Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-09-03


ident when your request came, so will
send it as my reply.
Congressman VIM. Lemke, now pres
idential candidate on the Union party
ticket, was serving on the National
Executive committee of the Non-Parti-
san League during four years l served
as state chairman and national COM
mitteeman from Kansas from 1917 to
1921. l attended all the meetings of
the national organization and became
acquainted with and priced very high
ly the ability and cooperation of Bill
Lemke," as we called him. | have
since followed his political activity
and appreciate his legislative efforts
and determinations in the interest of
the people.
The Frazier-Lemke Farm Refinanc-
ing bill, for which he has worked so
hard to make into law, if passed,
would have saved our 24O-acre farm
against mortgage foreclosure. You can
see that l have personal reasons for
liking Bill Lemke besides his general
principles. l do not believe that Fa-
Their Coughlin could have found a
stronger and more capable man for
his presidential candidate, but l am
just as certain that Lemke made a
grave mistake in entering the race as
he did
Let us not look to the coming presi-
Dental election only, but let us look
forward to the revolutionary ripen-
i'm IF
which we are fast speeding. That
day when, through natural economic
and competitive forces the captains of
industry will by the aid of technical
automatic power machinery produce
goods in abundance largely without
the aid of human toll. That day when
the human hand and brain of 40 mil
lions of the masses are not needed in
production just as 10 millions are not
needed today. That day when the 40
millions being denied access to farm
or factory and having no wages will
rise to take food. To claim their
right to share the earth and the
fruits thereof. Where, then, will the
political Messiahs, Lemke hackers,
lead their followers? to the right or to
the left?
| have before me yesterdays daily
from which l quote John Evans las
sociate Press Foreign Chief "Fas-
clsm is the nucleus of the right" in
Spain. Fascism there groups monar-
chists, advocates of a strong church
group of property owners and eco
M 10 1ncaanIo,k, 80
lords. The liberals are the left.
They include Communist, Socialist,
freethinkers, opposed to the church
power and the humanitarian" groups
that called for rule by the people, and
comfort and security for them.
These lines, ever more sharply
drawn between fascists and liberals,
whatever label they bear, increase
that tension of world in turmoil
Again l ask: Toward which side do
the political Messiahs backing Lemke
lean, or will lean, as the lines are
ever more sharply drawn? To the
right or to the left, towards Fascism
or towards liberalism?
l resigned as secretary of Father
Coughlin's local organization last
spring and withdrew from the organi-
cation because | came to believe he
was educating his readers unccn-
sciously towards Fascism by constant
ly condemning political groups known
to be most bitter against Fascism and
placed by John Evans on the side of
the liberals. Already the captains of
industry see the handwriting on the
wall, the breaking down of the price
system and are organizing their Fas-
cist forces in the United States pre-
paratory to forming a Fascist dicta-
tOrship. Progressive elements have
been working for several years to
federate the various national organi-
cations of progressive, radical, CO.
operative farmers and labor groups
into one large progressive political
movement resulting in the Farmer
Labor Political Federation with Hon.
Thomas R. Amlie, president; John
H. Bosch, vice president and Howard
Y. Williams national organizer. In
my opinion no greater work can be
done toward saving the nation from
Fascism than the work they are doing
together with the industrial organiza-
ton of the workers by John L. Lewis
and his non-partisan political move
ment if the farmers and workers will
lay aside their small prejudices and
look to the bigger issues and unite
for their own interests. There are but
few left to fight the battles of Fas-
cism for the industrial overlords,
thereby avoiding civil war as they are
now having in Spain.
l like Bill Lemke and I like his
past legislative work, but l cannot
afford to risk the danger of Fascism
by hindering the efforts of the Farm
er-Labor Political Federation by sup
porting the Coughlin-Lemke group,
unless the Farmer-Labor Political
Federation selects and runs a presi-
Dental candidate, l shall expect to
support Franklin D. Roosevelt for
president. l can not comply with
your request by filing the Union party
in Kansas.