Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1928-03-29

Next Mr.. MadSen says: IF the ap-
preparation is. not granted the county
will lose it's aid from Minnesota and
u. S. Government" If we. have no
better reason for an appropriation
4 Glieve we had better save our tax
money. The slogan: "If we don't
take this money someone else will
take it up, which also was applied
very successfully when we debated
the question of consolidating our
school. l will admit that l fell for
it that time, but 1 am getting more
and more skeptical as to the value
of our expensive school system today.
We are saddling the taxpayers and
the farmers with one expensive insti-
tuition after another and when we
on account of not being able to meet
expenses, and we notice last years
delinquent tax list, think it is worth
while to discuss this serious ques-
ton, and that is the reason l take
this opportunity to challenge Mr.. Mad
sens statements. Who pays the Min
nesota state and the U. S. taxes? We
do; the only difference is that we pay
these two in the indirect taxes, while
the county aid we pay direct, but it
all comes out of the same pocket.
Those who attended the meeting in
Pine City before the county commits
sioners on Dec. 8, 1917, where the
proposition to organize a Farm Blu
reau for Pine county came up, will
remember in substance what | said:
That | had been for many years in
the hope that farmers would organize,
but | was in doubt that an organiza-
could be a lasting benefit to the farm
ers, as it had been my experience
from Denmark that similar success
full organizations and cooperative as
sociations always had been built from
the bottom, like a house built on a
solid foundation from the bottom and
UP. But, l added, this is an ur-
gent appeal from our government to
us farmers to organize for the pur-
pose of increasing production as a
war measure, and as such | recon-
mend that we take it up as an ex-
pertinent"
The result of that meeting was that
| was elected temporary president to
duty as l saw it at the time and had
in mind all the years l served that
we should some day be self support
ing and self governed, in other words,
learn to stand and walk on our own
legs. In my opinion there is nothing
we need more than to learn to run
our own business, to take the respOns-
Utility of our acts and work both eco
nomically and politically. AS l see
it we are losing home rule" of the
townships and school districts to the
county and state, and states to the
U. S. government, more and more,
and | do not think it is a benefit to
the common people.
AS to the benefits Mr.. Madsen
enumerates, we will lose if we did
not have a county agent, he mentions
the distribution of explosives. 1t
should not take a university graduate
to list and distribute these orders,
and they are not dependent on us
having a county agent. We can get
all we want and need without an
agent, and we could sell our surplus
livestock also to out of state buyers
without an agent,if we have the quail
ity. This reminds me of the time
we organized in Askov to promote the
Guernsey breed, Yorkshire hogs, and
Green Mountain potatoes. If we had
stuck to the Guernsey in the years
following we would have had a mar
ket for our surplus.
What about the so-called Farm
Relief'?- The county agent, l am glao
to know, cannot grant us that, other
wise | am afraid we would have it to
save his job, and we would pay that