Evening star., 1936-08-25
Gov. LandOn on Freedom.

Gov. LandOn on Freedom.
At Chautauqua few days ago PreSi-
dent Roosevelt devoted an excellent
speech to Americas foreign policy, de-
signed to prevent the entanglements
which might bring us into war. He re-
ferred to those newborn fanaticisms"
which have brought other powers to the
brink of war. Last night, from the same
platform, Governor Landon, in as notable
a speech as he has delivered during
his campaign, addressed himself to the
dangers we face internally from the
same newborn fanaticisnls, once they
are permitted the strangle-hold that they
seek today on some of our most cherished
traditions.
Governor Landon spoke to an audience
In which educators and those identified
in various ways with public education
doubtless predominated. And the frank
expression OF his views on the freedom
of education naturally brought an en-
Enthusiastically favorable reception. In
the course of his speech he drew a
common sense distinction between the
freedom enjoyed by the teacher as
teacher, and the freedom that is not
permitted the teacher as propagandist,
which should appeal to most people as
eminently wise.
"I believe that a teacher" he said,
s,as riCht tn the Same freedom of
speech in expressing his political, social
or religious convictions as any other
citizen. And I believe that the teacher
has the same right to work for the
accomplishment of his political and
social ideals as any other citizen" But,
said Governor Landon:
This does not mean that a teacher
should use class room to put forward
his own pet views and theories at the
expense of other views and theories. If
he does he is no longer teacher; he is
q propaganda.
The failure to draw that distinction
between the teacher and the propa-
gandist has produced some of the legis-
lative acts, such as the "red rider"
legislation in Washington, that, in the
words of Governor Landon have turned
teaching into a suspect profession"
There are methods by which our public
school authorities may Immediately get
rid Of the propagandists among our
teachers by applying the rules and regu-
lations that have always been part
OF administration of the public school
system. But when an effort is made
to get at the occasional propagandist-
who has no right to teach in the public
schools-by making all teachers 'sus-
pect" and by arbitrary and necessarily
confusing, ambiguous laws, step has
been taken in the direction Of curbing
freedom of education that may easily
be extended to similar curbs on freedom
of religious worship, freedom OF speech
and freedom of the press. Such free
dom is something that sets America
spart, today, from the nations where
freedom has been banished. Said Gov
ernon Landon:
We must ever remember that academic
freedom, political freedom, religious
freedom and freedom of opportunity are 3
all bound together. Infringement upon
one will soon lead to infringement upon
the others. In fighting to maintain our
freedom we will make greatest progress
by fighting for the freedom of all.
Governor Landon spoke with feeling of
the responsibility of the teachers in pre-
serving this freedom. And the exercise
Of this responsibility is in taking the
Affirmative action to get rid of the
propagandists, posing as teachers, whose
activities sometimes lead to the enact
ment of laws that, however wrong they
may be in theory, command certain
sympathy because of their immediate
objectives: The abuse of freedom of edu-
cation, as the abuse of other forms of
freedom, invites retribution.
The Governors pointed reference to
Government propaganda-"more serious
than the danger of our teachers becom-
ing propagandists"- its sting
Under the New Deal there has been
resort to propaganda to convince the
people Of the righteousness of the New
Deal administration. It is justified, in
the minds Of the propagandists, on the
theory that salvation Of the people de-
pends upon the success of the New
Deal. But the dangers inherent in Gov
ernment propaganda are as serious. po-
tentially, as the more direct moves,
through legislation, to impair the free
dom OF the individual.