Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-10-06
BATTING THE VOTERS
Editor AskOv American:

Editor AskOv American:
AS the election draws nearer the
battle for supremacy becomes more
and more tense. and the different
opinions as to who is who, are about
as numerous as the spots on a leo
pard, and everybody has right to
his opinion, whether we approve of
it or not.
The two outstanding figures in our
coming state election are Governor
Olson and Earle Brown. Gov. Olson
represents the Farmer-Labor party
a party created for the purpose Of
giving the people some legislation
which they never got before and never
could hope to get under the old Re-
publican party, and in its brief per-
iOd of time has proven satisfactory
In spite of the opposition of the big
Twin City dailies and a hostile press
throughout the state. If the farmers
ever hope to secure any of the bene-
fits of their labor they must secure
them through an united effort by
their own people and through their
own party. Big political machines
controlled and supported by big bank
ers and big corporate interests will
never solve the farmers problems
not in a hundred years.
Gov Olson is an outstanding cham
plOn for the income tax amendment,
the only tax relief measure of any
great Importance ever offered to the
people. Did the Republican party in
past years ever offer to the people an
income tax measure? No, because
under the present system the rich
could dodge and evade large portion
of taxes. They figured it was cheaper
to fight the FarmerLabor party and
let the farmer pay the taxes. Yes,
indeed, the farmers and the home
owners have been paying the taxes.
But now when they see the hand
writing on the wall and their ap-
preaching doom they say we favor an
income tax but only to be used as a
replacement tax. 1t took them a long
time to say it. In fact they don't
want an income tax but it's a good
bait to hand out to the voters and
oh, how some of them do bite! And
the old guard is playing the game
for that one purpose only.
You remember how President Hoo
yer was willing to sacrifice his dear
est principle (prohibition) for pos
sible reelection?
AS to their sincerity of purpose we
might ask: Who financed ]. F. Reed,
president of the Minnesota Taxpay-
ers Association, in those weekly radio
talks for the past year or more, dis
crediting the income tax as simply
another tax upon the people? Surely
not the Farmer-Labor party. Who
hired and paid for this publicity ex-
pert, Geo. Briggs, who finally had to
sue big Republican corporation at
torney of st. Paul in order to obtain
his salary? His job apparently was
to spread propaganda to discredit the
FL. party and the income tax
amendment. They are good Republic
cans of the Earle Brown party. Did
those good Republicans get behind
Gov. Olson in behalf of the Frazier
bill to secure for the farmers a lower
interest rate whereby they might
avoid losing their farms and homes?
Did their big dailies at any time in
dOrse the Frazier bill as a relief
measure for the farmers, or any FL
program? No, these dailies don't get
their wealth from the farmers. Their
first duty is to protect the goose that
lays the golden egg.
Why should we be led away by prop
uganda from those whose sole OBJ
ject is, and always has been, to dis
credit any political movement where
by the farmer might pull himself out