To the Editor:

As the issue of Gov. Le- Page’s removal of the labor mural from the Department of Labor continues, I feel Maine’s labor history should not be hidden or censored for political reasons.

American history is rife with stories and events sterilized to make America’s history palatable and teachable. Columbus never saw North America, and was a slave runner, but we weren’t taught that. History is necessary in moving Maine forward, while acknowledging our past. For example, many slaves in America were white, and mostly of Irish, Scottish, English or German descent. They entered indentured servitude for a period of several years, often not by choice, and many didn’t live long enough to gain their freedom. Indentured servitude survived into the 18th century. It is a part of Maine’s history.

Sweatshops, too, are a part of Maine history. Francis Perkins, the child of Mainers and a part-time resident here, is depicted in the labor mural. As a young woman, Frances witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, when 146 garment workers, mostly young women, teens and one 11-year-old girl, died. She then worked tirelessly to improve the working conditions for American workers. In 1929, she became Franklin D. Roosevelt’s labor secretary.

The Labor Mural depicts many actual events in Maine’s history, a history belonging not to the governor but to all Maine people — just as the State House, state offices, and the Blaine House belong to Maine’s people. Maine’s history is not the governor’s to censor.

If his actions are supported by the courts, will he be allowed to then remove portraits of previous governors from the State House that he, or some anonymous letter writer, doesn’t like?

Maybe the governor will remove all murals and pictures so he can “brainwash the masses like the Communist leaders of North Korea did.” (His words, not mine.)

I’m anxious to hear the court’s decision on this matter, but I’m not overly optimistic. After all, it was the courts that brought us “Citizens United.”

Bruce K. Hixon
Bowdoin