The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-08
A New and Rather UNIQUE d.
Iemma Now Confronts the
French Government.
THE TEACHERS ORGANIZE
OBJECT SAID TO BE TO PLACE
THE CONTROL OF PUBLIC EDu-
CATION IN THE HANDS OF THE
SOCIALISTS
Publishers Press1

Paris, Feb. IA new and important
phase of the right of public employees
to organize after the fashion of trades
unions has arisen in France. It will
be remembered that about a year ago
postmen formed an association and
struck for higher wages. The govern
ment refused TO admit the principle
that public servants could strike
against the state All the strikers were
discharged and their duties were per
formed by soldiers until the service
could be reorganized. Now, the gov
eminent must meet a far more serious
attempt.
Schoolmasters of several districts,
notably Paris and the outlying indus
trial centers, formed associations, or
syndicates, at the instigation of the
Radical Socialists, and joined the Gen
eral Labor Federation Confederation
Generate Du TravaiD. There was prac-
tically no attempt to conceal the fact
that the purpose of organizing teach
ers is for propagation of the doctrines
OIL anti-militarism, as expounded by
Herve and his followers, internalism,.
as preached by Jaures, and in the gen
eral idea of solidarity Of interests OF
the working classes as against the.
capitalistic classes. The syndicate OF
Paris avowed this in the following
statement: Considering that public
primary education is confined almost
exclusively to children of the work
ing classes, it can be profitable to
them only if the masters can teach
them where their economic interests
lie and therefore, it is necessary that
the masters should obtain this knowl
edge by affiliating themselves with the
Confederation of Labor"
After considering the subject the
government, which fully realizes that
the object of the promoters of the or
ganiZation is to concentrate public ed
ucation in the hands of the advocates
Of 'Internalism,' promptly forbade
teachers syndicates, but as the
French trade union laws are very
broad, some additional legislation on
the subject will be necessary to en-
force the order
NJ. BRAND in announcing the deci-
sion to a deputation said: Because
of the very nature of your service the
state can never permit you to act as
other employees do. You are not work
ing for an ordinary employer. but for
the state, and revolt against the state
is revolt against the country, whose
representatives vote your salary
Besides the question of the right of
public servants to organize in their
own interests, the government recog-
nizes that the question of educating
the youth of the land touches one of
the most sacred duties of the state.
It was on the theory that education
should be free from every possible
bias that the Catholic teaching orders
were driven out of France. Consequent 4
~. it would be intolerable to admit
that the task of educating the youth
of the country should be consigned to
the allies and the advocates of pan
ticular political doctrine.
Nevertheless, this bold attempt to
control the education of the French
masses is a noteworthy evidence of
the militant character of the internal
Socialist movement in France