Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-07-22
State Capitol News
BY A. I. HARRIS

When Governor Benson said last
week, after his two-day study of the
new income tax bill sent him by
the Legislature, that mo self-respect-
ing liberal governor could affiX his
signature" to it, much more than the
indignation of an honest progressive
was revealed. The Governor knew,
as everybody at the Capitol was
coming to know, that the Senate was
deliberately continuing its work OF
sabotage of the House program in its
efforts to protect, as it has always
done, the special interests and trusts.
1t is we'll to recall that last fall
Republican campaignerS promised the
state tax program based on ability
to pay. These, in fact, were the
identical words contained in the Re-
publican state platform. Liberals at
that time pointed out how false these
promises sounded, but it has remained
for the Legislative session to prove
the correctness of that contention.
The Republican-domin Senate,
true to its colors, continues to legis-
late in favor of wealth and against
the interests of the common people.
The income tax bill is proof of it.
A ruling by Attorney General Err
vim invokes the new teachers tenure
law to prove that proposed clause
in the contracts of teachers in the
public schools at International Falls
is invalid.
This clause gives both school board
and teachers the right to terminate
teaching services upon 80 days writ
ten notice. However, according to
Chapter 161, Laws of 1887, teachers
services must end at the close of
the school year only and then either
in the event of the teachers own
resignation or her removal by ma
jority vote of the full membership
of the school board.
The Farmers Holiday Association
is again coming TO the fore in an Or
ganiZation drive of the whole dust
bowl. Western North Dakota and
Montana where crops are seriously
impaired by the drouth will be the
scene of the first drive. Organizers
will then move to stricken regions
in Nebraska, Kansas. Oklahoma and
Colorado.
The situation in the dust bowl is
almost unbelievable" Dale Kramer,
national secretary, said in announc-
no lri,-a
for crop, not even forage. We ex-
pect to continue the movement of hay
to drouth-stricken areas and will push
for an adequate drouth relief pro-
gram
He pointed out that in sections
where good crop is expected as in
Minnesota, farmers will have a fight
on their hands to protect themselves
from a swarm of collectors who will
try to cash in on the profits.
The national crop control bill, in
troduced earlier in the session but
considered dead, was resurrected last
week by President Roosevelt who
sent special messages to both houses
of Congress, urging its immediate
passage. The bill was originally
brought forward some months ago
by the Farm Bureau. It was under
stood to have the backing of the de-
partment of agriculture and contained
some of Secretary Wallace's pet ideas,
including the ''ever-normal granary"
plan.
The bill makes provisions for stor-
ing surplus grain ia event markets
became overloaded to the point where
prices sagged. 1t enforces compul-
sorry crop control in case of an over
supply of grain.
Debts of 27,943 farmers have been
scaled down S46,442,219 in the 81
months ended May 81, according to
announcement by the Resettlement
Administration. Voluntary farm debt
committees serve as mediators be-
tween overburdened farm debtors and
their creditors and suggest arrange
ments that will permit the debtor
to retain his land and possessions,
furnish basis for his economic re-
Mobilization and be fair to his cred
itors, the Resettlement Administra-
ton said. Because the committees
have no power to enforce their de-
cisions, it is becoming increasingly
hard for farmers to secure adjust
ments.
The vote, $50 to go, overriding
President Roosevelt's veto of con-
tinued low interest rates on farm