The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-10-29
Meaning of the New Attack
on Militant Teachers, Students
IAlG q III l. a. D.
Dismissal of Oakley Johnson and Others Shows Boss
Offensive Brought to Colleges BY Crisis

80
pay even higher tuition, or are
turned away for lack ;of space" o1
with a dozen other such excuses.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
In this crisis, along with the de-
crease in the extent and quality, Of
education, comes sharp increass
in open fascist actions. Academic
freedom" which has never been
more than an abstract phrase, now
becomes frankly jest. Max Weiss,
former student at C.CN.Y. and now
leader of the Young Communist
League, is not allowed to address
students at the college, The Forum
Club Of the University Of Pitts
burgh is closed down because it ar
ranges a debate between one of the
university professors and Scott
Nearing. The C.C.N.Y. Liberal Club,
robbed of a faculty advisor and
forbidden to meet without one (and
every faculty member too terror
lied to accept the post), is in ef-
feet arbitrarily dissol ,.d. The So
cial Problems Club likewise. Dit A
in college after college Throughout
the country.
Why this suppression? In the
New York Times of October 2 the
meeting Of the International Uni
verSity Conference is announced at.
tended by DR.. Nicholas Murray But
Ter, DR.. James Rowland Angel, and
other university presidents, 10. dis
cuss "The Obligations of the Uni
verSities to the Social Order If
university presidents are interested
in the widespread unrest of our
time, as their announcement
states, why are they unwilling to
allow university students to discuss
the same questions? Even If they
cannot meet, as do the presidents,
in the Waldorf Astoria? Intelligent
teachers and students will guess
that this grave conference Is In
deed called to carry, out the. .""ob1i-
cations of the universities to the
capitalist social order. -.
THE expulsion of Scott Nearing
from the teaching fled ,zook
place early in the World Wsr per-
iod. .Then-to name only the most
outstanding cases-came the dis n
missal of John E. Kirkpatrick fron
Olivet in 1926. Of Sol Auerbael |
from the University OF Pennsyl9
vania in 1927, Of Professor wesley
Maurer from Ohio State Univer-
sity in 1928, OF Bernhard j. Stern
from the University OF Washington
in 1920, and of Professor Herbert
Adolphus Miller from Ohio State
University in 1881. Now we have
not only my own case, but the more
important instance Of dropping
Professor Leo Gallagher from the
law school of Southwestern Uni
versity. Gallagher, acting as an
International Labor Defense Attor-
ney, defended the five young people
who astounded the Olympic Games
crowd by staging their splendid
Mooney protest rum under the
very noses of Vice President Curtis
and other irnperialist cl1ieftains
gathered there. - r
ATTACK TEACHERS, Il
STUDENTS
The Doak-Easley labor. haterS,
not satisfied with their attacks on
the bonus marchers and their per-.
Secution of the foreign born, back
ed by the whole i1nperialist capital
ist regime of Hoover, are on tn 1
eve of a greatly intensified attack
on all proletarian- minded teach
ers and students. What will be the
reply of students to this attack on
their rights? What the reply Of
teachers, who have for so long been
the docile servants of capitalist ex-
ploitation and are only now begin
ming to realize their class identity
with wage workers?
The Hooking of intellectuals to
the John Reed Clubs, and the en-
thusiastic response of writer's and
professionals to Foster and Ford
Committee" Invitations, Indicate
the road that students and teach
ers should follow. Not the road of
quiet submission, however, 'digni-
fed according TO oily administra-
tors, submission is supposed to be.
Fellow teachers! You who are
supposed to teach young men and
women do not be yourselves mis-
led! If you see students denied the
right of free expression, stand up
for them. The present is no time
for cowardice. You may spoil your
chances for promotion (which. grows
ever more remote for all teachers
you may lose your jobs, which
ruthlessly being eliminated by I'll
capitalist rulers-but have courage,
and show it. We are in a period Of
struggle and vast changes impend.
Show that teachers. too, are fit
members of the revolutionary van
guard!