Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1924-05-29
CONGRESSMAN SCHALL
SPEAKS PLAIN WORDS

SpttCu given uy CONGRESSMAN
Thomas ID. Schall on the floor of
the House. May 20. 1924. from the
Congressional Record OF that
date.
Mr.. Speaker: | secured unani-
nous consent to address the
House that the Minnesota tea
pot dome" situation might be
exposed. and the people of my
state made aware of the plot to
wrest from them and transfer to
private interest the patronage,
prerogatives and prerequisites
of U. S. Senator by the election
as Republican National Commit
teeman of VIM. F. Brooks. junior
partner of Backus-Brooks Com
pany.
| know that shall avail but
little against the tremendous din
of paid claquers. subsidized press,
and carefully manipulated and
misguided campaign organiza-
tions.
/ realize that it's a futile battle
between the weak and the strong
that it's a battle of the human
cobbler, carpenter, mechanic and
laborer in general against the
minions of Midas. That it's the
tiller of the soil against the
speculator, gambler and seeker
for riches and glory unearned by
the sweat of the brow. That it's
the small banker, business man,
clerk, salesman and merchant
against monopolistic trust. That
it's the scheme of the old selfish
political plunder-gang. headed by
Backus-Brooks & Co.. with their
hands in almost every business
of the state, holding in contempt
assessors. county commissioners,
state tax commissions as well as
internal revenue officers, with a
well-known trend of ruthlessness
in their operations. well creased
with their millions of ill-gotten
gain filched from the common
wealth against a humble blind
representative of the people.
The people have trusted me in
ever-increasing. overwhelming
majorities for ten years. and l
would fail in respect to myself
and to my people and to my God
if I shirked this disagreeable.
dangerous. unwelcome imminent
and imperative duty of exposing
to the people of Minnesota the
long, grisly fingers that are
reaching in to control their
national politics.
The Backus-Brooks crowd not
only hold strangling grip upon
Minnesota's financial resources,
but their ramifcations extend in
to Canada and are therefore in
ternational. A few years since,
as shortcut to control of the
Ontario Government, they put
over the Farmer-Labor ticket for
the purpose of securing great
concessions in timber and water
power. They have not been neg.
ligent in seeking to grab control
of such a movement in Mime.
sofa. They are vitality interested
in the international boundary
waters treaty between Canada
and the United States. They
have for years, regardless of any
ones rights, been pursuing g
ruthless course in the construc
ton of water power dams. This
high-handed policy has caused
overflow damages for which they
are absolutely liable under the
law. The State of Minnesota
alone has a claim for over a mil
lion dollars against them and the
claims for destruction of private
property will amount to far over
another million. So besides be-
ing interested in water power
they are interested in saving the
millions of dollars damages from
which there is no avenue of
escape, unless they can get into
the pending treaty between the
United States and Canada the
nroner water levels which will