Evening star., 1936-03-24
LIBERTIES UNION
HITS RED RIDER
Scott and Maverick Deride
Teaching Ban in Lively
Public Meeting.

Repeal Of the District OF Colun.bias
ban on communistic teaching was
urged last night by members and
friends" Of the Civil Liberties Union
who packed Friends Meeting House.
2l11 Florida avenue, to hear Repre-
senatives Scott of California and
Maverick Of Texas speak on "The
Red Rider and Its Challenge to Amer
ican Liberty"
The voice Of only one proponent OF
the red" prohibition was heard dur
ing more than two hours of speeches
and discussion, while speaker after
speaker ridiculed the rider to the
District appropriation act as "a denial
of the right Of free speech and IAN
insult to the members Of the teaching
profession" The lone proponent-
Grover Ayers-was silent when the
capacity audience adopted resolution
urging repeal.
How far do you think you can 60
in inspiring patriotism by making
teacher swear to an oath?" Represent
ative Scott, a former school teacher,
asked. Later, Representative Maverick
declared if a school teacher really was
intent upon starting revolution and
overthroWing the government, he or
she would sign a pledge every day,
II necessary.
"Nothing to Do With Patriotism"
Signing an oath has nothing to do
with patriotism" Maverick said. THE
txsA tC ~
let us live like humans, enjoy the
right Of free expression and the right
of all civil liberties. We have SO many
perplexing problems, We need the free
dom of speech to iron them out. We
need to do all we can to preserve the
democratic liberties of the American
people"
Scott, who last month jocularly pro-
posed to the House that teachers be
made patriots" by forcing them to
take an oath to sleep eight hours
each night, eat carefully and avoid
falling in love, emphatically declared
teachers are not servants of the State
and must not be brought under the
control of whatever political party is
in power"
IF teachers are not to be allowed
| to advance new ideas in the class room.
what will happen to our educational
| system?" he said. IF the student
| comes to his teacher to ask questions
about a perplexing problem. and the
teacher is unable to answer because of
restrictions, the pupil will lose his re-
spect for his instructor Any such re-
strictions will stullify education.
Some ones perverted sense Of
loss Of the best teachers in our
schools"
"Take Two Oaths."
Later, during the open discussion
period, one speaker pointed out all
teachers must take the oath of alleg-
| lance to the flag when they assume
their work, and that when the red
rider" forces them to take the oath
again, 1T makes it look as though
they were joking the first time" TAX
ing the floor at this point, Maverick
declared Controller General McCarl's
ruling that the teacher must take
an oath every time he draws pay
was Illegal"
| HE had no more right to do this
than he would to require Congressman
to take an oath every month-and
you know if he did the latter, we'd
throw him out in Is minutes he
said.
DIR. Carl Becker's uch-discussed
book, Modern History" was tossed
into the discussion my Ayers, who
declared he would fight for retention
of the rider until it and several other
text books which he claimed to be
pro- o-communistic" were thrown out