Montana labor news., 1939-09-21
TYRANNY CONTINUES
At STATE UNIVERSITY
Professors Discharged for Union
Activity.

The axe has fallen again at the
State University. Two years ago
Professor Philip Keeney, the liberal
minded librarian who was just then
engaged in forming the Teachers
Union on the University campus,
was fired from his office without a
hearing. The Butte Teachers Union,
Congressman O'Connell, and prac-
tically all the labor unions in Mon
tana got behind the demand for the
restoration of MI. Keeney to his
office until he had a fair hearing.
That action was successful. The
American Association of Professors
sent an investigating committee to
Missoula and published a report
which asked for the restoration. The
American Federation Of Teachers
published a report which made the
same demand, and also showed that
the action that Mr.. Keeney had suf-
fered was right in line with a good
many more cases of persecution of
Independent and liberal professors
at the University. These were ma
tional reports and brought a good
deal of disgrace to the state and the
University.
The backing of the unions made it
possible for Mr. Keeney to carry his
battle for fair treatment into court.
Rankin and Acher of Helena won a
decision for Keeney in Judge Pad
bury's district court which should
have restored Keeney to his office
and secured him his back pay. But
President Simmons and Governor
Ayers board of education went on
spending the peoples money by
taking the case TO the Supreme
Court. Here they lost again by a
decision of four to one. Justice
Morris voted in favor of the board.
Then the Board of Education ordered
President Simmons to restore Mr..
Keeney to his office.
Instead of restoring him, President
Simmons gave him small jobs away
from the real library work and
failed to endorse a claim for his back
salary from the University budget.
Professor Keeney has now filed
charges of contempt of court against
President Simmons.
On September II the state board
asked for the immediate resignation
of Mr.. Keeney and for the resigna-
tons, by October Is, of DR.. N. j..
Lennes, chairman of the mathe-
MATES department; Dean c. E. Mol
lett, of the school of pharmacy; DR..
H. G. Merriam, chairman of the
English department, and of Prof. E.
A. Atkinson of the psychology de-
partment. The board passed this ac-
ton, without discussion, on the
recommendation of two members,
Borton and Gosman, who had gone
to Missoula in April and July to in
vestigate the situation. Their re-
port made sweeping statements about
the feelings of the faculty members,
but it is said at the University that
they saw very few faculty members.
In particular they have had nc inter
view or correspondence with DR..
Merriam at any time.
It is commonly supposed in Mis-
soula that the boards action was
taken in accord with President Sim
mons will. The prejudices and
judgments expressed in the boards
recommendations square exactly
with those he has long expressed.
A most significant part of the
whole proceeding was the appear
ance before the board meeting of
former Vice President Scheuch. He
spoke in favor of the boards action.
During the last three years Mr..
Scheuch has visited Missoula for a
few days each year during which
he stays with Mr.. c. H. Mcleod,
president of the Missoula Mercantile
Company. Mr.. Gosman told the
board that his judgment on the Uni
versity situation was largely deter
mined by the judgment of Prof.
Scheuch. Mr.. Scheuch has told sew
eral persons that he had nothing
against Mr.. Atkinson except that he
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