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opine “HIGHLANDER THE FLING Published by the Highlander Folk School VOL 3 NO. 2 MONTEAGLE, TENNESSEE APRIL, 1941 iad om ~ imo * Tr. My Former Studenis Tennessee Pirtle Case Goes to | National LNPL Organizing Commonwealth Supreme Court Director To Speak Here are the current organiz- Federation The Henry Pirtle poll tax case| John T. Jones, raion ing and negotiating activities of Organized will be taken to the U. 5. Su-| rector of Labor's Non-Parlin Hogtdander students: preme Court this spring by the; League and President of District Cecil Pegues, member of the Accepting Lbe challenge af John | Southern Conference For Human) 16, U. M. W. of A. has accepted Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers,|B. Thompson, chairman of the) Welfare and the United Mine | Highlander's invitation to speak recently organized the Dixie Metal Products Company of Bessemer, Atabama, a tough job to judge by previous attempts at unionization there. Currently he is negotiat- ing a contract for the new union. Cecil is also business agent for tin Winuiesaie Local of the mingham Retail Clerks. An election was recently held and won by the TWUA alt the Louisville Sanitary Wipers Com- Li? Yadonr. Highlander 1940, . in the two week organizing that brought ¢n the victory, LU Yadon is a board member of the TWUA, Local 2. Ed Blair, who attended High- lauder on the Eleanor Roasevelt Sohutiesh'y) is organizing for the camrted At the successful Tosttine in Avante he was in tainment on in the strike mie Bir- Po da a teed ood arpanielng ntional Cement. psum Workers (A vizer and President der Alumni Associ- sich is back in Ten- tal months of ac- Alppt . TWIM, was one of regotiators at the . Lumberton, N.C. ht wage increases rarging from 5 per cent to 153 cent. John’s Union has ac- quired a new hall. yee pee Other Alumnl Activity Biot Frauey's local TLOWL, in Att now basa hall. Billye is fooodinc ef the union's educational feaseot, aap oemis the following : at classes for wt oe anders ane far negro fa dl) weull procedure, Par- siiary jaw and public speak- history of trade unions and and study of gar- toapufarture. In the recre- ace bingo games, aii Myr. IT. @."s, for white members and col- ' WT Treat meribere Plans are being io extend the classes to n, Secteia, where there are ar altura vane wah was alecled ré- oecittary of her Nashville levat Inct her job, and is | Southern Conference For Human Welfare, that “all men are to be judged in their devotion to real democracy by their willingness te defend and extend jt in times of emergency.” the Tennessee Con- ference on Democracy meeting in Nashville on Washington's birth- day ornanized the Tennessee Commonwealth Federation. The purpose of this organiza- tion jis “to join in common cause all men and women. including [those who labor on the farm, in office, mince, mul. or elsewhere, for concerted independent paliti- cal action.” H. V. Reid, legislative repre- sentative of the Railroad Brath- erhoods, was made chairman and an executive board was elected from the C.1. 0, A. F. of L., the four Railroad Brotherheods, and liberal groups who had jointly sponsored the conference. Mrs. Ruth Cutler, 1018 Cotton States Bldg., Nashville, is the Federa- tion's Secretary. By resolution the Federation condemned the “Grundy County Crusaders," pointing ou that the Crusaders’ attacks on labor people and jabor institutions constitute a threat to democracy and na- tional unity. Bernie Schmidt (summer 739) 15 the new secretary of the High- lander Alumni Association, and editor-publisher of the “Alum- news,” official organ of the Ahim- ni Association. Mary Lawrance has replaced Bill Buttrick as Alunmi Corresponding Secretary. Workers of America. The ¢ase has been in the courts since Bep- tember, 1939, Pirtle, a resident of Grundy County, Tennessee, ob- jected to paying for the right to yote and sued three ejection judges and the Attorney General of Tennessee. On March 6th, 1941, the Sixth U. & Circuit Court of Appeals gave a decision in favor of the poll tax. ’ With the poll tax fight {taking on national ues there have come many reque for copies of “gouth of the Ballot," the anti- poll tax play written by High- lander students. BEREA CONFERENCE Staff members and alumni took part in a Labor-Student Confer- ence, held last month at Berea, Kentucky, and sponsored by the ¥. W. SO, A. Myles Horton of Highlander and Dr. Arthur Raper of the Farm Security Administration were the principal speakers. Binging was led by Zilphia Horton. Entertain- ment highspot was the play put on by Bernie Schmidt, former stu- dent, with a cast fram the Steel Workers Union of Cleveland, Ohio, Other Highlander alumni present were Jackye Kwallek and Lilian Bargent, of Lexington. RECENT ENDORSEMENTS The United Mine Workers, loca: 7708 in Grundy County, and the International MN and Smelter Workers Union are among the organizations which have re- cently endorsed Highlander. Mine Riine, chew? union mublielty Mary Lawrance, HFS teacher, shows Peurl Allen a polnt Othera in the aroun are Lioud Danis, Highiangers invitation to speak to the spring term studenis. As legislative representative of the c. I. 0, Mr. Jones has been car- rying on the fight for passage of the Federal Coal Mine Safety Bill A large number of labor peo- pie from Tennessee and a&djoin- ing states are planning to be present Bunday, May 18, when Mr. Jones wil! speak. Robert Cruden, publicity a@lrec- tor of the United Rubber Work- ers, will join the teaching staff for the spring term. Mr. Cruden was here last spring. We are happy to have him come back. THE HIGHLANDER STAFF On the way back from the Berea Student-Labor Conference, Myles and Ziiphia Horton stopped at Lexington to visit the many alumni there. Jackye Kwallek arranged the meeting. Present were Mrs. Adams and Pauline Adams, Lil Sargent, Zola Spiegel, Elizabeth and Bob Hall. Pauline Adams and her Juniar Union put on 8m original play. Mary Lawrance spoke tothe At- Janta Workers Education Confer- ence in December on “Education in Local Unions.” She returned in January to attend the South- ern Conference of the Textile Workers. During the Christmas season she addressed the executive board of Branch 10, American Federation of Hosiery Workers, Reading, Penn., who contributed to the school; and on February 3rd she outlined the school's pro- gram for the Goodwill Furnace Workers Union of Wrigley, Ten- hessee, another contributor. SCHEDULE FOR 1541 May 12-24 Two week term for union workers. June 7 and & Institute for American Federation of Hos- iery Workers. June 9-21 Camp. dune 30-July 28 Werk Camp for America. July 28-August 9 Workshop, August 18-September 27 Six weel tarm far union workers. Junior Union Writers Robert Cruden, URWA,_to Teach