Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-01-16
LEGISLATURE IS
IN SIXTH WEEK
Lawmakers in Special AS
sembly Accomplish Moth
ing in Five Weeks.
Senate Old Age Pension Bill
Defeats Purpose of
Session.
BY HJALMAR PETERSEN,
Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.

BY HJALMAR PETERSEN.
Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
Week of Jan. to Jan. ~
The fifth week of the special ses-
sion is drawing to close and one
word will sum up the accomplish
ments to date: Nothing. The pas
sage of the old age pension Dill Dy
the Senate is nothing to become en-
thusiastic about, in fact, it is mock
ery and an injustice, inadequate in
its provisions and restricted, in its
application. The fact that it received
a total of SO votes on final passage
is positively no indication of its pop
ularity. Honest and intelligent lead
ership by the majority should have
killed the bill rather than strip it OF
all it's provisions and then force its
passage with the votes Of reluctant
minority, who felt that they were In
duty bound, to enact some sort OF an
old age pension bill.
Those who voted against the bill
are to be congratulated for their far
sightedness and the explanation OF
their votes, as printed in the record,
justifies their action. The final vote
on the passage of the old age pension
bill was SO to 6. The six senators
who voted against the bill were Carr,
Mcleod, Mellon, Mullin, Wright and
Foslien.
Votes Explained.
Mullin explained his vote against
the bill by saying:
81 cannot vote for S. F. No. 143
because the bill first will not accom-
plish the ends or the aims OF those
who propose it; namely, old age as
SiStance.
Secondly, because of the lien pro-
vision inserted in this measure after
once having been stricken from the
bill by a majority of the Senate
Senator Mcleod, in voting NO on
the bill, saicc
Il am voting No on S. F. No. 143
because l regard the bill as mock
ery to the entire old age pension plan
and an insult to the honest hard
working people of this state who have
been unfortunate enough to reach the
age of 65 years and are in need"
Senator Carr's reason for voting
against the bill was more lengthy
but at the same time was singing
rebuke against the proposed bill,
which he claimed, offered nothing. He
said, in part:
1.-The federal so called social secur-
ity act . in my estimation is the
first recognition on the part of or
ganized society of it's responsibility
for the care of the victims OF our
modern industrial system
Our federal government finally
awoke to the crisis which we face,
and in passing this Act at last &C
knowledges the responsibility which is
ours. This Act requires that states
recognize their responsibility as CO
partner in the program of reaCSust-
ment. The eyes of the people of Min
nesota and especially those old peo-
pie who have worn themselves out
in the service of society and today
find themselves in the sunset OF life.
dependent in most cases through no
fault of their own. upon charity, that
the bare necessities of life may be
theirs. This condition is a challenge
to the intelligence of people in the
business and political life of our state
anC, country.
Nothing to Offer.
To-day, we are faced with the re-
sponsibility of casting our vote upon
a plan that is hoped to correct this
unfair social problem and do justice
to the people who have given SO much
in the past to contribute to the wealth
and security of our country.
What have we to offer in this bill?
Nothing! We propose to pay pen
sion Of $4,000 per month, then set up
certain exemptions that will bar from
benefits thousands of our old people
and instead of an honorable pension
as a reward of a lifetime of a duty
we'll and faithfully performed, we
offer a pittance, a charity dole .
I'm order to hasten adjournment
we are trying to push through this
bill, hoping that by the time we
again meet in session in January,
1887, that some solution of our prob
lem will have presented itself, either
by an act of God or a return to pros
perity which will never come so long
as selfishness and greed warp the
minds of men.
Because of this, because this bill
is an insult to the faithful builders
of society, 1 must vote No on this
bill. l do not care to be a party to
an action by the law-making body of
this state that would enact such
make-shift legislation and make our
old people objects of charity, as
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