Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-03-24
PEACE MEETING
NOT ALL PEACE
Fred Renaud Tells ASkOv-
ties Armament Costs
Have Increased.
Local Legion Commander
Objects to Peace Meet
ings and Speakers.

The second of series of four meet
ings on peace and the abolition of
war, conducted by the Young Peoples
Society of Askov, was held at the As
sembly hall Sunday afternoon, the
speaker being Fred Renaud of st.
Paul. He dwelt on the political and
International causes of war and
handled the subject very we'll, using
choice language.
The meeting opened with the sing
ing of several songs, among them
being America" L. Byron Olsen,
president of the Young Peoples So
ciety. introduced the speaker and said
that they had been classmates at the
University of Minnesota and for
time had worked together at the West
Publishing Co., where Mr.. Renaud is
still employed.
Mr. Renaud commenced his talk by
saying that we can be thankful we
can have such meetings as these to-
day. In wartime there is no freedom
of thought, speech, and the press. All
must concentrate on the winning of
the war. Hate is aroused against the
enemy to facilitate the winning of the
war. During the World war colleges
and universities forbid any speakers
to criticise war. Honorary degrees to
Germans were revoked in the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin and were restored
only a few months ago. Fourteen
states forbid the teaching of German
in public schools and two states for
bid all German talk during the war.
Expenditures Greatly Increased
Mob psychology and hysteria must
often be created in times of war to
make the nation respond in a way
that makes for real action, and in
times of peace public opinion must be
built up to tolerate the vast expendi-
lures on ornaments, said the speaker.
The world now spends $4,000, 100000
annually on ornaments whereas be-
fore the World war the expenditure
was three billions of dollars annually
The speaker said that it is part
of the work of the 1900 military
officers in the United States to keep
people interested in protection and
constant maintenance of armies and
navies. The war propaganda also ex-
tends to high schools and colleges,
about 800 of them requiring some war
preparation in at least two years of
their studies.
Mr.. Renaud said that the world has
made a beginning in peace through
ho 7 So
Court. 1t is in rudimentary state,
but it is not to be expected that peace
can be brought about over night. We
must have a longer tradition of peace
as we have had a long tradition of
war Public opinion must be changed
to something different than force.
The Treaty of Versailles. bad as it
is and which separated races and
nationalities. could hardly be ex-
pected to be any better with the hate
back of it on the part of those re-
spOnsible for it. H. G. Wells in his
Outline of History" says that great
powers have done much as they
pleased in the past
Treaty Must be Changed.
The treaty of Versailles must be
changed to ward off war, said the
speaker. There must be security be-
fore ornaments can be abolished,
The very size of armies is a source
of danger. Russia had the largest
army before the World war. The
mobilization of one army naturally
brings on the mobilization of other
armies. Just now the partial mobili--
zation of the Japanese army gives
serious concern to the neighboring
Russian army.
Continued on Page g.