Quebec Premier Says Communists Aided By Canadian Press,

Grey River Argus, 17 February 1949, Page 7

Quebec Premier Says Communists Aided By Canadian Press,

QUEBEC, February 15.

The newspapers were acting as propagandists for disorder and for Communism by devoting too much space to them, said the Premier of Quebec (Mr Maurice Duplessis) in an address to the Canadian Retailers’ Association’s annual conference. He added that the retailers should use their power to make the newspapers stop being such propagandists. The newspapers were acting as megaphones for the friends of disorder and subversive ideas.

“Our duty is to make the newspapers understand their responsibilities and that it is shameful on their part to give publicity to every disorderly element and. to Communists that they don’t give to honest people”, he said. “’They are only kindling a fire which in the not too distant future —if we are not careful •—will consume us all. We have reached a period when we can no longer play with fire”. Mr Duplessis said he remembered tha,t when he was Leader of the Opposition the newspapers sometimes gave three lines to reports of his speeches. “Why not report the Communists in three lines?” he asked.