◆ SpookStack

a AyD at HIGHL.NDED FULK SCHCCL and wrote a sertes of articles in October 1939 describing the HIGHLANDER FOLK SCHOOL as a center for spreading cf Communistic Doctrine for thirteen southeastern states. This pamphlet denied that the HIGHLANDER FOLK SCHOOL has ever been affiliated with the Commmist Party or any other party, It stated thet the MIGHLANDER FCLK SCHOOL does nol draw financial support from the Communist Party or any other political group. The Smear of the Nashville Banner in which Richard Batte, Banner reporter,in September 1940 came to Monteagle, Tennessec, and declared that Elaanor Roosevelt had earned the contempt of Grundy County by contributing to the school is also referred to in this pamphlcot. Eleanor Roosevelt gave a scholarship of $100,00 to ine school, The HIGHLANDER FOLK SCHOOL remarked that Jamza,tehiman, itor of the Nashville Banner, championed the Republicen cause last campaign and that Stahiman was secking a way to discredit Franklin D. Roosevelt, Large nunbers of these pamphlots were distributed gratis to students ef the unicus of the south and to’mombars of No. 5881 of the United ifine Workers of Amerie: (Palmer Workers). This pamphict also contained cn cxeernt from the December 9, 1940 issue of the Kew Republic, entitled "A Gocd School Under Firc™. QQ has furnished this office with a re-print of this crticlo in the New Republic, which will bo reteined in the files of the knoxville Office. This article describes tho HIGHLADEY FOLK SCHOOL es a labor school with the chicf purpose of taking promising trade union mombers end equiping thom better to help their organigutions Pipht fcr improved conditions for the work- ing man. In addition to this primary purpose, the school ettempts to aic the people of the Little community «here it ts locatsd and conducts a nursery school for poople nerrby and has sponsored several cooperative undeorickings for thom. It also has an extension division which dees ficld work of several kinds in cities ncar and far, This article states that thera has been a long and vicious campaign in Tennessec to destroy the SCHOOL and that mest of the novwspupors of the entire surrounding territory have repeatedly lied about the school, on such a scale that the falsifi-~ cations cannct be atiributed to an innocent misunderstanding. The charges have beon thet the schcol was “communistic," and that it was misleading the young people. According to this orticle Dr, JAMES DOMBROVSKI, director of , tha school, has denied all these charges and has indicated his willingness, if it covld be prove? that the sshceol is un-Awerican or is detrimental to the community 2nd to the pzeple it serves, to put an ond te its work, but nobody has ever breught forward even a fragment cf evicence that the charges are truc. This articic states that behind the ettomot te destroy the MIGHLLNDER FOLK SCHOOL were the reacticnary employers thrcughout the entire south; the mon who object tc the schccl because it trains pcople te become successful leacers of strong trade unicns. Locally, there is reasen tu believe that the Tennessca Consolidated Coal Company has had 2 great deal to do with the attack, Acccrding to this article, the -“1L17-