Montana labor news., 1939-11-09
HAVE Professors The
SAME RIGHTS TO JOBS
AS OTHER EMPLOYEES!

NY complaining VI tHC 0ioS4id4 &c
of the University professors:
Hon. Roy E. Ayers,
Helena, Mont.
Dear Governor:
On the sixtieth day of the twenty
sixth legislative assembly, the peo-
pie of Montana, through their duly
elected representatives, appointed a
three man committee to study the
cause of the serious dissension exist
ing at our state university and re-
port its findings to the state board
of education during 1899 and 1910.
It is in that capacity as an indi-
vidual member of this committee I
am writing you this letter.
The action taken by the state
board of education last September
in asking for the designations of five
prominent members of the faculty,
has created much u%nfavorable pub
licity for our university over the
state as we'll as out of the state. In
1887 this same state board, upon
recommendation from President
Simmons, discharged Prof. Keeney
and denied him a hearing before the
state board, but after favorable de-
cision for Mr.. Keeney in the lower
court and by our state supreme
court, the state board was forced to
order his reinstatement as a librar-
ian. Now we have to face the same
situation again in regard to these
five other professors. When did the
Montana State Board of Education
cease to represent the people of the
state and deny its free citizens a
hearing before they can be officially
discharged from our state schools.
Teachers in our public schools and
employees for organizations recog-
nizing organized labor, are not dis
charged from their positions with
out a hearing, and it seems reason
able to assume that professors en-
ployed in the highest institutions of
learning in the state, should have
as much consideration.
After the September meeting of
the state board, a statement went
out to the press that the board, in
making their decision, was largely
guided by advice from DR.. F. c.
Scheuch. I have a copy of an affi-
davit, signed by three members of
the faculty, stating that DR.. Scheuch
made a statement in their presence,
that he had no objection to Prof.
Atkinson, except that he had asso-
ciated too much with organized
labor. Our Wagner Labor Act has
been upheld by the Supreme Court
Of the United States, and, as I I'M
derstand it, Montana is still a part
of these United States. According
to that law any employee, whether
public or private employment, can
join any labor organization of his
own choosing and cannot be modest
ed by his employer. Mr.. Atkinson
is merely exercising his constitu-
tional rights as a free citizen. An
other reason given by the board is
that these five men were romeo
operative with the president. Co.
operation cannot be one-sided, it
must come from the president as
well as the faculty.
1 have obtained official figures
from the Registrars of the state uni
versity and state college at Boze-
man and they are as follows: Since
1886 the state college at Bozeman
has gained AL students, increased
from 1887 in 1886 to 1893 in 1899,
In 1886 the state university had an
enrolment of 1899 and in 1889 the
enrolment had gone down to 1880,
a loss of 10 students. Is it not appar-
ent to the state board that there is
something wrong with the Universe
ty administration. If these five
faculty members were non-coopera-
tive in 1889, why were they CO.
operative in 1886?
l wrote to Mr.. Moss, the chair
man of our committee, some time
ago suggesting that our committee
recommend to the state board that
a public hearing be given these five
professors at one of their early
meetings. If the state board has
more serious charges against these
men than has been brought out SC
far, the public will no doubt sup
port the action of the board. If the
charges are not good and valid, they
should be r%einstated.
l sincerely hope that the state
board will do everything possible
to clear up this bad situation at the
university and not permit it to be
dragged into the political campaign
of 1910. With the millage tax COM
ing up for a vote next year, and
considering the narrow margin we
had in 1880, the 10000 organized
labor vote we have today and ask
ing to support this measure, it is
the height of folly to ignore the
request of these people today ano
expect them to support the millage
tax next year. Whatever the results
are next year, the state board will
have to assume full responsibility
and particularly you as chairman o.
the board and governor of the state