Anti Ccf (1 results)

Self-Wrappers. First Edition, First Printing. pp. 10. 8vo., measuring 23 cm. Twice-stapled self-wrappers. One very faint spot to the left-margin of the first leaf, otherwise, remarkably well-preserved and without blemish; near fine. Not found in Weinrich. Corresponds to OCLC #461452694 indicating only but one institutional holding at time of cataloguing, held at the University of Alberta. A highly rare, decidedly anti-CCF, pamphlet which levels broad (and spurious) accusations against the social reform agenda of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and that of its leadership, portraying the party as mere lieutenants of the Russians (i.e., communist), alleging that the party drew "extraneous inspiration" that was "tinged with a foreign dye," an unmistakable reference to the newly formed Soviet Union. At times resorting to ad hominem attacks, the text cites J.S. Woodsworth's involvement in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike as evidence of the party's subversive ties, and warning of a broader CCF agenda to nationalize private property and critical industries, ban churches, prohibit the national anthem, and undermine Canada's Christian foundations, relying on dubious and unattributed testimony to support these claims. Framing CCF policies as thinly veiled communism, the pamphlet presents a staunch defence of capitalism and warns of the impending danger should the party gain federal or provincial legislative power. Published two years prior to the 1935 Canadian general election, it reflects broader establishment anxieties over the party's swift rise - one which would witness the CCF gain seven seats alongside the ideologically-aligned Social Credit Party of Alberta, which secured seventeen under the leadership of John Blackmore. While the authorship remains unclear, the initiative undoubtedly emanated from the party's staunch political and ideological opponents on the right, chiefly members of the Conservative Party, which were themselves closely aligned with religious and business interests who expressed antipathy and reservations regarding the social and political ramifications of CCF policies.…