The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-04-17


trial family, to get what is fair without
undertaking to win consideration for
themselves by making everybody else
suffer.-Christian Science Monitor.
PLATFORM PLANK FOR PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
In period when the political parties
are inviting suggestions for platform
planks on which to make their appeal
to the voters in the coming presidential
campaign, the Republican managers can
hardly turn deaf ear to the appeal of
the New York and Illinois teachers for
a plank that shall declare for national
action to check the deterioration Of
tho American public schools. There
are reasons why such plank might
well be adopted. The principal reason,
of course, is the situation with respect
to the schools themselves. But an
other is the situation Of the Republi-
cans with respect to the coming cam
paigp.
Support Of the public schools is dis
tinctly an American issue. It under
lies the whole American system of gov
ernment and is generally conceded to
be the foundation Of American citi-
zenship. If the people are not to con-
tinue the education of the rising gen
Grafton under public auspices and with
efficiency, the way will be opened to
increasing illiteracy; and popular gov
eminent has never yet succeeded on
the basis Of an illiterate citizenship.
Nobody knows this better than the
teachers in the public schools. Most
Of the teachers are women, and the
Republican managers are not by any
MEANS overlooking the fact that some
thing like 100000 women will be en-.
titled to vote for presidential candi-
date in the next election, even II no
thirty-sixth state can be found to ratif.-
the woman suffrage constitutional
amendment in time to bring all tho
women in the country to the ballot box
this year. There is little question that
public school plank would make a
peculiarly strong appeal to the women
voters. Merely a. talking point for
:ne women themselves, and for all who
should undertake to address them in
the interests Of republicanism, a school
plank would have definite. value.
There is more to be said on the sub
ject,. however, than what concerns
merely partisan political advantage.
What the teachers have proposed to the
Republican managers involves a federal
awakening to the dangers now con-
fronting the American educational >sys:
TEN. It would pledge the party can.
didates, if they succeed in carrying
the country. to a definite effort to save
the system from further deterioration
BY giving the public: schools the benefit
Of definite and we'll organized federal
support. If the teachers have their
way, the plank will recognize the pub
lie schools as "the bulwark. Of democ-
racy,' obligated to prepare the future
citizenry: Of the nation: The present
shortage Of trained teachers will be
cited as serious menace to the wei.
fare Of society, and increased national
support will be advocated, to the end
that there may be developed ga public
school systeh4 that will furnish equal
educational opportunity to all the child
rem OF every state in the Union.'' The
teachers would pledge the party, Incl
dentally, to the establishment Of ma
tional department. of education, with a
representative in the cabinet. This, OF
course, is substantially the plan that
has recently been before congress, and
whether the platform committee would
think it best to 60 so far in the out
lining Of methods is question. There
would be no need to stick over details,
however. The main point would be to
have the party pledged to make the
perfection Of the public educationa al
system a definite national purpose.
Probably the teachers acting in this
matter have no wish to make it par
tisan affair. What they are after
is to bring the present needs of the
schools definitely before the country.
Teachers have been carrying on an
agitation to this end for some time
past, focusing it upon the proposed
legislation that has been pending in
the form Of first one. and then an
other, bill in congress. In default Of
conclusive action there, they have
seized the opportunity Offered by the
pending campaign to bring their plan
for educational Improvement more
prominently before the public. While
their proposal has so far been put up
to the Republicans, there appears to be
no special reason why 1t might not az
we'll have been proposed to the Demo.
Gratis, if the sponsors had conceived
the Democrats to have equal chances