davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
FROM EXCHANGES
Editorial Comment From Other News
papers. Which May or May Not
Conform with the Opinions
of the AskOv American.)
PRAYERS FOR PROFITS

(The Christian Science MOnitOr)
1--WE are indeed devoutly thankful
for present mercies, but may L ado
that for what | hope we are about 10
receive. may the Lord make US truly
thankful" These words might have
been taken from a benediction. Actu-
ally they are part of an address dellv-
cred by a leading arms maker to his
shareholders recently.
The speaker had just alluded to the
depression from which the ornaments
business has been emerging-no doubt
swiftly-in the last troublOus year.
Otherwise present mercies' might be
read as meaning continuation or an
all too precariOus peace. In its con-
text, however, the phrase is more
likely to be interpreted as referring
to the military operations of Japan
in the Far East, to the slaughter over
South Americas ChacO, to the "Jit-
ters" in Europe. 1t is conceivable that
armament hawkers, gathered together
to consider their profits, might speak
of these things as ''mercies.'
Similar remarks may be found in
other addresses. They mark as sharp
ly as anything could-unless it be the
trade of arms with enemies in war
time-the beautifully detached view
with which the arms vendor regards
humanity. They illustrate equally
we'll the way in which the interests
of one industry in particular oppose
the interests of mankind generally
What men fear, these interests well
come What men call blessed, these
interests oppose.
Yet even arms dealers know the
workings of prayers: For what hope
we are about to receive, may the Lord
make us truly thankful" But, as il
even he were conscious of the lrOniC
humor of the situation in which he
found himself, the speaker of these
words added: "And l say this in nc
irreverent spirit
Maybe not. But no doubt many
readers of his address, recalling the
betrayals of peoples to the gods o.
dividends and counting the millions
who persisted in the Last arms max
ers' heaven, will speak another pray
err: From what they hope we are
about to receive, may we mercifull!
be delivered.''
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
THE VIOLIN
step in.
By Jean Adkins.

The violin is considered the most
perfect of musical instruments, on
account of its capabilities of fine tone
and expression and of producing all
the tones in any scale in perfect tune.
1t forms, with the viola, violincellO.
or bass violin and the double bass,
the main element of all OrcheStras.
1t consists of four strings, the low
est of which is covered with silver
copper wire, stretched by means of a
bridge, over hollow wooden body,
and played with a bow. The princi-
pal parts of the violin are as follows:
the scroll, or head, in which are
placed the pins for tuning the strings:
the neck, which connects the scroll
with the body, and to which is at
tached the fingerboard, upon which
the strings are stopped by the fingers
of the left hand, as it holds the neck
in playing; the belly, over which the
strings are stretched, and which has
two f-shaped sound holes, one on each
side; the back or under side; the
slider, uniting the back and belly; the
tailpiece to which the strings are
| fastened, and the bridge. The back,
neck, and sides are generally made of
sycamore, the fingerboard and tall
piece of ebony.
The four strings of the violin are
tuned at G, or the upper space of the
base staff. d, A, E, reckoning upward.
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
CAUGHT HIMSELF

It's an old truth that when folks
speak or write they soon reveal how
much they know about the subject
undertaken to be discussed.
A candidate for the Legislature OF
course is not immune to that rule. IL
is to be expected that folks change
their minds. 1t is a stubborn lndl-
vidual who will never change even
though he has been shown and 1t has
been proved that he is wrong. But
when a person cOntradicts himself in
the same article and he has had
months in which to write the short
statement, the degree of intelligence
di,splayed is not to the extent that it
will fit him for public Office.
A candidate wrote in the first part
of his statement:
81 cannot truthfully say that | be-
long to any party; | am free and indie
pendent as far as party is concerned.
Toward the end of the statement he
wrote:
Upon occasion my support has been
given to other than Republican candi-
dates, when it was apparent to me
that the election of candidates of my
own party would tend to perpetuate in
office and in practice the influences
of selfish and greedy interests"
In the beginning the candidate does
not know where he belongs and in
the end he speaks of the Republican
party as his own. Bright mind.
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
WISCONSIN STEPS UP

Progressive Republicans of Wlscon-
sin under the leadership of U. S. Sem
ator Robert M. La Toilette and his
brother, former Governor Philip r.
LaFollette, have taken steps and or
ganized a new political party in that
state, a third party movement as we
have in Minnesota.
The Republican party in Wiscon-
sin has been divided in two camps
the conservative or react1onarles.
and the progressive Republicans, the
latter headed by the LaFollette fam
ily for years. There was as much
difference between the two groups as
between two distinct political parties
and even moreso. Therefore, in order
to clarity things and SO that the vot-
ers may better know what program
and principles they are voting for
third party movement was started IL
Wisconsin last Saturday, the meeting
being held at Fond du Lac.
The new party will be called thf
Progressive. There will be no Re
publican or Democratic name con
nected with it. The name progress
sive has been used so much In WIS
consin, their newspaper at Madison
carries it, and the leaders for tn
people's program have been know
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
LEARNED GENTLEMEN POINT TO
COLLECTIVISM IN U. s.
(The Minnesota Daily)

Perhaps Governor Olson and his
political advisers are not so far off
the main track when they openly adj
vocate a more liberal form of state
economy. Politically it may be an
unwise thing, but if the men who
are directing the Farmer-Labor pol
icies are gauging their policy for the
long view they have some recent au-
lucrative backing.
The report recently issued by the
social studies commission of the
American Historical Association, may
be termed either radical or liberal.
Twelve members of the commission
term it liberal, while four members
are convinced that it is radical. ANY,
way these learned gentlemen have
come to the conclusion that America
is due for some extreme changes.
Those changes, in PROFESSIONAL Ian
guage as reported by the Christian
Science Monitor, are:
although undecided as to the spe-
cific form which this new 'cOllectiv-
| ism will take, the commission de-
| clared itself almost certain it will
involve larger measure of compul-
sorry, as we'll as voluntary, co-opera-
tion of citizens in the conduct of the
complex national economy, CORE
spending enlargement of the func-
lions of government and an 'increas-
ing state intervention in fundamental
branches of economy previously left
to individual discretion and initia-
| tive"
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
INEXCUSABLE VIOLENCE
1.-THE st. Paul Daily NewS)

Scenes such as those which took
place in Minneapolis Monday are a
disgrace to any community claiming
to be civilized.
That police must fight citizens to
maintain public order, that 81 persons
in all have to be carted away to hos
pitfalls for treatment from wounds
about the head, that extra policemen
have to be sworn in to permit the con-
duct of business on public streets-all
because two groups stubbOrnly insist
upon fighting it out at the public ex-
pense-is nothing short of a scandal.
1t is little wonder that the group Of
the more intelligent citizens appealed
to Washington and that the regional
labor board was authorized to take
control. With the federal government
behind it that body now has the power
to make its decisions, when reached,
effective.
1t is to be hoped that it will reach
them soon and put an end to the bat
thing over the PROSTATE form, so to
speak, of the general public.
| htdllW HllC d "Olu vi pl dlSc dilu
sympathy must go to the Minneapolis
policemen who suffered in their eff
forts to maintain order. A number of
them were severely beaten, yet despite
great provocation they did not resort
to firearms. 1t really was unfair to
ask individuals even in police uni
form to confront such a mob.
In view of the Minneapolis situa-
tiOn St. Paul is all the more fOrtu-
nate in having kept peace so far.
Both employers and employees have
maintained commendable calmness in
their attitudes. They are making ev-
cry effort to avoid a strike and its in
evitable violence by seeking to COM
pose differences around the conference
table.
Their efforts deserve success, all
the more as they have before them the
unhappy plight of Minneapolis. Let
us settle our own difficulties ourselves.
before the federal government has to
step in.
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
NO MINCING OF WORDS

Governor Olson does not leave any
doubt as to where he stands on the
Farmer-Labor platform, though the
reactionary press of the state Is ooiiis
it's best to scare the people away from
it.
At the organization meeting OF the
all-party Olson-for-governor couhcii
i'm Minneapolis Monday night, the gov
ernor cited a recent poll OF ministers
of the gospel as to which economic
system appears less antagonistlc To
and more consistent with the Ideals
and methods of Jesus" and that 80
per cent of the more than 2o'ooo re-
plies favored the cooperative COM
mOnWealth.
.sThere is only one construction that
can he placed on this" the governor
said, land that is realization on the
part of the ministers OF the gospei
that the system under which we hVe'
(which propounds the unchristian doc
trine of rugged individualism, Is pa
gan and ungodly."
The governor cited statistics III
support of his contention that under
consumption, not Over-prOductlon, was
responsible for the farmers plight
and offered as remedy improved dis
tribution. The remedy, he said, woulc
REQUIRE alteration of the social system
to put it more in line with American
principles of government.
After mentioning three Twin Cities
icfn
Farmer-Labor platform planks, GOV
Olson said:
. eff the people continue to be fright
ened by terms used and invented b!
adroit newspaper editorial writer's, Of
if they substitute wishbones for back
bones and grieve for the return of tn
/ old order, no new social order. which
, will bring security and happiness, viii
l be possible
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
PUTTING S1,OOO.OOO IN JAIL
(St. Paul Daily News)

1t used to be said that you can't
put S1,O00,O0O in Jail"
If a man was able enough to ''steal"
S1,000,000 in some way, it was gen.
orally accepted that his money would
enable him to evade punishment I'M
der our clumsy, slow, antiquated legal
system.
Henley, associates in the once ma
tionally famous Foshay utilities en-
pire are serving time in Leavenworth.
Their millions didn't save them.
Today Samuel insult, once the big
gest man in the public utility bust
ness, is being taken secretly from the
ship on which he has been making
his leisurely way to face Chicago in
dictments.
Indictments have been voted against
at least one of the Van Sweringen
brothers, Cleveland financiers who
built up railroad empire with other
peoples money.
War Kreuger committed suicide
just as his world empire was crashing
and thus avoided Jail.
Andrew w. Mellon, charging unfair
treatment and persecution, is facing
income tax evasion charges.
The list, admittedly, is incomplete
but it serves to show that not all the
millionaires do enjoy legal immunity
if they indulge in shady financial
practices, or try to cheat the govern.
ment.
Even if and when some of these
men escape prison, they suffer the
condemnation of public opinion which
puts an end to their usefulness anC
turns their dreams of conquest anC
power into the bitterness of defeat.
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24

by Mr.. Politician as sugar coated
plum to hand out to select few, and
sometimes it seems that it doesn't
matter if a person is fit for jury duty
or not, as long as he is on the select
list.
Again 1 warn you people who be-
lieve in clean politics. Be on the
lookout or you will be fooled again
as you have been in the past. Anu
don't forget to go and vote on June
18 as you can depend on the Dougnt
votes to be there, and remember that
anyone who buys votes will sell MS
own vote.
Yours always for a square deal
in politics also.
A. P. JENSEN.
Askov, Mimi, May 81, 1894.
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
ONLY NOMINATION

The primary election on Monday,
June IS. will inaugurate the consol-
idated primary ballot in the state
of Minnesota The law was passed
in the regular 1888 session OF the
Legislature.
The purpose of the law is to pre-
vent any coercion at the voting
place-complete secrecy-and in turn
bigger vote.
Each voter is given a sheet that
contains the names of candidates Tor
nomination on each of the three
party ballots -Farmer-Labor, Repuo-
lican, and Democratic. The candl-
dates for nomination on the Farmer
Labor ticket are all in one group, up
and down on the left side OF the en-
tire sheet. Then follows the names
of those aspiring to nomination on
the Republican ticket in the center
group and on the right side, the DEM
ocratic aspirants. Heavy black lines
divide the three groups.
The voter may express choice IN
only one political party group. II
he or she votes for candidates OF
more than one political party the
ballot is spoiled and does not count
at all.
1t must be borne in mind that this
procedure is only at the primary
election in June. At the general cleo
ton in the fall the voter may split
the ticket as much as he chooses
and vote for candidates of the var
ious political parties.
The primary election is really the
peoples convention. 1t takes the
place of the old convention system
where the various political parties
set up their candidates and they were
printed on the general election bal
lots. In those days there were no prl
mary elections.
The primary being the peoples safe
guard against boss controlled conven
tions, and it being the place where
nominations are made, presumabl.
the best men from each party for th'
various offices to be filled, it is nat
ural that the voter should adhere t
one party ballot at that time ant
help select as nominees the mel
whom he thinks best fitted for thu
office on the party ballot to which
he most closely adheres.
Then in the fall if he wants t
vote independently and is not please
with some of the nominees on tn
ticket which he usually votes, n
can vote for nominees on other tick
cts as little or as much as he chooses
Bear in mind that the primary cleo
ton is in other words the people
convention where each voter can as
sist in choosing for nominees thos
whom he would like to have repre-
sent the political party to which n
feels most attached. The voter doe
not have to call for party ballc
and reveal his party identity, he
given all three on one sheet. but
he votes more than one his ballt
is lost
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
BUYING AND SELLING

Editor Askov American:
Well folks it seems as better times
have arrived, as the two essentials
for good times are a good crop and
plenty buying power. They are here
in the form of good crop of political
aspirants, and some of them seem to
have plenty of buying power, thinking
they can buy enough votes to get
into office.
There might be some excuse for the
new politician who is trying to buy
his way in, as he doesn't know any
better, being instructed by the older
politician. But as for the old pOliti-
clan who has bought his way into
power, election after election, 1t
should be about time he was elm
| mated. You can not depend on this
kind of politician. Only one thing
you can depend on is that as readily
as he buys his votes, just as readily
will he sell his own vote to the high
est bidder. We know very we'll the
highest bidders are not the common
people as they do not have the means
to buy with. Hence, he is not In
politics for the interest of the com
mon people, but solely in the interest
of Mr.. Politician.
There are several ways used to blu!
votes. Sometimes a few drinks will
buy quite a number of votes. Other
wise it can be in the form of promise
of job of some kind, for instance
like the serving on the jury, which
by the way l think is an Anticipated
system, and l hope that some time
in the future we will get law tt
change it. AS it is now it is useG
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
MORE ABUNDANT

Much of the leadership of the
Democratic party in Minnesota
either is not keeping abreast OF
the more important phases of the
Roosevelt program or is complete
ly out of sympathy with it. Pres
ident Roosevelt also has received
more cooperation in Washington
in some of his progressive changes
from the progressive Republicans
such as Senators Norris of Ne
braska, LaFollette of Wisconsin,
Johnson of California, and Cut
ting of New Mexico, than he has
from many members of his own
party.
Two weeks after the Farmer
Labor state convention in st. Paul.
the national administration came
out with a statement concerning
the taking over of idle factories
by the government, much on the
order of that proposed at the
FL. state convention. The fed
eral plans provide for the leasing
by the government of idle fac
tories in order to relieve unem-
ployment and supply food and
clothing to those in destitute cir
cumstances. These factories would
not be in competition with pri-
vate industry. Most economists
are agreed that, under the pres
ent system unemployment on a
large scale will be a more or less
permanent problem. Until a per-
manent solution for the problem
is found, measures such as the
above are necessary.
The public ownership of public
utilities has also received favor
able attention from President
Roosevelt. but the reactiOnary
Democrats take much the same
stand on that as do the reac-
tionary Republicans. Under the
leadership of the statesman from
Nebraska, Senator Norris, the
Muscle Shoals power program was
inaugurated a year ago with the
sanction and aid of the president.
An enlightening article on this
subject, by Herbert Little, was
written with a Washington date
line as of May 18th, and follows:
President Roosevelt's favOrite amo
the recovery experiments, the socl
and electrical development of the vi
ley of the Tennessee, is a year c
today-and flOurishing.
The Tennessee valley authority,
three-man federal commission knO'
throughout the valley as IVA
seriously and rapidly re-making ma
cutting power rates and starting ma
another project-all aimed to impro
life and living in segment OF the
ton where life itself has been diffic
to maintain, let alone the comforts
modern life.
IVA has nearly 10000 on the p
rolls, building dams and prepari
power sites, and $500 Others-you
CCC workers-are busy on forestati
and soil erosion projects.
It's Two Aims.
It's detectives are two, one is p
of the other: They are inseparable
IVA, with the cooperation of
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
A Fast Traveller.

1t was customary for the congrega-
ton to repeat the 23rd Psalm in
unison, but invariably Mrs. Spielfast
would keep about dozen words ahead
of the rest
who" asked a visitor Of an old
church member one Sunday, was the
lady who was already by the still
waters while the rest of us were lying
down in green pastures?"
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24

Petty meanness is an offense that
does not go unpublished; the offender
metes out his own punishment by put
ting himself through process that
shrinks his soul. The person who
cannot see others successfully carry
through their work without feeling
of petty jealousy and resentment must
lead miserable eXistence.--EX-
change.
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
THE FAILURES

The men who die the most wretch
eddy today, whose lives were the most
abject failures and whose death is
simply humiliation, are the men who
live for self alone, and who have no
social vision, and who sink lower
morally and spiritually than the lower
animals from which they sprang.-
Eugene V. DebS.
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24
OPINIONS OF OTHERS

(Short timely letters on topics
of public interest are welcome.
whether or not the writer's op1n-
ions conform with those of the
American. All letters must be
signed with the writer's name for
our information. Signed articles al
ways are more effective. but II the
writer does not wish to have his
name used. it will be withheld.)
Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-24

A southern Minnesota county attor-
ney wins the glass walking stick prize
for having issued a short statement.
About the only way to be more brief
would be to say nothing at all. For
candor and honesty the statement is
hard to beat. 1t follows: Il would
like to be county attorney again if the
people desire my services"