Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-02-11
COMMENTS ON HOIBERG SPEECH

Editor Askov Americans:
Superintendent Hoiberg made good
speech on the subject, Something
Wrong" He made it plain that pee
pie are in need on account of the rich
taking as profit that which should
be used to buy the things they need.
lie said, the things we have to solve
Is how we can get more purchasing
power for the masses. He mentioned
several suggestions which have been
made but find difficulties with all OF
them, and so do |. The first he men
toned is share the wealth." That |
consider the most foolish of them ALL
For one thing it would be impossible
to get it done, and after it was done,
If it could be done, it would be only
short time until another division
would be needed, when the same or
der of society would be kept up.
The second that he mentioned is
taxes to solve redistribution. That |
will pass by now and take up later.
The third is to keep wages up, and
Il minimum wage limit. That will
net solve the problem as idleness will
Keep on the same if not worse. As a
conclusion he came with cooperation.
/ can not see how to keep profiteers
out except by communism, and peor lie
are not ripe for that. Then he comes
with the opinion that natural re-
sources should belong to the people
as whole. To that l say yes, but the
IS hot do
could that be obtained when small
percentage of the people are the own
ers of nearly all the wealth? PEOPLE
as whole are not able to buy and pay
for the natural resources. And talk
about cOntscating, no! no! that would
be too red. That would not work i'm
the U. S.
The very important problem is to
make everybody sure of a good living.
AS long as willing workers and good
machines can produce much more
than needed, so that must be solved.
so far, there have been used only
patchwork on the old system, and that
is so rotten that it can not hold the
patches. Tax the poor peoples living
expenses by tariff license and sales
taxes, and for the balance borrow
money from the rich profiteers for all
kinds of relief is not reform but patch
work. Some persons are having an
income enough for several families TO
live on and that has gone so high
that one had an income of $15,000,000
in the year 1929, and it is estimated
that $500 a year is the average in
come of worker. At that rate it
was to take the living away from 49,,
$50 families by that one person alone
All the different profits from said
81 s, 100000 and down to what is need
ed for living and upkeep of things,
have been taken away from the pur
chasing power. How can the products
then be sold and business be kept up?
l will go back to taxes to solve re-
distribution. Mr.. Hoiberg said: Then
too, some would recommend taxes to
solve redistribution. But there are
also difficulties to that program, for
it would not go back far enough. That
was an easy way to get away from the
problem. The kind of difficulties
must be: AS long as we elect greedy
prOfiteers and their hirelings to make
laws for us, we can not get such laws
that will take all indirect taxes off
living. and let it be paid out of net
cash incomes.
Let the rich keep all that they
have, but tax all incomes down to
what is needed for living and upkeep,
then that will give a living to the
others.