POLICE SPY

Grey River Argus, 9 November 1931, Page 5

POLICE SPY

AMONG COMMUNISTS Evidence at Canadian Tria! (Aus. & N.Z. Cable (Received Nov. 7 at 5.5 p.m.) TORONTO, November C. Plans to wreck the Unite J Farmers’ j organisations on the Canadian prairies ! were revealed at the Communist trials. Circulars that had been, seized in the pol.ee raids disclosed that members of the Communist Party were to join in order I’d gradually disentegrajo the Farmers' Associations by agitating again>t the payment of taxe 3 and by promoting a movement for the seizure of the richest, farms. Tim Buck, one of the accused, admitted making several trips to Moscow, and also the organisation of strikes among Alberta coal miners. (Received Nov. 8 at 5.5 p.m.) TORONTO, November 6. | “To the member of the Ccmmunlist Party of -Canada, Sergeant Leo t'pold was known a 3 a devoted, faithful worker to the cause, one who 'was always ready to entertain our organisers. always prepared to help us out financially, and always willing tof pay his own expenses to our conventions, or meeting*. ’ ’ These were the words used to-day by Tim Buck, the alleged leader of the Communist Party in Canada. He was a defence witness and thus told how Sergeant John Leopold, of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, had, under name of Comrade E. W. Esselwain, acted as Secretary of the Regina-Saskatch-ewan branch of the party for seven years from 1921 to 1928. Tim Buck, with eight others, i s being tried on charges, of being parties

to a seditious conspiracy. Leopold has been the sensation of the trial In testifying, he stated how, for the purpose of getting information. he had obtained a position of confidence in the Communist Parry, attending its conventions a nd having access to its correspondence. Leopold stated that in 1923 three thousand dollars were sent from Mosccwv for Canadian Communists, but after that Moscow felt the organisation should be self-supporting. The Crown concluded its case today with the filing of document* linking Moscow and Canada. Among these was a thesis on Communism, written by E. Vassiliev, of Moscow, who said that proletarian self defence should b.* organised. The police had broken up dozens of sections of the proletarian self-defence, Vassiliev wrote, “Because the comrades do not. have the sightest conception cf selfdefence.” He recommended that the comrades should train in throwing stones.. They (Ed not know the tactics for street fighting. Did not even know how to box; He says: “It is enough to pick up a stone and throw it, but it is important that the .shone should its target, and not merely hit the target, but that some effect should be seen from the blow. It was also suggested that each evening and each morning, instead of going

through gymnastic exercises the comrades should practice throwing stones at a target twenty-five paces away. The Communist Party in Canada, however, has never fomented revolution, never advocated the use of force or- violence in overthrowing the capitalistic system a nd has never preached the overthrow of the existing Government by force, according to the testimony given by Tim Buck and Tom Ewan, the alleged leaders of the Party in their evidence on thejir own behalf.

IN AUSTRALIA

Russian Revolution Anniversary (Aus. £ N.Z. Cab!3 Assn.) (Received November 8 at 7 p.m.) SYDNEY. November 8. About two thousand men, women and children participated to-day in a march from the Bailway Square to the Domain to celebrate the anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The speakers included a couple of red-beretted boys. A few street onlookers paid little attention to the procession MELBOURNE, November 8. Elaborate police arrangements have been made to prevent any Communist march through the city. This resulted in not a single demonstration in the streets. It was later discovered, however, that the Communists had substituted for a march through, a community song programme at a hall where a small band confined themselves to these vocal exercises.