COMMUNISTS IN CANADA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19175, 14 November 1925, Page 11

COMMUNISTS IN CANADA.

" REVOLUTION, ABSOLUTELY."

CLOSE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA.

THE WHOLE POLICY OF LENIN.

[from our owk correspondent. 3 TORONTO. Oct. 10. While all the world is still discussing the exclusion of Saklatvala, M.P., from the Lnited States, Communists in Canryda have come out in the open. Their headquarters are in Toronto nest door to the Albany Club, the most famous social and conservative club in Canada, devoted in its political activities to a fine old crusted toryism. At the Albany Club, the members before lunch stand up and sing "God Save the King." When the strains penetrate the thin wall that separates perfervid loyalty from the office of revolution, it is the custom of all Communists who may be present to make a. point of sitting down except one, whose duty it is to close windows and doors in order that the notes of the National Anthem may be as subdued as possible-

One roaches the offices of tho communist Party in Canada not through a mouldy cellar, or up flights of dark and rickety stairs. One takes an elevator—-a nice shiny brass elevator—and is ushered into modern offices with typewriters clicking, girls filing or taking dictation, telephones ringing. On the wail hangs a bronze medallion, a foot across, of the late Comrade Lenin. The Four Leaders, In the "board room" may be found the four titular leaders of Communism in Canada. They do not appear as underfed cartoons of humanity with Bolshevik whiskers. Not one of them wears even a moustache. Morris Specter is chairman of the Communist Party of Canada, which is openly and avowedly allied with the Communists of Russia. /Their platform is the platform of Lenin, holus bolus, under which the proletariat would take control of all business and Government, and interest, rents and private property would be abolished. Jack Mac Donald, for long well-known in Labour circles in Toronto, is secretary of the party. Tim Buck, editor of the party's propaganda, and William Moriarty are the other two big figures in national 'headquarters. Everyone of them has been to Russia. Moriarty is just home from attending 'the annual Red congress in Moscow. Tim Buck was there last year. Jack MacDonald and Spector were there the year before. They are in regular correspondence with Moscow. They report and get reports. Strength of tlie Movement. To a reporter who called on them these leaders frankly discussed their objects and plans. "How many Communists are there in Canada?" asked the reporter. "About 4200 members, active, paid up," replied Tim Buck. "We might have 30,000 sympathisers. There are indications that we have a great many more." | "What indications?" « "At the trades congress of Canada held in London, Ontario, last year," said Tim Buck, "I ran for the office of president. I have been a Communist for years. I stood up and-made my address to these representatives of Labour as a Red. I received 44 votes out of 200." "Our strength is wherever there is discontent," said Jack Mac Donald. "In. every city we have a few. Among the farmers of the west, we not orJy had members for two or three years, but now we have organised locals of our party. The Communist faith is spreading. But please note that we make no vast claims of membership. It is not easy to be a member of the Communist Party of Canada. It is hard. Unless a man will ; undertake to work actively for the party !we will not accept him. By working for the party we mean he must be a Communist at his work bench, in his shop, in his union, submit to the discipline of the party, act and speak at all times in favour of the cause." One Read to Objective. "How about revolution?" "Revolution, absolutely," said Tim ! Buck and Jack Mac Donald with genial smiles. "You don't mean to say that there could be actual revolution in Canada ?" "The Communist Party will never succeed," they replied, "without revoluI tion." | la addition to keeping close personal ! touch with Russia, the Canadian Com- ! munists are sending, this winter, Stewart ! Smith, a young man in his teens who is editor of their Young Communist League j propaganda, to Moscow to attend the university there for a year and a-half. He will receive an all-round education in communism. Popular Indifference. No one in Canada takes the Communist Party seriously. They are allowed to hold street meetings, although at these semiorganised bands of hecklers—right wing Labourites or Fascist!—disturb the propaganda. , But the man in the street pays no attention. That helps to explain why most comment in Canada has been critical of Mr. Kellogg's exclusion icxf Saklatvala. Canada has not always been as toleraint as its present indifference to local Communists, and as its comment on the Saklatvala case, might indicate. It is only three or four years ago that in "an hour of unworthy panic" Orders in Council -were passed under which officers searched libraries and sent men to gaol for having in their possession quite ordinary sociological literature. A Definition of Sedition. Tho most notable sedition cases in Canada followed the Winnipeg general strike of 1919. Then there were several convictionr under Judge Metcalfe's definition of sedition as follows: —"Sedition is a comprehensive term embracing all those practices, whether by word, deed or writing, which are likely to disturb the tranquility of the State and Itad j ant persons to endeavour to subvert to i Government and laws of the Empire. Tho I objects are generally to excite discontent | and insurrection, stir up opposition to tho Government, and to pring ad^ lEt ™;, SpS it only resembles Ihe olta» «- This °be P for cedent, nngiM 3 H n;s io f H! taking the frorn Mother Engler, cu^ r .. V'T-ent Massey relates that : ■ not lor g ago passing Hyde Park, London in a° «r." He left'the car, but M not stop the engine, to go over and rten for a minute to a revolutionary i u,er A policeman, representative oi ]aw andVrder, which was being attacked, asked Mr. Masse* to ston his the "audience can't near uie orator.