. That is only one case, but many more could be cited and
in any case that one is enough.

So great a scandal has the anti-semitism of the Polish army. be-
come that the Polish ministry of defense was compelled to take some
notice of it. Aiconference, a show rather, was staged, at which some
Jewish soldiers were to give testimony of the kindly and lovable na-
ture of the jackboot Pans, a class similar to the German Junkers, who
make up the officer caste of the Polish army. The majority of the
Polish people are in Poland doing their fighting there; people like
those who defended Warsaw in 1939, after the Pans had taken to
their heels.

Reynolds’ News-tells what happened. Two of the Jewish soldiers
called on to testify had the courage to take the newspapermen aside
and tell them that the whole thing had been faked for propaganda
purposes, that anti-semitism was still very real and ugly in the Polish

army and that it was present even in the gathering then taking place.

The other Jews also spilled the truth in their short speeches. The
Polish officials told the newshawks this was “a complete surprise to
them,” they had no idea things were so bad and they thought the
Jews “must be exaggerating.”

Can such a government as the one that maintains that army pos-
sibly publish a decree like this one of the Soviet government? No.
The conditions under which both governments function are entirely
different. ‘The Polish government-in-exile is a government which
makes laws for subjects to obey. These are decisions of a ruling caste
imposed on a people or a group of peoples, Jews, Ukrainians, Byelo-
Russians and Palés who do not belong to the ruling caste.

The Soviet government, on the other hand, promulgates docisioas
which are the outcome of free, democratic discussions. They are for
the most efficient administration of the affairs of a free people.

The Soviet administrators can say: “You are welcome to share
in our freedom or to renounce it, if you do not wish to accept the re-
sponsibilities that go with it. You may stay or you may go!”

Here are all the four fredoms of the Atlantic charter in one:

SINS, C2 CER