European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse The finnish parliament which has Only one House Here sits to hear terms of the recently signed soviet Friendship treaty. _. " � " " ",.". i Jav it j. In a to i a i i t Inland s vote less ked strength by Matti Hakkarainen under the Shadow of its big powerful Eastern neighbor Finlan prepares for what some feel May Well be her last free election to Helsinki the people of Finland excited an impatient await their second Post War general election which will take place next thursday and Friday. Six major parties Are battling furiously for the 200 seats of Finland s unicameral parliament the results of this election ostensibly will decide Finland s Fate for the coming three years perhaps much longer. Beneath the Campaign confusion an name calling is the same struggle which is taking place All Over Europe. Communism represented locally by the democratic Union of finnish people versus a coalition of varying opposes. Here the Black and White of East West Battle stands out even More sharply than it did in Italy boldly underlining the influence of International conflicts on internal before has a finnish election Campaign been so bitter. For the firs time in this nation s history political statements from All Corners of the Globe Are being quoted by both sides to Speed up an already humming propaganda machine. Speeches of the president of thai United states Secretary of state Marshall and various other , As Well As messages from Moscow Ami statements from Iuter-1 National communist leaders Are used to prove any number of Campaign claims. Finland s reds Are using every thread of evidence they can pick up to weave into Blanket proof that americans Are imperialists. They condemn Home grown supporters of Western ideas and economics Labelling them r agents of the american capitalists and the communists level their charges at All parties except their own paying particular attention to. The social democrats conservatives and. Liberals. Opposing parties on the other hand Point to Prague warning finnish voter that what happened in Czechoslovakia will happen in Finland As Long As communists Are left in a position to take Over when events turn against democratic Union of finnish people fancy name for the communist front which includes communists and the people s democrats has had the largest Timber of parliament seats since the first postwar election in march1945. Although the original result gave More seats to the opposing social democrats two of its members moved into the communist front after the election. This gave the communists 51 seats against the social democrats 48.though the communists hold a plurality of seats they show comparative weakness in important tests of strength. The balance of the political parties except for moderate bickering consistently join in an anti bolshevik Block preventing communists from completing Many Maneu vers. N the desperate campaigning for the july 1 and 2 balloting Muesli Wiging hot Only has become Standard strategy but has been Given a Legal basis. Two political propagandists took the matter into Helsinki s municipal court Early in May. Professor Ernesti Hentunen original Leader of the Small Radical people s party accused Raoul Palmgren editor of the communist front paper of calling him alunatic." or. Palmgren admitted the charge but was acquitted. The court ruled that it is not wrong Socall political opponents bad names. Since then the privilege of Callin Campaign enemies lunatics has been used by both sides. Charges of Crimi Nal and drunkard have been added to the insult glossary. The communist press reported that leading social democrats were alcoholics. Two Days after publication of this fact the social democratic press charged that Joe Leino then communist minister of the Interior spent a lost week end in a government alcohol factory. The most effective propaganda tricks is for each group to charge the other with plotting to overthrow the existing order by Force and bloodshed. The finnish people fear revolution. Civil wars and reigns of terror Are too Sharp in their memories. Few finns can forge that More than 6000 people lost their lives in the three month civil War of1918. The Law abiding matter of fact people will always remember the chaos of the Papua and lock movements a hich in 1930, marched on Helsinki untypical ii d uce style. They dissolved parliament terrorized the masses an forced progressive movements under claim that the other parties including the social democrats Are planning a coup. The other parties accuse the communists quoting marxist handbooks which Deal in detail with red plans to create a dictators do of the proletariat. There Are indications that there i some basis for the coup rumours. In the last few Days of april the police were placed in a state of alarm in Helsinki and guards were doubled at the military arsenals. No official declaration has yet been made but it is common knowledge that president Paas Kivi was ready to quell a communist coup. Thesis confirmed by the fact that Arjoe Leino communist minister of the Interior at that time and other leading communists bitterly opposed the measures taken. It was soon after this that the red minister received a note of censure in parliament and the president re moved him from office. The finnish russian agreement of Friendship and Mutual Aid has been the main propaganda weapon for All non communist parties. Most of the200 members of parliament opposed sending a delegation to Moscow in reply to Stalin s invitation. After the pact was signed they claimed that it Wasa forced agreement. They rationalized however by pointing out that due to their own resistance the terms of the treaty were better than the agreements signed by Russia with other Eastern european countries. Itjin Nishi communists interpret their treaty As a great democratic Assur Ance of peace and Prosperity for Finland subtly Sid tracking the Issue of the 300-million-Dollar reparations Bill which Finland must pay up by 1952 under the terms of the 1944 armistice. It is apparent that opposition to the communists has increased within the last seven months. In december when the municipal elections were held they showed a decrease in popular communist support of More than 3 per cent. This dress rehearsal of next week event would intricate that communists will lose four or five seats. Continued on Page 19 5
