Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-04-16
PROMOTERS LIKE GANGSTERS

Editor Askov American:
In the early days of our country
the largest part of the population
lived on the land and cultivated it.
At the present time, this condition
is changed about by improved meth
DDS and it now only requires about
80 millions of our population to pro-
duce enough to feed the other 80 mil
lions of our population and leave a
large surplus to sell.
The farmer gets plenty of advice,
the wheat raisers are told to reduce
acreage, the dairymen their herds
but we don't see anything being done
to relieve the farmer from some of the
heavy burden put on him by the last
Grundy tariff act, while our indus
trial over-lords pull down millions in
income.
The legislature is soon to adjourn
and the tax burden remains the same.
Big appropriations have been made
with no thought apparently as to what
effect they might have on the indi-
vidual taxpayer. The question is
never asked, can the appropriation be
paid. 1t will be raised The only
limit seems to be the ability to pay
and we have some examples in his
tory where the power to tax was
pushed too hard and we have the
French revolution and the Russian
revolt
1t seems that the test of an ap-
preparation ought to be, can it be
met without causing confiscation.
One very striking thing which has
had much to do in making high taxes
is the sense of values-locally.-
have lost them in one direction and
then in another. We have seen whole
communities make unreasonable and
uncalled for movements in mass spec
ulation in utter disregard of all dan
ger signs and stop signals set up by
lawmaking bodies and rush right in.
to taxing disasters, past all signs
and signals.
Most everyone likes to see a com.
munity better housed and home own.
ership as one of the principal ideals
because the progress of civilization
is largely measured by the structures
men build.
The mere fact that a man or &
number of men can borrow money
or get the credit to put up a new no.
tel, business building, or, a com
munity large public building does
not signify that the buildings are
needed and must be built or that they
are economically or socially needed
1t seems to be the idea to think
and talk in terms of hundreds anG
thousands. If by hook or crook an
other large public building can be
erected-the promoters are praised as
doing a public service. Is it service
or disservice? When economically
there is little or no use for the
building. To do work just to get il
done, or temporary profits just to
keep few busy, without regard tc
the need or ability to operate with
reasonable profit is not a service to
the community, but disservice.
venture the statement as see it
that promoter or confidence man.
be it one or several who cunningly
scheme to deceive an unthinking pub
lie by half truths as to the public
needs and lead them into extravagant
bond issues and expenditures amount
ing to mass speculation which even
tually confiscates the homes and farms
is not as good as the gunman who
at least takes an open chance of be-
ing killed by an officer. They are
like the gangster who secretly plants
"a pine apple" which eventually ex-
plodes and blows the whole commun-
ity up with high taxes. The gunman