Montana labor news., 1939-12-21
LOWE, BYRNE
CHARGED AS BEING
RED-EYED RADICALS
Continued from Page A.

Nv ioAOANgH Iltg IN
mostly of the Deans of the various
departments and older members who
have in the years past taken a lead
ing part in the up-building of the
institution. The third group are
mostly the young professors who
play no prominent part in the run
ming of the institution except that
which their regular duties call for.
The testimony showed plainly that
the budget and policy committee,
which plays an important part in
the administrative life of the uni
versity, had not functioned as it
should since DR.. Simmons was ap-
pointed as president. During DR..
Clapp's term of office, that COM
mittee was functioning to the entire
satisfaction of both the president
and the large part of the faculty.
There seems to be a complete lack
of cooperation between the admin
istrative head and the rest of the
members of the faculty. The testi-
mony submitted by the leading
members of the student body showed
no evidence that friction existed
among the faculty on the campus.
However, it showed that some of the
students felt there was something
wrong, but seems to be in the dark
as to what it was all about.
During 1887, the Teachers Faculty
Union, a branch of the American
Federation of Labor, was organized
on the campus about the time Presi-
dent Simmons took office, or shortly
afterwards. When the trouble arose
in the Keeney case, it was evident
among the faculty that some steps
of self-protection should be adopted.
1t appears that this union was or
ganized for the purpose. Evidence
was also produced to show that some
steps should be taken to interest the
labor people in the affairs of our
university, so the Teachers Faculty
Union began to take a prominent
part in the Trades and Labor Coun-
Gil in Missoula. In talking with Pro-
fessor Atkinson privately, he adj
mitted that he had made a mistake
by accepting this office, and that
when his term of office was up, he
would not accept it again. There
exists in Missoula a rather i'll feel
ing between the Trades and Labor
Council and the Missoula Mercantile
company. Several attempts have
been made to include the clerks of
the Missoula Mercantile company in
the Clerks Union, but because of
the powerful influence of the Mis-
soula Mercantile company, the
Trades and Labor Council has not
been successful in its efforts. If
further trouble arises in the uni
versity, similar to the Keeney case,
the Phillips case and the Rowe case,
I fear that the fight between these
downtown interests will involve the
university still further. Some far
sighted efforts should be made to
avoid any such trouble. The Greater
University system of Montana is de-
pending almost entirely on millage
tax which is voted on by the people
of Montana every 10 years. In 1880
this referendum measure carried by
5000 votes, 38 counties in the state
voted against the millage tax. Eigh-
teen counties supported it. In those
10 counties labor unions were active.
Today Montana has labor unions in
SO counties instead of II counties in
1880. When the total vote on this
referendum came in from SIS counties
in the state in 1880, exclusive of Sill
yer Bow, the referendum millage tax
lost by three thousand votes. Silver
Bow went overwhelmingly for this
referendum measure, giving it 6,273
votes in majority and thus saved the
millage tax from defeat. / cite this
illustration to show whether the
voice of organized labor is more i'm
portant than the downtown business
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