Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-05-03
FOR CHANGING SYSTEM

ing, they fall back on the constitution.
Everything in the New Deal to them
is unconstitutional. Even in view Of
the fact that the Supreme Court of
the United States declared the Min
nesOta Mortgage MOratoriumAct and
the New York Milk Act constitutional.
they still hope by a Supreme Court
decision most of the New Deal will be
rescinded. Johnson, the English au-
thor, once defined patriotism as being
the last resort of a scoundrel, the
constitution seems to be the last re-
sort of some of our grating million
aires and their henchmen. When they
are found red handed in graft they
pull their Constitutional Rights"
After all, what is the constitution
among friends.
The latest maneuver of the rich is
to tell the poor that their liberties are
being taken away from them, that
personal freedom is a thing of the
past. You have to hand it to them
that they have a sense of humor
Recently. l travelled 5000 miles
through the country and found most
people more interested in when they
were going to eat, than in their So
called constitutional rights and other
liberties they were supposed to have.
Just what these rights are a person
has unless he is on the inside, l have
never been able to ascertain. 1t is
something like the man who was tel
ling about wrestling a bear, some
times the bear was on the top and
sometimes he, the man, was on the
bottom. After all. those who have
not their fingers in the pie will never
get anything.
After % years of close observation,
have noticed a few things gen.
orally life is an illusion, unless you
think for yourself. Those who think
for themselves are not fooled by the
subtle lies put out by selfish powers
that be. With education more gen.
eral orthodox or otherwise, people are
beginning to think, and this means a
beginning of new era. The fallacieS
that hard work, industry, honesty and
i
secured comfortable living has been
portrayed to me many times; it is an
illusion. Those of us who have lived
in Minnesota, have seen the very best
people possible, go into comparative
wilderness and in one generation de-
velOp it as highly as the old European
countries. After travelling throughout
Minnesota last winter l found most of
these old settlers, broke; some living
in want, their money lost in bank
failures, business failures and for
other reasons over which they had
no control. Those of us who went
through the World war, know what
happened during the war. We were
deluded with promises, nothing was
going to be too good just so we won
the war. We would be assured hap
ply life ever afterwards. This is what
happened as soon as the war was over,
the powers that were, assured them
selves of their own position. The SOL
diers were thrown on their own, and
forced into an impossible Industrial
condition, to shift and starve for them
selves the best they could. That ap-
parently was their constitutional right.
They were called treasury raiders,
loafers and abused in every way pos
sible, by those who promised them
everything.
Those of us who have been on the
labor market, have also seen many
illusions, but We know that when the
depression came on, cur wages were
reduced first. We know of some of
the henchmen of the powers that are
drawing all the way from one hundred
thousand to a million dollars a year
in salaries and bonuses. Still the
wages of the thousand dollar a year
man was slaShed first. We see our
fellow workers thrown on the labor
market and refused work on account
of being too old and broken down.
After the Investigations in Washing
ton we know how most of our million
aires were made, how crooked they
really are, how undeserving they are
in comparison. The President of the
United States, believe, has stated
eiios ~" PSi SSiI vi tilC PCOplc
own 10 per cent of the wealth, that
ten per cent own 80 per cent. Under
such a condition there can be no
prosperity for the common person.
The thing to do is change our indus
trial system, yes constitution and all,
so that it will be possible for the de-
serving to enjoy reasonable amount
of comfort and well being. Under our
system right now, it is impossible.
The solution is to take most of the
power and wealth away from the 10
per cent and distribute it where it
belongs and forever to make it i'm
possible for any one to accumulate
enormous fortunes such as held now.
The rich of course will squawk, but
even if everything is taken away from
them, they deserve it. They have had
the marbles long enough. Let them
have taste of poverty and their con-
stitutiOnal deservings, it will probably
mellow them.
S. J. SIMONSEN.
| Chitina, Alaska.