College yn

Published by the New York College Teachers

Union, Local 537, American Fed. of Teachers

VWSLETTER

Vol. IV—No. 4

NEW YORK, November 25, 1940

Citizens Protest Coudert Attack

CDPE “Rally in
Brooklyn, Dec. 8

A tremendous mass meeting in
the borough of Brooklyn, home
of the Brooklyn Tablet, and of the
American Education Association,
which publishes the Educational
Signpost, advocating the com-
plete abolition of public colleges,
has been called by the CDPE for
Sunday, December 8, in the Brook-
lyn Academy of Music. Speakers
who have so far accepted invita-
tions are Garibaldi M. Lapolla,
Principal of P. S, 174 in Brook-
lyn, and Mr. I. Kaufman, Chair-
man of the Brooklyn Eagle Unit
of the Newspaper Guild. More
than 1000 Brooklyn organizations
are being asked to sponsor the
meeting.

Coudert Subpoenas
More Active Unionists

Hard upon the heels of the sum-
moning of Brothers Selsam, Mor-
ais and Schappes before the Cou-
dert Investigating Committee, sub-
poenas were-issued to four more
active members of the Union, Pro-
fessor Frederic Ewen, Professor
Harry Slochower, Mr. Elton Gus-
tafson, and Mr. Murray Young, all
members of the Brooklyn Chapter.
Each signed a waiver of immunity,
as required by the City Charter,
but confronted with a one-man in-
vestigating committee, Senator
Coudert, buttressed by his staff of
high-priced lawyers, and encoun-
tering the now familiar Coudert
procedure of refusal to allow the
presence of counsel and denial of
a stenographic record of the inter-
view, each refused to testify.

Professor Ewen has been one of
the most active members of the
Brooklyn College Chapter of the
Union, and has been a member of
the Grievance Committee of Local
537 for several years. On the cam-
pus, he has been in great demand
as a speaker at peace meetings, at
meetings of the English Club and
of the American Student Union.

(Continued on Page Three)

AQT Condemns Dangerous Precedent

| Statement of Executive Council of the A. F. of T.
Regarding Membership List of Local 5.

The Executive Council of the American Federation of Teachers
is vigorously opposed to the action of the Joint Committee of the
New York Legislature in demanding the membership lists of Local
5. In opposing this action, the Council offers to Local 5 the re-
sources of the national body.

The Council takes this step, not because it has the slightest
sympathy with the teaching of undemocratic doctrines in the
public school nor because it desires to protect any totalitarian
political faction in the Teachers Union of New York City. Its
position on this question is clear and unequivocal. It believes
strongly that the public school should meet the threat of dictator-
ship in the world today by a vigorous and sustained teaching of
loyalty to basic democratic values, ideas, and processes. Also it is
unalterably opposed to the penetration into any branch of the
American Federation of Teachers of a Communist, Nazi, Fascist,
or other political faction. On this platform the present Council
was elected at the August Convention in Buffalo.

The Council opposes the opening of the membership lists of
Local 5 for the following reasons:

1. The opening of the membership lists can serve no useful
purpose. It certainly will not disclose the names of Communist,
Fascist, and Nazi teachers in the public schools.

2. The opening of the membership lists will embarrass, intim-
idate, and penalize many teachers who are thoroughly competent
‘in their fields of specialization and completely devoted to American
ideals. This will inevitably impair their effectiveness as teachers
of democracy.

4. The opening of the membership lists will establish a dan-
gerous precedent which may be used to weaken and eventually

i (Continued on Page Three)

NonyGroupstundnien
Moves for School Cuts

The trial of Charles J. Hendley,
President of Local 5, who has
been cited for contempt of court
because he refused to surrender
the membership list of his Union
to the Coudert Conimittee, takes
place on Friday, November 22, as
this issue of Newsletter goes to
press. The wave of mass support
for Local 5 and for Br. Hendley
in which the State AFL and CIO
have been joined by the Civil Liber-
ties Union, the Lawyers Guild and
many AFL and CIO trade unions
has culminated in a resolution
passed by the Executive Council of
the AFT, which states that the
“opening of membership lists will
establish a dangerous precedent
which may be used to weaken and
eventually destroy the free trade
union movement in America”...
and “. . . will introduce into Amer-
ica the very totalitarian methods
and spirit which the committee
proposes to eradicate.”

The Rochester Central Trade and
Labor Council has also passed a
resolution supporting Local 5 in
its fight against giving up its lists.
Telegrams have been sent by

(Continued on Page Two)

CTU’s Edel Plea
Rejected by BHE

Democracy By-Laws Seen
imperiled by Decision

A large and impressive Union
delegation, representing nearly all
the colleges in the city, and a
student delegation bearing Student
Council-sponsored petitions from
Brooklyn College, waited outside
the Board of Higher Education
meeting on November 18, at which
the Board upheld the appointment
of Dr, James Gaul to the post for
which her Department Appoint-
ments Committee had recommended

ward dual unions?

Desig ARdcle hese ont heard Defense of Public Education.
the majority of the Department HOW CAN
Appointments Committee, and a

tional Policies Committee.

Union delegation which consisted

MEMBERSHIP MEETING

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29
CCNY, 23rd Street—Room 4-S

AGENDA:
THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF CONSCRIPTS—Report by the Legis-
lative and Academic Freedom Committees.
WHAT WILL BE THE EFFECT ON THE CITY COLLEGES
A report by the

of reports by President Mead and Gideonse?
Committee on General Direction.

WHAT SHOULD BE THE ATTITUDE OF THE AFT TO-
Arguments for the referendum by the
Howard University Local, original sponsor of a proposed amend-
ment to the AFT constitution, and arguments against by the
National Couneil of the AFT.

THE COUDERT COMMITTEE AND DEFENSE OF EDUCA-
tion and academic freedom. Report by the Committee for the

WE DETERMINE STANDARDS OF COMPE-
tence in the public and private colleges? Report by the Educa-

8 P.M.

(Continued on Page Four)

Don’t Fail to Vote in Dual-Union Referendum