Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-03-24


This challenge can not pass unan-
swered. The self-respecting citizen
ship must arouse itself to meet this
organized campaign which is threat
ening the security of our general well
fare. The call of duty to THE AMER
ICAN LEGION is clear.
Last summer the United States
Supreme Court decided again that
aliens who are unwilling to bear
arms in defense of this country can
not become citizens. In October, the
court refused to review that decision.
1.-The hope of the professional paci
fists to break down the law through
judicial decision has failed. Now
they are waging legislative attack
by sponsoring a bill to amend the
naturalization laws so that a slack
er may become a citizen, enjoying
the benefits and protection of the
United States government, without
sharing his proportionate part of the
responsibilities.
This question goes to the very
root of citizenship and national Sc
curity.
THE founders of this nation estab-
lished the Constitution for our COM
mon advancement and common de-
Tense.
Fundamentally, i t z n S h p is
based on the obligation of every one
who enjoys its protection to share
its responsibilities, regardless of how
the individual conscience looks upon
the tragic wastefulness of war.
mo GOVERNMENT CAN STAND
WITH EVERY INDIVIDUAL CON-
SCIENCE A LAW UNTO ITSELF!
Nor can a nation survive at this stage
of the worlds development if the peo-
pie who compose it are not willing to
defend it!
The scheming professional paci-
fists are not without shrewd cunning.
Capitalizing upon these troublesome
days of economic distress, they started
priations for an already inadequate
national defense system under the
guise of economy War in the far
east rOughed up their sailing.
They have turned their guns in
another direction. Now, they seek
to bring the American mind to a
point of view which would excuse an
act of human conduct, without regard
of how harmful it is to our general
welfare, on the ground it was the
fulfillment of divine inspiration to
the individual conscience. They at
tempt to befuddle the minds of our
people, and have attracted certain
religious forces to their movement,
by Disgusting their real intent and
purpose by injecting the issue of re
ligious freedom
"History'a pages are filled with
slaughter, murder, burnings and tor
ture at the hands of religious fanatics
who believed they had divine guild
ance of conscience to commit these
outrages. If we accept an individ-
ual's conscientious objections as a
valid defense for refusal to obey that
part of our law which provides for
our common defense, by the same
token we might as we'll excuse and
overlook the violations of law by rape,
murder and theft, when the offending
individual pleads conscientious in
tolerance for the rights of others and
divine Inspiration
Individual Privilege to Endeavor to
DO Away With War.
Mr. Renaud replied by saying that
he is not a professional pacifist or
sentamentalist. Any one who opposes
war need not be classed as a Com
munist, radical, and undesirable citi-
zen. The American Legion itself
should learn to permit individual
thinking, for to the extent that the
organization tries to suppress the in
dividual point of view, just to that
extent is it nuisance, said the
speaker. He called attention to a
labor meeting at Centralia, Wash,
some years ago where folks were de-
Tending their right to be at that meet
ing and express their beliefs, said
meeting being broken up by rOwdyism.
Inc post COMMANDER Vi lne LeSlOn
there later repudiated the actions of
individual Legionnaires at that meet
ing, said the speaker. He emphasized
the folly of war by stating that even
the best of soldiers-eXcellently
trained-make as good cannon fOd-
der as any others. And as for critics.
ing the decisions of the United States
Supreme Court, that is the privilege
OF any citizen, said Mr.. Renaud.
Mr.. Simonsen then said he had no
more to say except that what he
would like to call the speaker he
could not say in the presence of
ladies.
The audience was at a loss to real
ize why Mr.. SimOnsen had become so
incensed unless there was a feeling
on his part that an attempt was made
to take credit away from those who
had served their country in war,
which apparently others did not gath
er from the speech by Mr.. Renaud.
With the feeling that prevailed there
was no desire for further discussion
RI of afternoon and after the Sinpinp