Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-12-23
SAVE DEMOCRACY

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Carl E. Davidson's article in the
December 16 issue of the Askov
American shows an almost unbeliev-
able confusion of true and false state
ments. He writes, accumulation of
wealth makes want and poverty;
Communism is born of want"
agree that the result of poverty will
be the awakening of the people and
l also believe this awakening will
result in Communism, for the SIM
pie reason that it is the only escape
from slavery for the masses. But
in this statement he admits Com
munism to be a mass movement of
the poor against the few rich, which
is just what we claim it to be.
'FasciSm springs up to oppose
Communism" is his next statement;
this is also partly true, but we should
also give Fascism a birth certificate
Fascism is the last stage of Capital
ism; the natural outcome of the
conditions of poverty brought about
by the concentration of wealth. When
the masses begin to challenge ex-
listing laws which compel them to
Starve, and the Capitalists begin to
enforce those unjust laws by vio-
lence and terror, trying to stifle the
cry for bread in a bath of blood.
Where, my friend, do you stand in
this battle, on the side of the rich
or the poor? Should we rely upon
the wisdom of the best minds of
the rich or on the wisdom of the
best minds of the working class to
adjust the laws of the land to the
changed conditions?
Let us turn our nose away from
the Longs, Coughlins and other mis-
leaders who are leading toward the
goal of the rich, to rule by force
(Fascism) lest their sinking DEM
agogism affect our common sense of
direction.
1 wonder if Mr.. Davidson knows
the principle on which Communism
is based? If not, would advise
him to find out before he again
spreads his transformation on the
pages of the newspapers, unless he
intends to deliberately mislead the
readers for the benefit of the rich.
We have now with the mass in
PRODUCTION of machines reached a
stage in Capitalism where we actually
produce collectively, and Commun-
ism proposes simply a system by
which we also can consume those pro-
ducts collectively, instead of starv-
ing amidst plenty. There is no neces-
sity of scrapping democracy, but it
will be necessary to scrape the I'M
democratic features of our democ-
racy; namely, concentrated wealth
and the conditions leading to Fas-
cism or the totalitarian state. This
will and already has challenged the
best minds of the rich to a battle
against the best minds of the poor
and every one would do well to
study what the best minds of the
working class (the Communists) be-
lieve should be done to save democ-
racy.
Communism is based upon an in
tensive study of history, social eco
nomics and science, and has moth
ing in common with the filth so
wildly described by Mr.. Davidson.
1t is precisely when the people find
out the truth of those statements that
they flock to our party, and this
process does not have to take place
in a creeping, Sinking or sneaking
way, because the Communist party
is legal political party. Mr.. David
sons ''red batting is direct attempt
to make it illegal and should be
identified as such. Furthermore it
strikes me as curious that he devotes
so much space to what he calls the
serpent of Communism and so little
to the monster of Fascism, and I
hope to see him treat them on an
equal basis in his next article In
the meantime 1 will be Sinking
around the alleys of Askov, trying
to attend to my work and other ac-
tivities, almost the same as human
being.
LARS P. JENSEN.
Askov, MINI.