The Municipal Elections In Montreal
Herman, Sol
The Municipal Elections In Montreal Brilliant Record of Alderman Schubert and Communist Tactics in Limelight By Sol Herman r[E Montreal District Council of the Canadian Labor Paity la in...
...Schubert's Record Alderman Schubert's activity during the last eight years In the City Council as the lone Labor man is something talked about not only in this city but throughout the entire country...
...lissatHlfw i||!¦¦¦«, a Oemwu: ¦1st, get <eee" at the last minute and tat the face of aa overwhelming defeat fir himself re U red from the race...
...I wonder whether he Is aware of the world he lives in...
...It was he who led the fight, which he won, against the wage cut for firemen and policemen...
...Louis Ward Tenants League Is another Communist alias formed a few weeks ago...
...The Communists are only putting oat one candidate, and in the St...
...Louis Fischer of The Nation and the New York Herald-Tribune, Miss Anna Louise Strong, editor of the official Communist Moscow News...
...The Socialist Party Is composed of volunteers willing to make sacrifices for an ideal...
...The Communist Role...
...I have no means of establishing the number of those who have deserted to Communism because we are not sufficiently enthusiastic about Soviet Russia...
...The Municipal Elections In Montreal Brilliant Record of Alderman Schubert and Communist Tactics in Limelight By Sol Herman r[E Montreal District Council of the Canadian Labor Paity la in the coming city elections (April 4th) and has put up two candidates for Aldermen...
...Comrades in towns where there are no such letters appearing, should now, In these momentous times, do likewise...
...Earnest discussion means life...
...I have observed it In State conventions over 30 years ago...
...lack of it may imply sterility.—Editor...
...When the capitalists cannot find any one to do their dirty work they can always depend upon the Communists to do IJ for them...
...A reporter who covers the City Council meetings remarked that "Schubert knows more than all the other 34 Aldermen and the Mayor put together...
...Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty...
...Albert Rhys Williams of the » New Republic <of whom even the Communist Max Eastman has said that he Is "a paid, agent of the Stalin press"), and other official and unofficial apologists of the Stalin dictatorship...
...Constructive criticism Is highly desirable but the English language Is rich enough In words to lend itself to comradely persuasion to one's views...
...I.knew that I would provoke the anger of some comrades because of my attempt to destroy their Illusion that Socialism has been realized or Is being realized In Soviet Russia...
...Instead of wagea^ being reduced they were increased...
...Comrade Endres should not become alarmed...
...THE ETHICS OF DEBATE By Otto Endris For many years I have been wondering about the behavior of some of the comrades In New York City...
...E. E. Spelman sees in my articles evidence of "capitalist influence In the party...
...especially those Socialists who still like to "flirt" with the Communists...
...Lack of finances permitted only two Labor candidates...
...Through public pressure, Schubert was appointed on the committee and was responsible for bringing out the famous Public Health Commission's Report which showed that the city administration was doing nothing to safeguard the public against disease...
...Lately, at the Communist trial at Toronto when he was the "star" witness, he admitted that he was sent into the Communist party by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to do "a special piece of work...
...Schubert gathered statistics, figures and information frobt everywhere and showed that Montreal firemen and policemen were the lowest paid on the continent...
...1 hope that the New York comrades win at least consider this attempt from %ip state" seriously and try "Internal" reform, Individually as well as collectively...
...An election campaign can only be carried on in a district where there is a Party Branch which will do the necessary work...
...Lately it was disclosed that a member of the Royal Mounted Police ("Comrade" Sergeant Leopold of the R. C. M. P.) was the secretary of the Communist party of Regina for six yeajs, attended conventions of the party, toured the country as an organizer, speaking at Communist meetings and demonstrations and was the Reddest of the Red...
...A thief will not trust any one and a liar never believe* any one...
...This Is an "argument" fltUng for the Dally Worker...
...So, if you vote for the Democratic wing of the Double Machine—or if you vote for the Republican wing of the Double Machine—you are In either case simply voting for the Greedy Old Plutocrats...
...These facta made a furore In the city and the government was forced to appoint a Public Health Commission...
...It waa he who exposed to the public the five million dollar graft scandal of the Wellington street tunnel...
...He believes that by criticizing Russia we provoke "a real feeling of irritation among those who ought to be friends of Socialism rather than of Communism...
...Last year the Canadian Government put an embargo on all Russian goods and the city of Montreal was asked to endorse the act...
...The Liberal press print Schubert's attacks on the Conservative government (Municipal and Federal...
...In later years I found that same queer spirit...
...Socialist AIdennaa Joseph Schubert has keen re elected to Ida seat by asalasnarlftw, the mtj ¦¦opposed Mts»ss)ta la the city eieettea...
...Well, I can assure Mr...
...A SUGGESTION By Robert Lansdown Way down here in Tampa, Fla., as years ago in New York, and then In more recent time In Bridgeport, Conn., I have found a good medium for propaganda In capitalist dailies, or weeklies...
...The Labor Party therefore la organizing branches in various districts of the city and with the help of the Trade Unions will have a strong and powerful party in the near future...
...THE DOUBLE MACHINE By Hanford B, Porter Unless there Is a redistribution of wealth, the United States, like the great powers of the past, will fall...
...The politicians at the City Hall hate and fear Schubert yet they respect and admire him for his honesty, courage, knowledge and sincerity and hie contlnous battle for the "under dog...
...was a Communist...
...that Walter Du-ranty of the New York Times has In the past two years printed more propaganda for Stalin and his "Marxism" than all the Communist dallies and "liberal" weeklies combined...
...Louis Ward, against the Socialist alderman Joseph Schubert...
...the Conservative press prints Schubert's attacks on the Liberal Party (Provincial government) On account of his vicious and frequent attacks upon both old parties, Schubert manages to get a. great deal of publicity in the press for himself and the Labor party...
...The Party consists chiefly of elected delegates from the Trade Unions...
...Discussions'should be couched in moderate language, guided by a spirit of tolerance and a friendly appeal to reason...
...Use capitalism to gain our ends...
...Does he not know that the capitalist press in particular prints much more material of a favorable nature on Soviet Russia, than it does of unfavorable character...
...Heat will occasionally develop In conventions where there are Intense convictions but even this Is to be preferred to the dull routine of rubber-stamping resolutions without debate...
...They are not only industrial scabs but political scabs as well...
...From Our MaUbay THE NEW LEADER FORUM Russia—Debating Party Problems—Using The New Leader to Advantage A REJOINDER By David Shub Permit me to reply to the critics on unemployment In Soviet Russia...
...Spelman that I was a Socialist and suffered Imprisonment and i ?*J...
...But the present affair Is something every Socialist should know of...
...We should respect each other's views and not be vilified for a different opinion, which may be changed by sound reasoning...
...Spelman is afraid that the capitalist newspapers may make capital out of-my articles...
...My critics cannot prove that the facts and figures cited by me from the Soviet press are incorrect...
...8U>eri* ** m7 Socials* so-1 tivities long before he had ever heard of Socialism...
...The city was then flooded with disorderly houses, gambling joints, etc...
...The Montreal Labor Party has recently been reorganized after a period of Inactivity...
...Who was the "lone" defender of Soviet Russia at the council meeting...
...We can exj>ect" practically anything from the Communists...
...Although he la a Democrat, Long did not spare the leaders of either party...
...Joseph Schubert, who has been the lone labor repreaeataUve In the city council fdfufelast eight years, la running for re-election in the St Louis Ward...
...Walter Du-ranty of the New York Times, Mr...
...Be vigilant...
...Some letters and articles In The New Leader and the report of the last city convention prompt me to appeal to the "men" members to make an effort to overcome the incessant "hair splitting," the bitterness in controversial debates, the cynical belltllng of the honest efforts of others, the self-righteousness and the mutual suspicion of correct doctrinal interpretation or the misconstruction of statements...
...From 1924 to 1930, Schubert practically led the opposition forces against the Liberal administration then in power and exposed the dealings of the Liberal administration with the underworld...
...The Communist pet names, "faker, traitor, social Fascist" which they so often use can be applied better to themselves...
...Schubert Is the beat friend the Montreal newspaper reporters have or ever had...
...This Is not only my opinion but also the opinion of the most authoritative Socialist leaders in Europe as well as of many Socialist veterans in the United States...
...In the present municipal elections, neither the Liberal nor the Conservative parties have put out any official opposition candidates against Schubert and It is quite likely that they won't for the same reason that both old political parties did not officially oppose J. 8. Woodswortb, Labor M. P. for Winnipeg, in the last federal elections...
...having a dynamic personality and being a forceful speaker, he has made for himself a name and record that the Labor Party can justly be proud of...
...I have no Intention of entering into any discussion with 8. A. DeWltt...
...Of all the vile evils under the sun Capitalism Is surely the worst...
...At this writing it is not known under what official name the Communist candidate la going to run, "workers" candidate," "unemployed" candidate, "Communist party" candidate," "Communist-Conservative coalition" candidate or "tenants" candidate (St...
...During the last federal elections, the only one who had the nerve to oppose J. S. Woodswortb...
...Schubert is also likely to bring out more sensational facts and they fear him...
...That prediction was made by Senator Huey P. Long of Louisiana in a radio address over a national "hook-up" recently...
...They know that they can always depend upon Schubert to make the City Council meetings interesting...
...Spelman says that even If all that I wrote were true It should not have been printed...
...Reactionaries, the sympathisers and agents of the plutocrats, are in the saddle of the Republican party," he said, "but they are also largely In the saddle of the Democratic party...
...Mayor Houde himself .remarked during a debate In the City Council that "Schubert is too clever...
...And I try to get in each paper here once a week...
...i_ Socialist Wins Seat In Montreal Fight <By Wlra to the Ms* Iasatr) MONTREAL...
...The object of my articles was not so much to convince such comrades as to point out how false were the arguments of those so-called American "liberals" who have recently begun to agitate openly for the American Communist party, using as an argument the alleged fact that "only Communism can solve the problem of unemployment, because only In Soviet Russia are there no unemployed...
...Comrade Norman Thomas says he is not an expert on Russia but he permits himself nevertheless to sweep aside lightly all the facts and figures cited by me from the Soviet press and to say that they belong to "the one can Imagine school...
...Nor can they cite other figures from the Soviet press contradicting my asserUons...
...I do know, however, that the Communist movement in the United States is Insignificantly small, and that by cultivating the false Illusion that the working class rule in Russia and that Socialism Is actually being built In that country we are only preparing adepts for the Communist party and discrediting the Idea of Socialism In the eyes of every Intelligent and intellectually honest man who knows the true value of the fairy tales cultivated by the Bolshevik press agents and for whom freedom, democracy and human rights are not mere words...
...Schubert was the one responsible for getting statistics and detailed Information from all the large cities on the continent and exposed to'the public the facta that Montreal had the highett infant death rate on the continent, the largest number of tuberculosis patients and that the city spent less in proportion to its population on health than any other city in America...
...In my articles I cited facts and figures taken exclusively from the official Soviet press and showing clearly that the unemployment problem has by no means been solve J in Soviet Russia...
...All I can ask of impartial readers Is to read again what I have written In order to convince themselves how unfounded and Insincere are the assertions of my critics...
...If our movement Is to command the respect of discriminating thinkers, if It Is to attract, retain and train young idealists, our gatherings should be inspirational and free from petty strife...
...The Liberal and Conservative parties know that their candidates against Schubert would not have a chance and would certainly lose the election deposit ffSOO) and that opposition to Schubert In the St Louis Ward la likely to hurt their election campaigns in other districts...
...Because of his activity to rid the city of these, Schubert was frequently in danger of being taken for a "ride...
...It is the unanimous opinion of all that Schubert is the most informed man at the City Council...
...My sole connection with American capitalism Is that for the past twenty years of my residence in capitalistic America I have edited various Socialist and labor papers In the Jewish and Russian languages...
...New Tern City...
...E. Blanchard of Local 606, Brotherhood of Railway Carmen of America, Is the Labor candidate In St Gabriel Ward and has a good chance of being elected...
...I fully expected that my articles would not meet with the approval of those "Liberal-Minded" comrades who receive their information about Soviet "Socialism" from such great Socialist authorities as Mr...
...The "Daily Worker," the "Kami" (Communist press), the "Canadian Jewish World" and the Montreal Dally Star (Conservative) urge the voters of the St...
...We sometimes consider intense earnestness as bitterness- and nearly all delegates to the last city convention considered the discussions the best in years...
...Concentration of wealth In the hands of a few is the cause of our country's economlo troubles," Long declared...
...Schubert of course...
...Feared by Enemies When the Conservative Party captured the city under the leadership of Mayor Houde in 1930, Schubert remained in the opposition and fought the Houde administration most bitterly...
...And to make it easy I often take bodily a short New Leader editorial that is responsive to the political trend of the times and sign It Politico...
...Louis Ward to vote for A. Rosenberg, the Communist candidate, to defeat Schubert At last the Communists have found some one who is willing to go in with them on a "united front" The Communists and reaction always go hand In hand...
...Schubert always has a great deal of information and lets them have it...
...In short to Insist that the others are all wrong and to "rub It in...
...In the present city elections In Montreal, the Communists are opposing Schubert The Communist press and the reactionary Conservative press have formed a "united front" against him and the Labor party...
...A guilty conscience always tells...
...for nearly two hours the "city fathers" were forced to listen to a lecture on Russia...
...The most interesting part of these elections is the role the Communists are^ playing...
...Being a daring person and a fearles fighter...
...Comrade Thomas "Implies the same...
...that we all know...
Vol. 13 • March 1932 • No. 13
