Montana labor news., 1937-03-18
MASS MEETING OF INDEPENDENT TICKET
SELECTS CANDIDATES FOR next ELECTION
Stirring Addresses Made by Ar
thur Lehwalder, James Leary,
Frank ReardOn and Others.

The regular session of the Silver
Bow Trades and Labor Council adj
journed at 8 p. m. Tuesday evening.
The doors were thrown open and the
session converted into a mass meet
ing for the purpose of nominating
candidates for trustees for School
District No. l. The election will be
held on April 3rd.
The mass meeting was called to
order by James Comba, president of
the Silver Bow Trades and Labor
Council. The nomination for perma-
nent chairman was made and John
Donovan, member of the Electricians
No. 65, was unanimously elected.
Roy Richards of the Miners was
chosen permanent secretary. After
the meeting had been organized the
chairman appointed a platform COM
mittee composed of the following:
Dennis Mccarthy, chairman; Pat
Deloughery, Arthur Lehwalder, Mar
garet LaForrest, R. G. Brown, Frank
Donovan, M. M. Moore, and Frank
Reardon. The committee then left
the room to draft the instrument and
during the intermission Donovan
called upon several of those present
for talks. Clarence Blewett, editor
of the Montana Labor News, Earl
Simmons of the Musicians, Bill Pal
mer, John Mullaney, and Paul Erler
gave enthusiastic talks.
Platform Committee Reports
Dennis Mccarthy, chairman of the
Platform Committee, then read the
platform which had been adopted
by the committee. 1t was submitted
to the gathering by Chairman Don
ovan for a vote and adopted unani-
mously, Platform follows:
We, the electors of School District
No. l, in public meeting assembled,
placing in nomination the candidates
of this meeting, submit to the citi-
zens of the district the following
statement of our principles, to the
support of which our candidates are
pledged.
The Independent Party of School
District No. 1, realizing that the
schools represent the very heart of
our community and desiring to bind
together as closely as possible our
schools and our community, hereby
adopts the following platform:
We desire to build for our children
a fuller, richer, and a freer life by
giving them competent instruction by
the best qualified teachers who I'M
derstand local conditions; by improv-
ing their school surroundings when
ever and wherever possible, and by
inviting the cooperation of the par
ents of these children in solving u
mutual problems.
We pledge efficient operation of
the school plants so that each tax
dollar spent will return a maximum
of service.
We believe that in all fairness to
the parents of our school children
and to the community which they
are an integral part of, we should
favor and do favor employment of
local union labor in all departments
of School District No. l; that no sup
plies of any character or property
shall be purchased by the district
from any corporation in which any
member of the board is interested;
and that insofar as possible school
supplies be purchased in Butte.
We believe that our schools should
be kept on accredited lists SO that
our children may have the advantage
of attending institutions of higher
learning.
So that our children may carry on
the aus of democracy, we believe
that the American constitutional
right of freedom of speech and
peaceable assembly should be prac-
ticed as we'll as taught.
We maintain that the school build
ings should continue to be open for
use by the community as social,
recreational, and educational centers,
| when s11ch Use will not Interfere with
the school courses.
We maintain that a persons relig-
ious beliefs or practices, or national
ity should be no test for position or
promotion; that the qualifications for
a position or promotion should be
based on education, previous expert
ence, and ability necessary to per-
form the duties demanded of that
position, and we denounce any effort
that has been made or may be made
to inject religious or national preju-
dice into school affairs.
Realizing that, to a very great ex-
tent, the success Of our schools de-
ponds upon the success of our teach
ers, and further realizing that we
cannot expect to find happy children
in a classroom conducted by an I'M
happy teacher or a teacher harassed
by fear, we pledge our candidates to
Continued to Page 81