The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937, 1917-03-17
SHALL EDUCATION
BE ROCKEFELLERlZED Z?
By PRESIDENT GoMPERs, In
american FederdtioniSt.


Shall education be Rockefellerized !?
That is the proposition which is square
" up to the people of the United States.
Some years ago the Rockefeller founda-
ton sought the passage of a law for a
federal charter In that bold form it
was emphatically rejected.
The Standard Oil company does not
relinquish its purpose because of de-
feat. A charter was secured from the
State of New York and the work of car
ryng out the gigantic plan was inaug-
urated. The breadth and the subtlety of
that plan have been understood by only
few The foundation has an endow-
ment of nearly billion dollars-that
means dynamic power. Affiliations and
working relations have been establish
ed with educational agencies, with in
fuence and standing. Many of these re-
lations have been withheld from general
information, for it is recognized that
anything known to emanate from the
Rockefcllcrs is discounted and mistrust-
ed
TO meet this difficulty they devised a
working agreement with various govern
mental departments - individuals were
placed on the government pay roll, paid
salary of 81 by the government and a
real salary by some private" Rockefel-
Ter institution. These dollar people are
not distnguishable from bona lide gov
crnment agents-their work, as their
propaganda, has the prestige of govern
ment documents even though it repre-
scnts private interests. We can not safe
" disregard the fundamental principle
expressed in these homely words
"Whoever pays the piper calls the tune"
An investigation directed by the
United States senate revealed that 1872
persons were on the pay roll of the fed
eral bureau of education at salary of
81 per annum, while they received from
other institutions or associations salar-
les ranging from $4,000 down. Docu-
mcnts of merit written by some of these
seemingly government agents have been
published in large numbers. The natur-
al assumption of readers has been that
it represented government research
maintained as free as possible from the
influence OF private interests.
The entangling alliances between the
cation board of the Rockefeller founda
tcal to those which were revealed some
years ago between the department of
agriculture and the same directing
forces.
In addition to the revelation in the
United States senate disclosing the meth
ods which Standard Oil money employs
4 al Of IN
formation, comes the announcement OF
the Rockefeller experiment to estab-
lish the education that will enable boys
and girls to take hold workaday life with
quick sure grip. The purpose i'll itself
is a recognition of a fundamental ma
tional nccd-it is a matter of concern to
our whole nation and should be under
the official direction of our whole nation.
Is there any reason why the nations
business should be delegated to private
enterprise? To be sure the Rockefeller
foundation has an enormous sum OF
money available for this purpose-prob-
ably as much as the government would
feel justified in devoting to the same
purpose. But that very fact leads inn
mcdiatcly to how did two men acquire
control over so much power.
If freedom is to be maintained in this
and other lands private enterprise must
not be permitted to control sources OF
information. Information is OF value
only when salient facts associated with
its development are known. Research
inspired by the Standard Oil funds
should bear the Standard Oil trade mark
research that bears the imprint OF gov
ernmcntal sanction should be made by
bona idc government agencies.
Even il possible prompted by gooo
motive the RockeiellorS must not be
permitted to dominate the sources o.
/ information or the avenues OF education