Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1918-03-21
t>togrURlrtnN ~ A>koN
.sskos, Minnesota, sh-h
Mr. Il Petersen taitsr A>AeN NMert'

YOU say; II we were To take IN cont
siderable farm property there would
be cause for complaint. There Is
couple dozen OF houses perhaps ON
or near main street which YOU claim
need Fire protection aud perhaps
sidewalk, these not covering 20
Acres, and To get such protection
and lover your Insurance rate YOU
wont to take about 10 fourties with
improvements stock and buildings
help pay the Insurance on main
Street when it might at the same
time raise the Insurance premium
on buildings and stock and Tax ON
these 1a-i0s. AS for my place
am well contended by living in the
country for while yet and at the
same time my Farm or land shall
not be hindrance to healty Ex-
pansion if lot or Acre is needed, it
is TO be had. I have not made COM
plant that it vii hurt me, it might
benefit me for all | know, / suppose
the incorporated town vii build a
road or street east from the Church
and couple cross streets on my
land if l want them and do the
same on any land included in the
Town.
You say the people shall rule, and
so said the Kaiser the other day
when he consented to let one Of his
sons be king in Finland he had the
most votes in his army and it were
heavy votes, on the other side presi-
dent Wilson says self-determination
.ougt to settle where people should
belong. say for instance that you
have the 40 acre incorporated with
main street on, and / came with
petition to become part of Askov,
then the people in Askov could vote
wheter they want me or not, and if
we agreed on the terms from both
sides it ought to make "a happy
union.
You were awful ansious the other
day to have me sign your petition,
you argued that it was only a petit
ton to have the question to a vote,
it look very innocent on the outside
hut the effect might surprise some
signers later on, say for instance,
that you need 25 signers to make it
legal to call a election for the pur-
pose stated, and let us imagine there
is % voters in the territory, on
election day it only takes Is of
these votes to carry the question,
did you not know that when you
wanted me to sign?
! have been proud of this COM
munity, of the progress made here
these ~ years, it is not the business
street of Askov that made this COM
munity, it is the Farmers work and
trade that made the business in
AskOv and what taxes have been
levied on business have indirectly
been paid by the farmers, and
part of these taxes have been used
to open roads for new settlers which
have brought more business to
Askov. If the business in AskOv can
not afford to pay for it's own Insur-
ance and other expenses you should
turn to farming or seek other pas
lures | paid as high as Sc Insur-
ance premium in Chicago years ago
it were not the Insurance that drove
me from Chicago l did not ask my
neighhors to help me pay.
1t is not so very long ago since
you thought we should build large
Townhall for this community. it
might be possible to cooperate and
accomplish ting like that in a I'M
divided community. there is still
need OF much road work to open up
for more settlers and mail routes, I
sincerely wish and hope you vii make
haste slow and preserve good feel
ing and cooperation in further de-
veloping this community. do not
c'JSN' w iiSiP pay lot TIE tIeCtTlc
street lights and | might even be
willing to help pay for cemical
Fire -distingusher voluntarily and
sidewalk too for that matter even if
do not get them to my own door.
about a couple months ago you in
vited discussion on the subject. /
sent you a few lines which you de-
layed my last articel you delayed 3
weeks. were that because you would
rather have the petition out first
rather then have the subject dis
cussid before action were taken,
when YOU invite a discussion OF pub
lie interest think you should act
as chairman of the forum let the
public from both sides have say
let us hear some from those in favor
say every end week If nobody else
want the floor the chairman is
obliged to have his say, you said
that you had heard nobody but me
object. l have heard several.
Ludwig Mosb@k.