Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-04-18

mon cause Signs and banners
bob above the crowd. Their message
is plain: Don't starve = Fightr'
Money talks, but we have no money!"
You know" muses. the police of
ficer at my side, IF you and 1 were
out of jobs we'd be in that crowd.
Why, l saw some of these people with
their feet out of their shoes this
weather! Somebody's going to have
to do something for EN- pretty soon
They hadn't ought to let a few
guys pile up millions"
l allow myself the reflections:
What if lot of cops start feeling
this way?"
There are five thousand of these
people'-in the building and on the
steps outside. They are mostly des-
titute farmers and workers. Calling
themselves the United Front, they
represent varying shades of political
opinion but are united in the realiza-
ton that they are being denied
living by an economic system that no
longer functions for them. They have
come from all parts of the state to
the capitol in st. Paul to impress
their plight forcefully upon the Min
nesota Legislature, chief among their
demands being the passage of a state
unemployment insurance bill pat
termed after the Lundeen bill, or
Workers bill, now before Congress.
Theirs is the second march on the
caDitol within a week.
AS the policeman and l speculate
upon the sight before us Spokesman
for the throng are presenting their
demands to the lawmakers in the
House chamber.
Voters Tie Hands of Governor.
But their words must fall for the
most part on deaf ears. The voters
of Minnesota went to the polls last
November and elected radical Farm
er-Labor governor who had repeated
ly told them that capitalism was fast
decaying. Then they elected a leg
islature composed overwhelmingly of
reactiOnaries. Thus anything that
smacks of constructive social legis-
lation has small chance of even get
ting out of the committees.
Not Much Accomplished.
The accomplishments of the Legs
1ature so far are virtually nil It
was only after a month and half
OF delay that it finally passed the
S10,000,000 relief appropriation re-
quired by the Federal Emergency Re-
lief administration to entitle the state
to forty millions or more in federal
relief funds in the next two years.
During the month and a half that
the Legislature was delaying the re-
lief appropriation cattle and other
livestock were dying by the thou
sands in the drouth stricken areas
in western Minnesota. Late in Feb
ruary the Associated Press, after a
survey in the fourteen drouth coun-
ties in the state, reported that more
than 5000 head of stock had died
during the winter for want Of feed.
Farmers had been forced to sell 49,
900 above their normal quota.
One investigator reported: ~ have
called on farms and found as high az
a dozen head OF cattle, hogs and
horses that have died from actual
Conditions in parts OF the drouth
area are almost unbelievable" said
John Bosch, president Of the Mime
scta Farm Holiday Association, who
led the first march OF farmers on the
legislature.
The desperate plight OF the people
in western Minnesota finally moved
The Federal Relief Administration To
feed allotments there from
he paltry s25 month per farm
provided by the relief regulations,
but 1t did not move the Senate finance
The chairman OF this
group, Senator A. J. ROckne, is the
lean Of the Tories in the legislature.
Il was he who was largely to blame
'or holding I'D the relief bill on one
'limsy pretext after another.
After March 1. the delay in the
-eIief bill meant the holding I'D Of
'uther federal relief funds. soreIy
needed in this state. where fifth OF
he total population - on the relief
oils. In some Of the drouth cOun-
les more than * DER cent Of the
,eople are dependent on relief. Lack
II funds has forced virtual abandon
nent Of work relief In form Of the
traight dole.
Skeletons Frighten Them.
At one point in the battle the foes
II relief allowed themselves to be-
'cme ridiculous when In a single day
hey passed a little 100000 emer-