Evening star., 1936-05-29
SENATORS FAVOR
RED RIDER REPEAL
Education Group Declares
Retention Will Bring Ridi-
CuIe on Congress.

Declaring that Congress will be
held up ito ridicule in the eyes of all
Americans" as long as it retains the
"red rider" prohibiting the teaching
advocating of Communism in Dis
trict public schools, the Senate Edu-
cation and Labor Committee today
filed its favorable report on the bill
to repeal the restriction.
Giving the question a national
aspect, the report, filed by Chairman
Walsh, Democrat. of Massachusetts,,
states that as long as the ban exists
here. it will constitute bad example
for the Legislatures of our several
States"
In conclusion, the committee ex-
pressed qualification that no State
has initiated the absurd law which
Congress allowed to be placed in the
school system of the District of Co.
lumbia."
1T is to be borne in mind" the
committee continued, that this Ian
guage was inserted when the Dis
trict of Columbia appropriation bill
was in conference, and it was enacted
without discussion and without ad-
vertence by a great majority of the
members of Congress- severe re-
fiection upon our national lawmakers.
This injurious imputation cannot be
removed too soon."
Appeal to Byrns.
Meanwhile. representatives of educa.
tional, parent-teacher and labor organ
izations called on Speaker Byrns in the
House to urge him to use his influence
to secure House action on the Sisson
bill for repeal of the red rider before
adjournment.
If, as Byrns predicted today, Con-
gress remains in session after June s,
the Sisson bill will be called UP in the
House on the next District day
June 8.
Speaker Byrns vigorously denied any
responsibility for the bill not having
been called May IL, when the District
Committee was Unexpectedly given
three hours after the Frazier-Lemke
farm mortgage bill had been eliminated.
Intimations he had undertaken to
dictate" to the committee were
termed "the most ridiculous thing I've
ever heard" by the Speaker.
II wouldn't have voted to put the
red rider on the statute books, but
it got there, and don't know how"
he said. My judgment is, however,
that the Sisson bill would have been
passed long ago If it had only sought
to modify the rider so as to permit
the teaching Of the factual history of
Russia, but prevent the advocacy of
communism. know a dozen men,
bers who would vote to modify the
bill in that way, but who wouldn't
vote for outright repeal because they
don't want the impression to go out
that they favor indoctrinating the
children
Byrns pointed out four ways to get
the bill before the House-to call it
up in regular order, which will be
done If Congress does not adjourn be-
fore June 9. He said 1t also could be
called up by unanimous consent, or
under q special rule or by suspension
of the rules which would require a
two-thirds vote.
Six Reasons Listed.
The Senate committee listed six
specific reasons why the red rider
should be repealed, summarized, in
part as follows:
First, in the interest of the pupils,
because-"If pupils do not learn about
such movements in the schools, they
will hear about them from partisan
sources and will be more likely to
look with favor upon the proposals
of communism than If they obtained
their instruction from competent and
impartial teachers In the schools"
Second, in the interest Of the teach
ers, because-"In all the testimony
that has been produced at congress
sional hearings no reliable indications
have appeared that any teacher in
the District schools believes in COM
munism, to say nothing about teach:
ing it. The implication created by
the "Red rider" that the teachers need
1see RED RIDER, Page ~