The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-29
TO UNIoNlzE
STATE TEACHERS
PLAN SUGGESTED AT PRELIM
MARY MEETING OF M. E. A.
Special Committee Appointed to Re-
port ON Schemes. w. Leavitt
Recommends Creation OF State
Board of Education-State Does
Nothing for Education of Its H.
dian Children.

Another new and vital issue was
presented for the consideration of the
Minnesota Educational association last
night at an informal conference held
perintendent A. w. Uhl of Detroit laid
before the 500 teachers present a
resolution passed by the Northwest
ern Teachers association urging the
Minnesota Educational association to
take steps to form a state federation
of teachers to advance the financial
and educational interests of teachers
and to secure them opportunities to
assert their initiative. The proposition
is based upon the Illinois movement,
where the teachers federation is af-
filiated with the federation of labor,
and is, in fact, labor union.
s18 The unionization idea created live
8ly interest and was hOtly debated. Its
further consideration will be one Of
the important features of the conven-
~ ton. A determined effort was made to
u sidetrack the resolution by referring
it to the general committee on resolu-
tions, where it's advocates aver 1T
would have been quietly buried. It's
friends sought chiefly for an oppor-
. tunity to present the matter to the
convention and bring out an adequate
expression Of opinion and scored a VIC
tory in this, for the conference in
structed President Weld to appoint
special committee to prepare report
on the question to be submitted to the
general association.
Superintendent UhIs Statement.
Superintendent Ulh in supporting
his measure declared the need of a
labor union among teachers to be ur-
gent.
I'VE work." he said, "for wages, as
do other wage earners, and 1t Is a
matter Of social honesty that we
should be recognized with the labor1ng
interests. It is time that the teachers
organize to advance their interests and
to secure opportunities for them to as
sert their initiative. The teachers
should have larger voice in the finan-
cial affairs Of the school; they should
have more to say concerning the con-
ditions of service, and also concerning
the pleasure in their labor and of their
labor To-day they have nothing to
say concerning these matters.
1T Is time that the teachers should
begin to work out their own salvation
along their own Independent ideas,
rather than under the direction Of
some one above them.
Those advocating these newer prin-
ciples, such as Professor John Dewey
+ of the Chicago university and other&
argue that the teachers Of the public
school should be it's council. They
should be the same to it as the faculty
Is to a college. The superintendent
position and placed in the status of
the college president. 1t may be ar
sued that the teachers have not suf-
ficient originality and invention to
achieve these things. They have, and
they can only show that they have
when given an opportunity to exercise
them. Only when the teachers are
given greater opportunities will they
be able to exercise their initiative as
they should.
diately to establish minimum salary.
1t is not necessary that they strike,
but this can be accomplished by pub
lie expression. The teachers should
I look to the permanency Of their tenure
4 in their positions, and they should de-
mand independence In their work.
EVERY teacher should exercise some
right in regard to the matters Of taxa
ton for educational purposes
Mr.. Leavitt's Plan.
S. w. Leavitt Of the state board of
control, in speaking of the relation of
the board to the educational system,
said that relief from the friction en-
gendered between the board and the
VI educational institutions should be
sought from the legislature, as the
H board has only been carrying out the
BE- duties laid upon it by the law. He
recommended, as desirable change
and one that the board of control
would heartily approve, that state
1oard Of education should be created
nd the three separate boards abol-
he'd, giving the state board the man.
sement of all the educational insti-
5tiOnS, not only as relates to eduCa-
NAL work, but as to their business
Engagement, administration and 9TH
"er affairs. Harmony and the maxi
mum Of efficiency, he thought, would
thus be secured. Such g. system would
result in economy now impossible.
2,2OO Little Indians.
Superintendent John B. Brown O.
The government indian school at Nor
ris stated that Minnesota has 2,2O(
Indian children of school age fol
F, which the state is doing nothing il
an educational way. Mr.. Brown ex
planned the system Of government su
pervision Of Indian education and
talked interestingly of the results 0
Indian education. He outlined tn
/ disadvantages under which India1
children in the schools work in try
ing to absorb in few years a civil
ization that the white race has I'm
. perfectly mastered in thousands o
years of effort, but gave encouraging
. instances of results obtained and ia
vorable development Of Indian chill
s dren under the educational system.
The three greatest enemies of tn
3 Indians he stated. are the i1l-advise
Il philanthropists, the politicians and tn
4 parasites who live on the Indians an
e on their allowances from the govern
ment.
p The sooner you put your Journs
want ad to work, the sooner you wi
get your want Try it for anythin
and everything. One cent a wore