Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-03-19
NOW AT THE
CROSSROADS

The Farmer-LabOr party OF the
State of Minnesota, has arrived at Il
crucial point in its history. The time
is here when the rank and file of the
party must take hold of the reins ard
eral movement with a fundamental
program looking toward the general
welfare of all the people.
A third political party in the state
or nation has no reason for existence
unless if is better than the ether two
parties that it aims to displace. Ii
the Republican party had maintained
the principles of the great Abraham
Lincoln, whom its leaders in the party
of today never fail to mention, and ii
the Democrats had followed the teach
ings of the great Thomas Jefferson,
whom the leaders of that party today
also laud so highly, there would be
little if any need for third party
now. But the fact remains that the
control of the conservative and reac-
tionary parties has been removed
from the rank and file membership
of those parties. Therein lies Tie
reason for the banding together Of
the common people. especially in the
state of Minnesota, in the formation
OF the Farmer-Labor party.
The first big victory of this COM
paratively new political movement
was in 1922 when Henrik Shipstead
was elected United States senator and
Knud Wefald was chosen congressman
from the Ninth district. AS time went
on more Farmer-Laborites went to
Washington and more and more sem
ators and representatives were elected
to the Minnesota Legislature, but at
no time has the total membership of
one-third Farmer-Labor.
In 1880 this new political party
elected its first governor in the person
of Floyd B. Olson. He was reelected
in 1882 and 1884. His winning per-
sonality and foresightedness has given
impetus to the movement With the
election of a Farmer-Labor governor
came the responsibility of political
patronage. That responsibility, which
has more or less caused the downfall
or corruption in conservative and re-
dictionary political parties, now ell
dangers the advancement of this new
liberal movement.
The Farmer-Labor, like any other
political party which rises to some
power, is besieged by bandwagon-
climbers and so-called dollar patriots.
All honor to the man or woman who
seeks work to gain a livelihood for
himself, or herself, and their depend
entS, but unfavorable reflection is
cast upon department heads and the
administration who use meal ticket
coercion-political PATRONS e-to have
subordinates do their political bid
ding.
The examples of corruption and
scandals in Tammany Hall, New York
city, are well known to those who
have followed American political his
tory. The danger of a little Tam
many now confronts the FarmerLa-
Dor party of Minnesota. Therefore
it is up to the well-meaning individual
members who have fought for years
to build up a sound and liberal move
ment to check the selfish motives OF
:-so-called leaders who have set them
selves up to dictate the activities OF
the party. Men and women who are
sincere of purpose and honest of hear.
land who have lent effort and given
freely of their time to build up q
movement that is by, for, and of the
people, are in many instances on The
outside.
There are cases of individuals who
half dozen years who now deem them
selves indispensable to the set-up
There are even individuals actively
supporting reactionaries who arr
busy-bOdies in the inner councils O
the Farmer-Labor party, men wht
have taken great interest in county
conventions and have engineere,
themselves in as delegates to the
state convention, while liberals wht
have served from 10 to 25 years ii
the movement are on the outside try
ing vainly to look in. 1t is, of course
apparent that the newly-converted lib
erals who have secured lucrative pc
sitions under the Farmer-Labor ad
ministration or remuneration in Othel
ways through their affiliation will
the organization, are performing such
stunts only for selfish reasons.
Even a few long time members O
the Farmer-Labor party have become