◆ SpookStack

a * 5 Attacks Mede on the Highlander Folk School When the _Highlencer Folk School first moved to Monteagle, Tennessee, Ae moe eh hh he oO oh OM eh Dando BATl Bahant —_—- tyes Horton, tovether BL VS VRIES VL WIP DABS, FAR CVV, Se introduced to members of the community by Dr. Lillian Johnson who asked that they help them in their endeavors. The Highlander Folk School staff includes individuals who are well educated and sees to have a sincere desire to heip the people of the South. In this connection they. strongly followed the Socialist—Commnist united front program of the early 1930's. Most of the literature passed out by the school at that time was of a Socialistic nature. in connection with their program, however, they soon developed a theory of using militent labor strikes in an effort to solidify the workers in a common cause and to iwpresa upon them the necessity of organising in order to gain the power of numbers. "In this connection the school issued pamphlets entitled | “hy We Need the Union." These pamphlets state that there ie always a conflict between labor end capital and that what ie gcod for the managerent and capital must of necessity be bad for labor. e U Saud The Highlander Folk School was also instrumental in organising the Cae Yorkers Alliance in Grundy County which was later declared by its president ag ard secretary, David Lasser and Herbert Benjamin, to be controlled by the Commniat jlailye In connection with the Workers Alliance, Myles Rorton, James Dombrowski, “and the Highlander Folk School faculty encouraged the sitdown strike at Vonteagle, Tivneesee, dn February, 1939. This strike was one of the factors which breught Ree the growlng resentzent of the community to a head and it brought into prominence n Orzarization known aa the Grundy County Crusadera who bitterly opposed the school and made every effort to éri va it from the community. pee wiewe wwe See eT ase SS OS Ve Vg F \ In the early fell of 1939 John McPougel Burne, a reporter for the — Xashville Tennessean,newspaper, visited the Highlander Folk School for re approximately cne week at which time he also talked with residents in the conaunity i: an effort to deternine whether the achool was Communistic or” \Comumnist controlled. Burns reported in newspaper articles that: the | Loe | Fighlendcer Folk School is the center for spreading Communist doctrines in i, thirteen outstanding states; that ccnnected with its leadership are perscns a {whe have been cherged with being Commniats; its faculty spreads Communism :-na sends its slucnd to labor organisations where they raintein contact with : fiheir alma mater and spread its teachings over a wide areas holds confarences a ‘at the school Letween regular sessions where it teaches Commuriist theorlea to é tistor leaders and others; it is a source of playa for use by "progressive" 4 Makor fc vet it ot] = 4nkh milaue daatiide Fameind 2h neAvns rande Vi be Ups, a paays antiuas VVARUULAR YY pi VO Eales