Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1924-09-25
'REPUBLICANSOPEN
STATE CAMPAIGN
Candidate for Governor Outlines
Party Platform In Keynote
Speech.

bDu-AuuTtbbiHB III huultuCt
OF $500 home folks" who have fol
lowed his public career with pardon
able pride and whe confidently ex
pect TO see their "fayorito son" elect
cd Governor OF Minnesota on NUvem.
ber 4th. Mr.. Christianson said In part:
II Is not necessary for me to explain
the sentiments which prompted me TO
come to Lac qui Parle county TO open
my campaign for the office of COVER
nor OF the State OF Minnesota. You
who have known me since my earliest
youth will understand. Here live most
OF my friends, and here also lived
those whose influence guided my early
years and whose dust IL now mingled
with that OF the prairie. Here as a
boy attended district school. and here
] performed the homely farm chores
and, later On, the more arduous work
In the fields which gave me q sym
pathetic understanding of thu prob
lens and conditions OF those who till
the soil Here, In county typical of
Minnesota where ! learned ut frst
hand and by actual experience the
problems that the people OF Mime
sofa, In all walks OF life, are facing
have lived all my life. except the few
years spent obtaining an education
10 NJ me for my work, and ! assure
you that any change OF residence now
contemplated will be only temporary.
We are just emerging from seri.
Gus period OF economic depression
brought about by the conditions Gre
ated BY and following as an aftermath
OF the great World War. The war Gre
ated new and increased demand for
American products, and increased de-
mand resulted In higher prices. Eur
ope had 10 buy. and America was prac-
ticaily the only place where she could
buy, for America was the only indus
trial nation not Immediately involved
In the war. Later we were drawn
into the struggle, but our prosperity
only increased: for we alone. Of all
belligerent nations. had surplus of
resources with which TO continue pro-
duction beyond tbs needs OF domestic
consumption.
The war closed .he avenues OF
transportation from Argentina, Aus
tralia and New Zealand. and we at.
tained a virtual monopoly OF food pro
duction. The price OF wheat ad-
vanced to $3.50 per bushel. and would
have advanced more II the govern
ment, In response to the demand OF
those who eat bread but do not pro.
duce wheat, had not arbitrarily limit.
cd the price In response to the high.
or price OF wheat. corn scared to s175
per bushel. II became 10 valuable
for bread making purposes that we
could not afford to feed II, even to
hogs that brought $40 per hundred.
weight. So we sold many OF our
cattle and hogs. converted part OF
our property into cash. and paid an
income tax on receipts that In fact
represented. not income. but capital.
In response TO temporarily stimulated
prices OF agricultural products. land
values scared, and II became appar.
en' that the sure and easy way to
opulence was 70 buy land. And we
bought land, obligating ourselves, to
pay prices which bore no relation 10
normal values. And we signed notes
and mortgages, until the farm mort.
gage Indebtedness Of Minnesota alone
reached the staggering sum Of $780,
100000.
Then something happened. The
war ended as suddenly as Il had be-
gun. The ships Of peace replaced the
ships II war on the seas OF the world
and the accumulated grein reservoirs
OF Argentina, Australia and New Yea.
land became available for the use of
Europe. And Europa. impoverished
and bled white by four years OF the
most awful carnage OF human history,
emerged with her buying power i'm.
paired, her credit exhausted. her cur.
rencies worthless, her gold reserves
gone, Ia II any wonder that the price
OF wheat dropT ed. first TO $3.50, then
20 VI a bushelg IL u any wonder
that corn. no longer demanded for
bread, dropped 10 rs cents per bushei,
In view OF the fact that. after the de-
pletion OF our herds. here was little
use for II In many sections OF the
country. except for fuelf
Cost OF production on the farms did
not fall with reduced prices OF agri.
cultural products Labor. organized
Tor It's own protection. maintained its
wage scale. and industry, protected
behind an effective tariff wall. was
able TO NEE. the wage scale. Taxes
remained high. because government,
obligations created durin., the days OF
prosperity carried interest charge,
that had 10 be met. and standards OF
expenditure which had been created
could only with great difficulty, and
then only partially, be reduced.
ls Il any wonder that the farmers o
Minnesota were confronted with ON,
OF the grayest crises In the history O.
Agricultural
Relief for Agriculture.
What steps did the government TAX,
20 relieve the farmers situation
What steps could II takef
I. II took action TO reduce the In.
terest burden OF the farmers. Through
a decision OF the United States su
preme Court the validity OF the Fed
eral Land Bank Act was sustained
and the banks resumed operation. Ii
Minnesota, constitutional amend
ment which I sponsored. was adopt
ed. authorizing the creation OF a stat,
credits system TO supplement the &C
tivities OF the Federal Land banks
The object OF creating these govern
mental functions was not to give tn
farmer more credit. for much OF tn
farmers trouble arose from the fac
that he had already used too mucl
credit. The object was to reduce In
terest rates In order to tighten tn
burden OF the farmers Indebtedness
Ana that object was accomplis Al Cd