Montana labor news., 1937-07-22
What's Happening
in The Unions

Herbert Phillips, national repre-
sentative of the Federation of
Teachers, was a visitor at the Silver
Bow Trades and Labor Council last
Tuesday. He is a very able talker
and explained thoroughly the atti-
tude of the Teachers Union toward
the dismissal of Philip Keeney, for
mer librarian at the University of
Montana.
The Federation of Teachers do not
rashly jump at conclusions so that
the Interpretation, which this union
has placed upon the action of the
Board of Education, comes only after
mature deliberation and a thorough
inquiry into all the facts. Mr.. Phil
lips is of the opinion, in speaking of
bis union, that MI. Keeney was dis
charged for his union activity. Meth
er the corporations, the Board of
Education, nor the officials of the
University of Montana want a union
in spite of statements, by some of
them, to the contrary.
A national convention of the
Teachers will take place at Madison,
Wisconsin, August 23rd, at which
time the subject of Mr.. Keeney and
Mr.. Rowe and the action of the Board
of Education of Montana will be
thoroughly analysed and discussed,
1t should not be forgotten by the
people of Montana that this is the
second time that liberal professors
have been discharged from the Uni
versity of Montana. Some 20 years
ago Professor Levine was discharged
for writing a book on taxation. This
book met with the hostility of the
Anaconda Company and the other
corporations. He was discharged
The University of Montana, if it
keeps up the practice of discharging
every liberal individual, will soon
receive a national reputation as a
backward institution. If every lib
eral is to be discharged for his ideas,
then the people of Montana should
be taught to realize that academic
freedom, that is, freedom to inquire
into the truth of things, freedom to
know the actualities of life, is a
puppet of the corporations, a mario
nette that jumps when they pull the
strings, a witch burning fiesta.
1t is to be sincerely hoped that
the convention of the Teachers at
Madison will take such action that
the dismissal of Professor Keeney
will be brought to the attention OF
every liberal minded person in the
United States, that the New Republic
and The Nation, the trade union
journals, and other liberal papers
will make an issue out of it and that
either justice will be done in this
case, or President Simmons and the
Board of Education will be discredit-
ed throughout the country.
Mr.. Phillips gave a fine talk con-
corning the labor movement ir
Seattle and the growth of the Com
monwealth Federation in Washing
ton and Oregon.
A letter was received from the
Hosiery Workers Union, an affiliate
of the c. l.. O., stating that a unior
agreement had been effected with
the Allen A Hosiery and the Rea,
Silk Hosiery Company. Both Of
these products have been lifted from
the unfair list of the unions of Butte
A letter was received from Birdie
J.. Mcmahon, asking the support OF
the Central Labor body in the nurs-
cry school project. The letter stated
that there had been five schools
operating during the past several
years as government projects. The
nursery schools were located at the
Blaine, Grant, Greeley, Webster and
Franklin. The rules provide, accord
ing to the letter, that children be-
tween the ages Of two and five may
attend.
Certain other restrictions are nee.