Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-29
THE SEAT OF AUTHORITY
is WITH THE PEOPLE
Doctor Finesan Rebukes the Lam
caster Teachers Who Tried to
Transfer II to a Labor
ORGANIZATION

caster Veachers VINO Irleu 10
Transfer II to Labor
Organization
THE ruling of Doctor Fiucgan in the
L Lancaster school case is likely to
attract national attention and to be
uoted in similar disputes wherever they
may arise.
The opinion which the state superin-
tendent of public instruction hands
principles of sound educational policy
and defeLds them with such convincing
arguments that it will be difficult for
the Lancaster teachers to justify their
course even to their own reason.
The Lancaster teachers asked for an
increase in pay. The school directors
did not grant the increase. a certain
proportion of the teachers then joined
the American Federation of Teachers,
which is affiliated with the American
Federation of Labor and subject to tho
rules Of the labor federation. The school
directors. who elect the teachers from
year to year, did not re-clect those
teachers who had joined the American
Federation of Teachers.
An appeal was taken to Doctor Fin
rcan as the head of the state school
srstcm. He was asked two questions.
| The first was whether the school direc =
Tors had the legal right to refrain from
70 clrctiug the teachers who had joined
the federation. and the second was
whether i: was proper ana professional
for teachers to affiliate as an organized
body with another organization repre-
scnting a portion of the citizens of the
community in which the teachers are
employed.
Doctor Fincgan Sustains the school
directors, While he says that II Is
sound educational policy for the school
directors to re- employ every year all
those teachers who have given satlsfac-
tory service. he insists that the dlrec-
tors have legal right to refrain from
re employing any teacher. \ teacher
however. NAV not be dismissed during
the wear for which she is employed save
under the provisions of the school code'
which require the framing of charges :
but the teachers employment ends au-
tomatically with the school year. lt
cannot be renewed except by affirmative
| action bv the school directors. The
Iohor.union issue does not affect the
nowcr of the directors in anv par
| ticular.
The condemnation of the teachers
who Joined the labor union IS as EN-.
nhatic as the defense of the legal au-
tboritv of the Lancaster school dlr"c-
torS Doctor Finegan goes into the
subiect at length. for the reason thnt
he regards it as important that MS
Judgment on what is sound educatlonal
nolicy should be made clear for the
benefit of both the teachers and the
school boards.
The supprintendent claboratcS policy
which will commend itself to the JudG
mcnt of all unpr"judircd minds. lie
insists. in the first place, upon the IN
dividual liberty Of the teacher as
rftizen. and declares no one by be
coming a teacher sacrifices his right 10
oxprpss his Judgment upon social or
public problems; but he maintains tnat
n .teocher NAV exercise rights IN ms
individual capacity which it would De
improper for him to exercise IN com
bination with other teachers in their
capacity as public servants.
Tho Lancaster teachers ignored TINS
nrinciple, for they formed an organlIa
tion affiliated with the American FED
orntion of Labor for the sole purpose
of using the influence Of such labor Or
ronization to cocrCc the school directors
into granting the salary increases "hich
such teachers demanded
Doctor Fncgan says that this pro
ccdurc was improper and unprotes-
! sional," and he pOiSts out that the
propcr way for teachers to obtain Jus
| tice through the action of their superior
officers i, to appeal directly to the
nuhIic in order that the pressure OF
popular opinion may be brought TO
bear upon them.
II tbc Lancaster teachers were SuS-
ained in their contention that they nave
right to join labor organization thc
Dublir educational system OF the s'h''
would be in danger, according TO Tue
state superintendent.
Tho children of the state are sus-
contible TO influence. 1t is of the hrsl
imDortance that those teaching them
should be devoted to the caus" OF sound
education. and it is vital that thr'r
own thinking should not be warped by
the special interest of the teacher IN
anv cause. and it is especially impor-
tant that it should not be affected by
rho propagauda Of labor unions, which,
their most ardent defenders admit are
nrimarily interested solely in advancing
the cause of a single group Of citiz"nS'
If the teaching force of this city, for
example. were organized into a branch
Of the American Federation Of Labor,
and if the teachers, or any considerable
number Of them, were i'll their spare
time occupied with the affairs OF INC
federation, the character of their In
strurtiou would be colored by their or
/ poni2ation enthusiasms.
II would be as improper. a, Doctor
Tinccan points out. for the trarhcrs Il,
an organization to affiliate themselves
with the Democratic or Republican
marty. or with any fratornal. social oil