Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-05-25
THE FARM STRIKE
editor Askov American:

|
Editor Askov Americana:
| | was very much surprised upon
reading your editorials in last weeks
edition of the Askov American COM
menting upon the Continental Con-
gress for Economic Reconstruction
held in Washington, ID. c., May
and Z.
| You seem entirely to ignore the
fact that months of thoughtful pre-
paration had gone before. The var
ious organizations throughout the U. S.
had at their meetings prepared, their
resolutions to meet the need, as they
saw it. Furthermore weeks of care
full study and arrangements by such
prominent leaders as DR.. Harry Laid
Ter, Mayor HOan, Elk Judge Pankin,
Norman Thomas, Simpson, and many
others, some of whom had been in
Washington for weeks in close touch
with our U. S. Congress, had gone
before the meeting of the Continental
Congress. We did not gather to make
laws but to unite the laboring classes
in voicing their opinions and needs,
that some action might be taken in the
U. S. Congress and that our liberal
leaders in Congress might feel the
support of the millions of workers
which the Continental Congress dele
cation represented.
If you refer to me and my talk at
AskOv on the evening of May ~ as
the demagOgue who seizes such OPP
pOrtunity to get up and hear himself
talk and wall that is your privilege.
But l object to the application Of
demagOgue in the sense that you use
it to any of the men or women, who
addressed our gathering in Washing
ton. A finer and more enlightened
group of American leaders | have
never met with. They were not only
intelligent, but they had the courage
of their convictions. If more of our
legislators had the latter trait, we
might make more advancement
From the whole group of resOlu-
tions passed at the Congress you sight
one resolution and seem to judge the
whole affair by this. Your citation
reported by the committee on Agri
culture. The complete resolution
reads as follows: I'VE demand the re-
organization of the system of taxa
tion in the states, cities, and counties,
so as to exempt homes and farms up
to the amount of $4,000 assessed val
uation and so as to increase the rev.
enue from graduated taxes on incomes
and inheritances." The whole set of
resolutions was passed while l was
working on the Civil Liberties COM
mittee, so | do not know if any OBJ
jectiOns were raised to it,
However, this resolution does not
call for "over night" changes, as you
put it. 1t only asks for reorganiza-
ton of the present unfair tax system
and. to my way of thinking, supports
your own program of shifting the bur-
den of taxes over upon incomes.
You seem to object to the exemp-
ton Of real estate taxes on property
at the assessed value of $4,000. If
this is unjust, how can our legisla-
tors then justify permitting the con-
tinuatiOn of tax exempt securities in
which enormous sums of money have
been invested in order to evade taxes?
Ii it is fair to exempt those, who
have the extra money to invest and
who have the means to pay taxes,
then surely the small home owners,
who have been trying to make ends
meet, should have some consideration.
They have been getting a raw deal
They only ask for square deal.
Whether we like the idea of strike
or not, one thing is very certain in
my mind, that only through the united
effort of the laboring classes, rural
and urban. have we any hope of doing
away with the vicious system of the
mighty money interests, who for years
selfishly have lOrded it over the pro-
ducers of the wealth of our nation.
So let us unite with our fellow work
ers and help to get them in line for
united action. We need not resort to
violence. BY doing so our cause is
doomed. Just the moral pressure of
the united labOring masses will be
the great force backing our liberal
Legislators in their efforts.
Did the bankers or insurance COM
panies ask, whether or not their
strike would cause. suffering and
hardship? Hardly. They did not even
give us fair warning, so that we
might be prepared for it..
But when the farmers prepare for
a strike great howl goes up about
the suffering babes and invalids.
However, the farmers are so human,
that they have given us fair warning
and have made arrangements before
hand to meet their fellow workers in
the cities with necessary food sup
plies during the strike, if they would
organize to meet them. This is a fine
attempt to cooperate against injus-
tice.
A. e. FROST.