The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-01-28
HANDICAPPED
BY ILLITRACY
American Federation Official
Tells Why His Organization
Supports the Smith-TOwner
Bill.

! by Matthew VOL, Vice-President
! The American Federation of Labor
The issue presented in the Smith
Towner bill, which provides for g
Federal Department of Education
with Secretary in the President
cabinet, is easily understood. There
may be a difference of opinion as to
whether the Presidents cabinet
! should be enlarged but aside from
this question, if you believe in public
education, universal education, you
are in principle for the bill. If you dc
not believe in education for the
masses or if you believe that just any
education is good enough for the av-
erage American boy or girl, whose
parents can not afford to send him OF
her to a private school, then, on prin-
ciple, you are opposed to this bill.
The American Federation of Labor
believes that every American boy and
| girl should have an equal opportun-
ity at the start and the American
Federation has endorsed the Smith
| Towner bill.
1t is our boys and girls, together
with the millions of children from
middle class homes in city and coun-
try, who will be its chief beneficiar-
| les. There can be no question-our
children today go out into the world
of competition, handicapped at the
start both in mind and body. This
is due to our national neglect of ed
| ucation.
The army statistics showed this
only too plainly. The nation was
amazed when it learned that hun
dreds of thousands Of Americans, I'M
able to read or write, had to be pain
fully taught the meaning of such
simple commands as halt" and "for-
ward" and that hundreds of thousands
more were rejected because of physi-
| cal disabilities that might easily have
been corrected in the schools.
These facts did not surprise us in
the labor movement. We had known
them all along. Those were "our
boys" the soldiers, who, in spite of
| physical and educational handicap,
that made them unfit for service in
| France, we've yet fit enough to serve
in the army behind the army, in steel
| mill and munition plant, in lumber
| lamp anu ollIpydlu'
There is a special significance in
this for Mr.. Hoover's committee now
studying the question of industrial
waste in an endeavor to bring about
an understanding between capital and
labor. Illiteracy has more to do
with the so-called OUTLAW strike
the question of turnover and with ac-
cidents in industry.
Remember, please that the rookie
you saw at Camp Lee, Upton OF
| Funston, with his second lieutenant
in the role of first grade teacher, in
| peace time, is the operative in the
silk mill, the steel plant or the coal
mine. In the "outalw strike" he fol
lows some fellow, no matter how IT.
responsible, who speaks his own lam
guage and who, because of that fact
alone, naturally has his confidence
Our men, trying to bring about or
der, are as badly off as the young
lieutenant with his awkward squad
II every workman were an educated
American, the path of the Federation
would be comparatively smooth.
AS to industrial accidents, the re-
port of Mr.. Van Manning says that
1000 miners lose their lives each year
ana 100000 more are injured each
year. By far the greater proportion
Of these accidents, he says, are due
to the inability of the miner to read
safety warnings.
The statistics given by the Immi-
grafton Commission" says Mr.. Man
ning,' show 100000 foreign-born
miners in this country. 1t is rough
~ estimated from the experience in
certain states that about rs per cent
OF these 100000 foreign-born miners
are non-English speaking foreigners,
or 465,000 immigrants with no knowl.
edge of the English language. The
best estimates from a number of the
| larger mining states show that for
elgn born miners suffer twice the ia
talltles that the English speaking
miners do. This means an excess
OF $50 non-English speaking foreign
efs Killed each year and | may say
unnecessarily. If the average State
compensation is $4,000 which is a
falr figure, the total economic loss
each year to the country through the
excess Of deaths of nom English speak
ing miners alone amounts to $780,
OO0. On the same basis, it is esti-
mated that the excess of on-English
speaking miners injured each wear
amounts to 69,750 men. This is a
loss IN wages alone of $1,743,75O
taxing the excess of deaths and in
Jures together due to on-English
Speaking foreigners the economics
Loss loss each year reaches $4,533, $50
rms is entirely aside from other
costs to the industry in production
lost"
The Smith-Towner bill authorizes
congress to appropriate 100000 ,OOC
Tor the aid to the states to be used
IN improving the schools, increasing
teachers salaries, promotion of ply.
s1cai education, illiteracy and Amer
lcanlzatlon - all of them national
problems which we, as a nation. car
no longer afford to ignore. The enc
mics of the bill object to what they
Term this extravaganza, purposely
ignoring the fact that this is only a
working plan, that any Congress car
give as much or as little for the pro-
motlon OF these various objects. For
| my own part, considering our nation
al DIS Tor war, past and future, even
II we look at it from the militarist
standpoint, that of creating fit SOL
dlers, 81 0,000,00OO seems entirely
700 modest sum to ask for the prop
er training of our children.
10 those who fear that the Smith.
loWner bill will give the federal gov
eminent control over education, the
TACT That this bill has been given the