Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-03-01
HOW TO CONQUER OUR ENEMIES
AND INCREASE PROSPERITY
Editor Askov American:

HOW ~ CONQUER OUk ENEMIES
AND INCREASE PROSPERITY
Editor Askov American:
Will you please give me a little
space in your valuable paper to say
a few things on the above subject.
Now Sir, l know that to find fault
with a sick man will not affect
cure, but to tell him how he brought
on his present trouble, might save
him from repeating the mistake.
A doctor almost invariably will ask
the patient, or those of the household
to tell him what brought on this spell
of sickness, so l think if | try to
play the doctors roll, l will find out
the cause before offering a remedy.
l also know that if l am going to
take the case, the patient who are
the afflicted people of the whole
world, have a right to ask me to
show or tell them of my authority
for daring to undertake such a diff
ficult task, and of this I am very
well aware, indeed! Well, this is why
| attempt to speak, God called me
out to stand on lifes crowded rough
road to help to direct the traffic
This, have been trying to do for
over forty years. A love for the peo-
pie always comes with Gods call.
So like a doctor, | am first going
to try to find out how the world con-
tracted this disease which we call
depression Now, know that to
name all the causes is far beyond
me, for like the Devils that were
driven out of a man and went into
the pigs which unbalanced their
brains, and caused them to commit
suicide. The causes are legion or
many, but | am going to point out
what l believe to be the major cause
which was the World war. In this
article, l am going to follow the eX-
ample of the best teachers, that is,
to teach by illustration. Now, sup
pose we take for our illustration,
large business firm that was doing
a large and profitable business fifteen
years ago. Now, their business is so
poor they might give the answer that
business manages them. When l
asked how business was, "oh," he said,
there is none." So let me question
the managers and see if we can find
out the cause of the falling off of
business. We ask if others have
taken it from them, "oh, no." they
say, for others are in the same fix;
1T is this terrible depression" 1T
is affecting everybody"
Well, we ask them if it is not
fact that a great number of their old
customers died during the years of
1914 to 1918? Their answer would be.
certainly" that is known by the
world, so we ask what caused their
death. 1t must have been some aw-
full plague that caused such a ter
rible death rate, but they say, mo,
not that; then please tell US if you
cause. Well" say they, ~we may as
we'll tell you the truth about it. The
terrible fact is that we ordered a
number of our own men who were
in our employ and others we hired.
to go out and kill a great number
of our old customers. OF course, we
would have been better off if we had
never done it, for it cost an enor-
nous amount of money to do the job,
because we had to defend ourselves.
We had to use very expensive weap-
OnS. Then, too, our firm has suf-
fered a great loss in man power for
we used the most brainy and able
bodied men in our employ, and great
number of them were killed or
crippled for life"
Now, l say to this manager, who is
speaking for the firm, WAS it not
rather strange that your firm did
not know that dead men neither eat
food, wear clothes, or are ever in
need of any kind of implements and
machinery, or make homes. Now, if
you had let your old customers live,
you would have had three customers
for one which you have now
Now Old Warning World, l have
been trying to paint your picture,
please look at it.! Perhaps you may
see some little resemblance between
this picture and yourself, but maybe
l. Htu USltCl say q AAIIAN AAioi ~
make it palmer for l do want to be
understood. Now, Mr.. Warning World,
did it ever occur to you that the
World war and the depression are
twins. Only Of course, they do not
look alike. Please, how could the
cruel war slaughter 100000, cripple
another 100000 and so impoverisk
perhaps 3O0,00O,000 or double that
number so that their buying power
was so impaired that they could only
buy part of the food and clothes they
needed. To make improvements be-
sides, is out of the question. Please!
where is the man or woman that
could not see that this would so les
sen the demand that the markets
would not avoid being gTutted, for
no goods can be sold without buyers.
Nor is this half the tale, for if there
had been no war, there would have
been, no doubt, about 2O,OOO,000 new
homes by this time with their nat
ural increases, which would have
created a demand for more food.
clothes and other materials for gen.
eral improvements.
am bold enough to say, or at least
suggest that my plan would help the