Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1918-05-23

quered the rheumatism; but he really felt out
of place behind the counter measuring ribbon
and weighing sugar, and some of our customers
would poke fun at him and then. An out
door life was more to his liking, and SO he was
only waiting for an opportunity to get out. In
1906 it presented itself, when the Danish
Peoples Society of America" invited him with
others to go out in search of place for colony
After they had looked the country it was
finally decided to locate it here at Askov or Par
fridge, as it was then called, and L. C. Petersen
was appointed local manager for the society, To-
eating settlers and helping them in many ways.
What Mr.. Petersen had seen here in the
brush / do not know. It certainly was a most
uninvitng place. The rest of us could see moth
ing but stumps, stones, dead trees, and brush,
and most of the people that came to look over
the land were generally ready to leave on the
next train out, and thank their lucky star that
they could get away but not very many sue
ceeded. After Mr.. Petersen got hold of them
and had shown them little about, their views
regarding the country were entirely changed.
They began to see the country as it would be in
few years, and before they left, they had
bought farm" in the woods and were ready
to move in, to do their bit of making the coun-
try.
Mr.. Petersen had succeeded in changing
their perspective of the surroundings entirely.
Many wondered afterward how he did it, The
explanation is that Petersen himself was so
thoroly convinced that his ideas regarding the
future of the country was right that no one
could listen to him very long without being
converted
And the transformation has come about. The
country is now dotted with farms where con-
tentedness and comfort reigns.
But had it not been for his memorable will
and conviction, Askov with its prosperous sur
roundings would never have been. The people
would have left as fast as they came and ad-
vertised to the world the unconquerabe OBJ
stacles of the stump country.
But Mr.. Petersen has also gained in know
ledge regarding this cut-over land since his ar
rival here in 1906. He has seen the difficulties
confronting the settlers, and he has studied day
and night, sometimes. to overcome them.
Northern Minnesota has not better quail
fed man to send to St. Paul to represent them
than L. c. Petersen. He knows the needs of
the settlers; he knows by experience the OBJ
staces in the way; he understands how vitality
it is that the small towns along the railroads
should be conserved. He knows that the farmer
needs the town and the town the farmer, and
how necessary it is that there should be good
feelings between the two, that community
spirit should be bred. He understands the value
of cooperation in dairying, in the breeding of
live stock, and in handling the products of the
farm. and l am sure that his aims will be to
encourage and initiate legislation that will help
to further these things
might continue for hours to say good things
about L. c. Petersen, you see l have lived in
house with him for so many years. l suppose
he has failings we all have, but his are over
Swallowed by the good that he has done. His
worst defect is that he is a democrat, but even
democrats may be good. We all admire our
president, Mr.. Wilson, and most of us think
that he is running this government of our as
we'll as anyone else could do, or even better, ex-
cepting, of course, ourselves. Now have al
ways been a republican, except when Bryan was
young, but that is so very long ago. Still / have
found that altho we have voted for different
presidential candidates, that our views regard
ing ideas vital to the town, the county, the state
and the nation have been somewhat identical,
and this office of State Representative is nom
partisan-if such thing can be-so what is the
use.
know he is a good man, loving this country
and willing to spend his last penny for its pre-
servation. it's freedom. and it's institutions.
know he loves the state of Minnesota for what
it has done for him and for all of u.s. and l know
that he loves northern Minnesota with its
stumps and stones. woods and lakes. better than
any other place in the world, and that he will
put his energy into its upbuilding.
Therefore let us all give him our votes at the
primaries in June and elect him as our repre-