The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-05-27
THE SCHOOL BOARD.

THE SCHOOL BOARD.
Is the school board the cleft
hand" of the Duluth Citizens ALI.
ance9 Labor has no direct proof
of it, but circumstances strongly
point that way. 1t seems that near
ly every time the board hands out
construction or repair job on a
building it seems to favor the en-
ployer of non-lnion workmen and TO
discriminate against the employer
OF union men. ,
Here is a case in point: There
is plasterer contractor doing the
work at the new Riverside school.
He was a union member before he
went into business for himself. He
has been harrassed more or less by
the organized anti-unionists of tile
city ever since they declared war
on union labor here. He has been
employing union plasterers, chiefly
because Of the fact that nearly all
of the best mechanics are in the
union. He is doing the work on the
Riverside school with non-uniOn
1 men, and organized labor has been
advised that he could not have OBJ
tained the job unless he ran it on
the so-called "open shop" basis,
which with plasterers means that it
is a non-union job.
Az is we'll known the details in
the administration of the public
schools is handled by committees.
The whole board has a way of es-
Gaping responsibility for the acts
of it's committees There are sew
epal members of the board who
have always shown a disposition to
be fair and it is hard to believe
that they would Intentionally lend
the pubsic schools to a movement
organized for the purpose of crush
ing the spirit of Duluth working
men.
There are four school directors
to be elected in July. The terms
of Directors Knight. Eklund, Mrs.
Barnes and Mrs. Cotton expire. It
is difficult for us. to believe that
Mrs. Barnes and Mrs. Cotton would
permit themselves to be used in the
fight against union labor. DR.. Elk.
lund may not agree with the unions,
but his training should prompt him
to be fair Mr. Knight is an en-
ploye of the Minnesota Steel CON-
pany at Morgan Park. Vie is sub
ject to the orders of s. H. Sheldon.
the Prussian-like master of steel in
this city. If Knight did not obey
the steel masters orders he would
not last two minutes at the plant
II there is one member of the
school board who can be charged
with being the errand boy of, the
Minnesota Steel company and the
Citizens Alliance that member is
F. D. knight. He is equipped in no
way to be a representative member
of the Board of Education. His
bias disqualifies him. He should
be retired, and he will be II the
men and women voters of the city
|. awaken to the situation.
The school election will be- held
in seven weeks. That should give
ample time to place a candidate in
the field against Mr.. Knight who is
! more representative of all the peo-
\ pie. His defeat is not a question
Of labor interest, but of the inter-
81 of the general public.
The people of Duluth have done
pretty we'll by the steel trust in the
4 matter of keeping up a public
( school at Morgan Park. Its Off
GERS should be content with having
y their own way as to the manage
\ mept and the personnel of that
{ school, without attempting to doml.
nate the school policy of the whole
! city. The workers should seek a
good man or woman, not necessar
i lily of the workers. but, one who
will be fair, to make the race
/ against Kaiser Sheldon's vassal
4 n. D. Knight