7he Peace Arch stands at the far western side of the continent on the seam between Canada and the United States, just where it meets the sea — here represented by Boundary Bay and the Georgia Strait. The 67-foot arch is made of steel- reinforced concrete. It was built in the early ’20s to commemorate 100 years of peace between the two nations. Inscribed across the U.S. side of the arch is “Children of a Common Mother”; the Canadian side, “Brethren Dwelling Together in Unity.” Although the arch straddles the border, the surrounding park is treated as international territory: the border stations are positioned in such a way that citizens of both countries may enjoy the park without going through the formality of “crossing the border." And as a result, the park has been a popular spot for international gatherings over the years. The largest gathering by far was the concert which Paul Robeson sang on Sunday, May 18, 1952. The circumstances of that concert are no tribute to the harmony between the two countries, however. Robeson, it will be recalled, had his passport taken away from him in 1950, a month after he spoke out against the Korean War at Madison Square Garden. (“The Negro people ... will know that if we don’t stop our armed adventure in Korea today — tomorrow it will be Africa. For the maw of the warmongers is insatiable. They aim to rule the world or ruin it. ”) In early 1952, the Mine, Mill & Smelter's Union of British Columbia invited Robeson to a convention at Denman Auditorium in Vancouver. No passport is necessary to get into Canada, of course, but Robeson was stopped at Blaine by U.S. authorities: Truman had signed an executive order forbidding him to cross the border. The Canadians were outraged. Robeson then invited the Mine, Mill & Smelter’s Union to come and hear him sing at the Peace Arch on May 18. They came. As did 40,000 others. I\loon. Don discharged his passen- 2 i gers, and the Longshoremen took their place on the grass next to lawyers, artists, postal workers, nurses, students, carpenters, ministers, fishermen, office workers and physicians. Altogether, 146 organizations endorsed the border rally. A message was read to the rally from a demonstrator across the country: “The police estimate there to be one million here today in New York." Michael Pentz, a representative of the British peace movement, took the stage. “Last Sunday I stood in Hyde Park,” he said, “and there were half a million there. I'll read the resolution that we passed, and if you people here support it too, I’ll take word back to England. ” The crowd billowed and stood as he read: "We reject, altogether, the use of nuclear weapons or any weapons of mass extermination." The crowd approved and cheered — as much in celebration of their half-million British counterparts as for the wording of their views. “After a nuclear war there is no more nationalism," one of the speakers observed. Canadians and Americans spoke alternately on the rally program. Frank Kennedy, president of the Vancouver & District Labor Council, presided. — Canadians called on both governments to halt testing of the cruise missile at the Cold Lake Test Site in Alberta. — University professor Jessie Chiang announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate against pterodactyl Henry Jackson, whose Jackson- Warner resolution attempted to make a mockery of the idea of a nuclear freeze. Chiang teaches at Seattle Pacific University and is actively involved in the Union of Concerned Educators. — It was announced that, the day before, the British Columbia legisla- • • . PASTRIES • LUNCH • LIGHT DINNERS PAPALLWDM 5829 S.E. MILWAUKIE • 232-9440 * CLOSED SUN-MON ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼ "•1 • get the inside scoop with ice cream THE INSIDE SCOOP 6654 SE MILWAUKIE AVE. (WESTMORELAND) featuring sandwiches, cookies, desserts, and ice cream GET A SINGLE SCOOP FOR 590 with this coupon reg. value 750 LONGFELLOW’ S BOOKS &RECORDS 4 blocks south of Papa Haydn’s stop in and browse before or after 6229 S.E. Milwaukie 239-5222 DON JUAN TOMAS Fine Mexican and Seafood 6221 SWMacadam Portland, Oregon 245-9779 28 Clinton St. Quarterly
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