The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-09-27
PROGRAM TO LEFT
.BALKED BY IRELAND

Helena Mont, Sept. %. -(Spec- |
ial) That the workers educational !
program at present, sponsored un
der the WPA is scheduled for the
scrapheap by the watchful "wreck-
ing crew" of the privileged inter-
ests, is evident to the most casual
observer.
Miss Elizabeth Ireland, state
superintendent of schools is said
to have had her solicitude for the
welfare of the workers stirred by a
discovery that the program was Of
liberal if not a radical nature;
that it was of the color of the rose.
sOcialistic or communicates any
rate a program which would have
a tendency to give workers some
groundwork of understanding of
the present economic system, and
which might, conceivably cause
them to take some intelligent &C.
ton to curtail the privileged mi
nOrity's freedom to plumber.
The state superintendent is re-
ported by good authority to have
had a conference with Mr.. Hart,
State Administrator of the WPA
and to have expressed her fears
to him that the tolerant American
ism of the workers would be dis
turbed by the teaching of pro-
gram of the nature made possible
under the set-up. Naturally, Mr..
Hart became equally disturbed by
a possibility that the workers ed
ucational program might be SO
planned that they might be led
to criticize such great American
institutions as the subsistence
wage and other manifestations OF
the great capitalistic system, Mr..
Hart being one of its most ardent
of Montana protagonists.
AS a result, when the ten men
now receiving training in Seattle
as leaders in the workers educa.
tional program return to Montana
whatever may be their personal es.
Inmates of the kind of education
the workers need, they will un
doubtedly be enrolled under the
guidance of Miss Ireland and thu
program will accomplish what i
accomplished last year, which wa
absolutely nothing.
Miss Ireland may be an "edu
Gator" under the old. accepted de
finition of the term; one who tea
ches the stereotyped lessons from
textbooks approved by the capita
istic system and written by it
: hacks, but aside from that quail
4 fcation, observation of her meth
7 ods must lead to the conclusion
1 that she is only a politician Fo
4 failure to keep abreast Of the tim
D and for ethical consideration Of tn
e responsibilities of the position sh
holds, she possibly has no peer.
n II any libera1ity in the program
3 of adult education is to be retain
ed, the administration must be re
9 moved as far as possible from he
: direction or 70 convince her tina
the program should not be disturb
. ed. There now appears to be onl.
one way in which this can be don
? and that is to convince her of tn
/ error Of her first step in complain
ing to Hart. If enough liberal lab
/, orers and farmers will write he
] and promise to remember her &C
ton In going to Hart for whol'
!. year, or until next election, "It'
dollars to doughnuts' that Mis-
Ireland may approach Hart AMI tel
! him that her first estimate of th'
program was probably extreme
that perhaps it might not be 81
bad after all.
! Because, my brethren: the Stat
superintendent can walk a rop'
J and carry water on both shoulders
. And-she zealously counts tn
votesi