Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-04-21
SUGAR BETS


When one reads the lamenting re-
port about the undesirability, the loss
in the rutabaga raising industry, and
the poor prospects of any better re-
suits, should the farmer try raising
sugar beets as per A. P. Jensen's i'm
pressive letter in the March "a Amer
lean? 1t stirs up in ones mind, what
is it that burdens the farmer, the
first and most important businessman
in our whole social makeup?
This is matter of study of the
law of economics-a God given nat
ural law, just as logical as the law
of mathematics, chemistry or grav-
ity. We obey these latter, so farm
ers' demand of your school teaching
forces that they get the truth of this
most vital problem effecting our
whole social relationship If bust
neSsmen in the towns and cities would
apply their minds just little each
day to this now most pressing need,
namely, justice in our budgeting sys-
tenn, and have law put into our
statutes for Government to collect
its rent, that is site value charge for
services it renders, a value that runs
up into the millions in the big cities,
this done, all taxes could then be
taken off of all labor products and
the farmer for the first time in his
most useful life, be given a square
deal and not, as now, "made the
goat" AS it is now, he has to pay
all taxes of merchant and manu-
facturer with interest and a profit
added on everything he buys, but he
can not, as they do, add his taxes
onto what he has to sell, and is forced
to feed more hogs or milk more COWS
in order to meet the increasing tax
(robbery) system.
The American people have been
fleeced out of millions of dollars on
account of special benefits in So
called protective tariff laws for the
sugar interests, but the farmer ''got
it in the pants" not as coin into his
pocket, but chance to wear out his
overalls in struggling and scheming
to produce more goods, to meet his
overhead. Some SO years ago or less
special privileges were given to firm
to start beet sugar factory at Hop
kins, Mimi, and farmers were in
duced, given an attractive offer to
start raising sugar beets. But alas,
in about the third year the stuff was
all off, it did not pay the farmers
at all. So I would suggest you try
and get in communication with pro-
per authority on that phase of the
industry.
Farmers have most of their values
in labor products, buildings, livestock,
machinery, clearing, draining, fenc-
ing, etc. All should be free of taxes,
and the only (moraD government
charge on him should be rent as on
wild land. Then and only then will
he get square deal, and more, his
children will then not be, as now,
robbed of their birthright, namely
their natural, God given right in equal
opportunity to the sources of natures
storehouse, the earth, without, as
now, having to pay someone for the
privilege of working, and besides that,
work to help pay the shameful debt
our foolish lawmakers have saddled
onto their backs
So get wise to the economic law and
be protected against the often i'm
proper advice of chambers of COM
merce and the "slickerisms" of farm
bureau. Right rule and justice is the
only way to benefit farmer, merchant,
banker, worker, artist and scholar
EMIL KNIPS.
Fairhope, Ala.