Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-11-18
argeAskovHall
W ell Filled AS
Petersen Talks
Armistice Day Program
Sponsored by Legion is
One of Best on Record.

Speaking to a home town audience
for the first time since he was elected
Lieutenant Governor in the fall of
1884, Hjalmar Petersen, now chair
man of the Railroad and Warehouse
Commission and former Governor of
the state, recalled events of 19 years
ago when folks in the ASkov COM
munity jubilantly celebrated the end
ing of the World war. Mr.. Petersen
spoke Thursday night in the D. B. S.
hall at the Armistice day program
sponsored by the Jens H. Jensen
American Legion Post and Auxiliary
of Askov.
The speaker stated that on the
evening of November IL, 1918, the
Askov band, of which he was then
director, marched up and down the
street and with hundreds of other
citizens made merry and danced
around big bonfire on Main street.
Everybody was happy that the world
conflict had come to an end, though
folks fully realized the solemnity of
the occasion. Mr.. Petersen recalled
that the Askov community had about
country but fortunately lost but one
soldier, the man after whom the local
post was named.
The speaker went on to talk about
some of the points in the 1888 pro-
gram of the American Legion as
adopted at the recent New York ma
tional convention, dwelling especially
on a neutrality policy for America,
supplemented by determination to
promote good will on earth and COM
bat propaganda of international hate.
He said that Americans do not go
to war because they hate the indi-
vidual Germans, French, English,
ScandinavianS, Poles, Italians Czecho-
Slovakians, or the individuals of any
other country; therefore, all can unite
with the Legion in combating propa-
ganda of international hate.
The speaker reminded his audience
that Woodrow Wilson was elected to
his second term as President of the
United States on the slogan, she kept
us out of war" However, a few
months after that election we fol-
brought about by British propaganda,
Sentimentalism, and desire for more
profits on the part of munition max
ers, millionaires and multi-million-
aires. Since the human slaughter of
the years between 1914 and 1918,
many of these things have come to
light.
FavOrs Reciprocal Trade.
The former Governor said that
real aids in keeping us out of war are
reciprocal trade agreements with 9TH
er nations. The country which is
first to establish tariff walls is the
financial gamer for a time, but in
the long run this nation or any other
nation cannot expect to trade on I'M
equal basis with other countries, eSpe-
cially countries populated with people
of the same type as in America, folks
who have the same hopes, aspirations
and ideals, and countries whose sons
and daughters have pioneered and
built America. Reciprocal trade
agreements may work out adversely
to certain sections of the country
during the adjustment period, but in
the long run make for better under
standing, international cooperation
and good will. 1t is sound program
which will make for more commerce
and we should have free flow of trade
With more buying there will be more
selling.
In order to get away from war, ma
tons must abandon narrow national
istic policies. There has been alto
gether too much effort toward walling
up each country in the name of self
Sufficiency. The Hawley-Smoot tar
Tiff act of a few years ago did not
make for good will on the part of
other countries toward America. I'M
mediately after that high tariff was
enacted into legislation, many other
countries set out to do likewise, in
Guiding countries that had little or
no tariff walls prior to that time.
Mr.. Petersen commended Cordell
Hull, Secretary of State, for the good
work he is doing for America with
reciprocal trade agreements, the low
ering of tariff walls between this and
other countries with whom we trade.
1t was also brought out in his talk
that of all our trade and commerce,
nearly 10 per cent is foreign. That
should be encouraged and increased.
The speaker dwelt upon the defense
of basic American rights, particularly
personal liberty, embodied in the
Legion 1888 program. That, in short,
he said, is bringing up the funda-
mental laws of our nation, rights
that were fought for and strictly adj
hered to by the statesmen who were
the founders of our country, the au-
thors and signers of the Declaration