Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-11-11
State Capitol News
Arnistice day, 1887.
BY A. I. HARRIS

Armistice day, 1887.
It is now nineteen years since
hostilities in the big war came to a
close the war to end all war.
What do we find?
The world is an armed camp.
Little world wars are raging in Spain
and in the Orient Each country
has observers at the front reporting
on the efficiency of new weapons
of destruction What type of pursuit
plane is most effective? How thor
ough a job in wiping out an entire
civilian population can the bombers
do? How useful are the tanks and
can they be stopped with the new
anti-tank guns? How effective are
the giant shells, bombs, the improved
hand grenadeS? These are the things
that interest them.
And why? Because they all ex-
pect another world war-maybe this
year-maybe next year-but one rel
atively soon.
We witnessed a motion picture the
other night which Sickened us. 1t
was enough to make one despair.
1t showed small boys, ten, eleven,
twelve years old, in a fascist coun-
try They were not playing like chill
dren should play. They were wear
ing gas masks, carrying wooden rifles,
charging through a gas barrage in
a real war game. Giving the kids
a taste" of war. In a few years
many of them may be reclining peace
fully in the bosom of mother earth,
with small, wooden crosses to mark
their final resting places.
No one will today dispute the fact
that the war to end all war was dis
NAL failure Those who gathered
around the peace tables at Versailles
were filled with rancor, bitterness,
hatred The victorS were not inter-
ested in peace but in spoils. And
they were out for revenge. They
thought nothing of humiliating a
lessons of history. Versailles sowed
the wind and we are about to reap
the whirlwind.
The writer, it happens, refused to
be carried away by the hysteria which
followed the declaration of the war
against Germany. He believed in a
peace between equals and not be-
tween victor and vanquished. For
that he was branded a pro-German.
The Department of Justice sent agents
to shadow him. They rifled his
baggage in the hope of finding evil
dence to prove that he was a German
spy.
This view (and there were many
who held it) has been indicated.
Who will challenge the statement
that had equals met at the Versailles
peace table and arranged a peace
based on justice and understanding
the world today would be pursuing
the arts of peace instead of feverish-
ly preparing for the wholesale slaugh-
ter which they know is coming?
Human beings are strange things,
after all. The Republicans of this
state for years having been shouting
economy" at the liberals (although
they themselves did not know the
meaning of the word while in office)
and now that Governor Benson is
consolidating positions and abolish
ing others and calling in automobiles
which he feels are needless expense,
they are shouting politics"
Nevertheless, the Governors reor-
ganization program already has re-
suited in a savings to the state of
some $4,000 yearly and further
economies in the administration of
the state government are expected
shortly. Perhaps what the Repub-
Hcans mean when they shout poll
ties at Governor Benson's efforts
to achieve greater efficiency and
economy is that efficiency and econ
omy are the best forms of politics.
If so, we have no quarrel with them.
Enemies of labor have frequently
complained about the increased pay
of the American working man during
the past year as the result of trade
union activities, even though this
increase has trailed by a good mar
gin increase in living costs Now
comes the United States Department
of Labor with statistics showing that
while workers pay has increased only
eight per cent between 1885 and 1886,
salaries of top executives have in
creased Is per cent. Poor William
Randolph is drawing trifling half
million yearly in salary, while those
of Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., and w. S.
Knudson, General Motors officials, do
considerably better. Yet these are
the fellows who complain about the
workers "fat envelopes!"
With farm prices slumping steadily
Congress faces serious agricultural
crisis when it meets in sepcial session
on November Is The seriousness