Montana labor news., 1937-07-01

NldIlIicI III WHICH Iucy art
Taught Not a Matter of Truth
But a Matter That Is Best for
the Capitalist System.
In Order to Put the Universities
on a More Democratic Plane
and to Have a Greater Voice in
Educational Institutions; the
Federation of Labor Initiates
Proposition to Elect Beard of
Education; Also Starts Move
ment to Control District
Boards; Do Not Want Repeti-
ton of -Keeney Epi-
sode.
The fortieth convention of the
Montana Federation of Labor held
at Bozeman June % to June rs
passed a number of outstanding res
o~lutions relating to school affairs of
Montana. One of these and the most
significant was the condemnation of
President Simmons of the University
of Montana, the members of the
Board of Education and the Cover
nor for their unseemly rebuke to
members of organized labor at the
meeting of the Board of Education
on April IL when Professor Keeney
was dismissed. 1t was brought out
at the convention that the policies
of the universities of Montana are
dominated and controlled by the
corporate interests that truth is
withheld from the students; that
there is a lot of red batting going on.
The ruling and upper classes have
for so long a time directed the chan
nels of education and have used the
universities to prolong a decaying
system that any interference of such
a policy Immediately receives their
h~ysterical opposition. Charges of
communism, overthrow of the sacred
institutions of the United States gov
eminent and all such twaddle are
barked forth v~ociferously. The overt
suppression of academic freedom, the
intolerance connected with the perse-
cution of Philip Keeney and Rowe
brought to a climax the deplorable
condition in Montana's educational
system. The trade unionists are GO
ing to attempt to correct this even
if it takes years of education and
publicity. They r going to at least
mitigate the strangle hold of the
financial and upper interests on the
children's minds.
The people of the state of Mon
tana should stand by Professor
Keeney and Professor Rowe and see
that justice is done. Here are the
resolutions that were adopted at the
convention relating to education:
Resolution No. IA
Whereas, Phillip o. Keeney, m
ployed at the University of Montana
for six years as librarian with the
rank of full professor, has been dis
charged;
Whereas, the professional stand
ing of Professor Keeney is above re-
proach, he being a past president of
the Montana Library Association,
present vice president of the Pacific
Northwest Library Association, and
editor of the PNLA Quarterly;
Whereas, no specific charges have
ever been preferred against Profess
sor Keeney nor any suggestions ever
made for improvement in his work;
Whereas, Professor Keeney's pro-
gressive policy of attempting to make
available to students library material
on all sides of social and economic
questions and of sponsoring on the
campus such individuals as Norman
Thomas, Lincoln Steffins, and James
d. Graham, has incurred the wrath
of reactionaries both in and out of
the University;
Whereas, President Simmons noti-
fled Professor Keeney of his dis
missal just two days after Keeney
had obtained a large number of sig
natures for the purpose of forming
a local Of the American Federation
of Teachers at the State University;
Whereas, in dismissing Professor
Keeney without investigation and
proper hearing, President Simmons
has violated not only the rules of
procedure governing dismissals as
adopted by the State Board in 1922,
but every standard recognized by
enlightened institutions the country
over;
Whereas, on April IL, 1887, the
majority of the State Board of Edu-
cation Excluding Attorney General
Freebourn and State Superintendent
Reardon who voted no, and Father
Riley, ABSENT, having entered secret
session, having heard President Sim
mons recite verbal charges and ac-
cusations not made in the presence
Continued on Page g.