Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-05-04

"purged" by the -
President last fall
because he refused to be rubber
stamp. Mr.. O'Connor suggested that
if we must get into another war
we should at least ask England and
France to pay what they owe us
from the last war so we can start
the new war with clean slate. They
have not paid us cent for seven
Uncle Sam enough money to pay off
every farm mortgage in the coun-
try. They tell us they cannot pay
anything on the debt but I noticed
the other day that one of them had let
China have $25 100000 and Turkey
an equal amount. 1t is quite generally
agreed that we will have to finance
the next war if we get into it; but
with a wide ocean on each side of us
there need be no next war for us.
Our Increasing Load.
In the discussion of the confer
ence report of the Treasury-Post Of
flee appropriation bill for 1910, Rep
resentative Dirksen of Illinois brought
out some interesting figures pertain
ing to the debt load of the republic
and the alarming rate at which it is
increasing.
| At the close of the Civil war the
national debt was but two and two
thirds billions and the interest charge
was slightly over $34, 100000. In 1914
the interest charge of what we owed
was about $23,OOO,OOO. Twenty-Five
years later, in 1899, it had reached
the astronomical sum of 81 200, 100000
and for 1910 it will be $1,O50,0 100000
which is about what it cost to run
the entire government when I first
came to Congress.
Mr.. Dirksen showed that the money
we now pay out in interest on the
comfortable cottages costing $4,000
each. In the past six years we have
paid out 81 OOO,0OO,OOO in interest for
which sum we could have built
2,35O,000 comfortable homes for that
many families.
There is no doubt but what we
will reach the $45,OOO,OOO,O debt
limit fixed by law within the next
18 months. Then it will be neces-
sary for Congress to raise the ante.
We may not know where we are
going but we are all painfully aware
of the fact that we are on our way.
Thinking in Circles.
have before me copy of speech
delivered recently by L. R. Edminster,
special assistant to the Secretary of
State, before the League of Women
Voters in Chicago, which contains
some remarkable observations on the
question of protection. He points
out that of the 100000 persons
gainfully employed in the United
States nearly one-half are in the serv-
ice industry, such as transportation,
wholesale and retail trade, public
utilities, hotels, professional services,
ETC., and therefore are not affected
either way by tariffs. Mr.. Edmin-
ster's attention should be called to
the fact that the 25,000,000 engaged
in service industries are dependent
upon the other 25,O00,0O0 for their
livelihood and as these are directly
dependent upon the tariff for secur-
ity it follows that all 100000
have the same interest. Mr.. Ed
minister failed to acquaint his audi
ence with the fact that we import
enormous quantities of products that
we cannot produce at home, such
as coffee, tea, spices, rubber, chro-
MUM and other items, the total of
which runs into hundreds of millions
of dollars. He also might have called
their attention to the fact that sixty
odd percent of all items mentioned
in the tariff law are on the free list.
Someone should call Mr.. administers
attention to the testimony recently
given by Governor Winship of Puerto
Rico, and DR.. Gruening, Chief of the
Insular Bureau. AS both of these
gentlemen were appointed by Presi-
dent Roosevelt, assume they are
friendly to the New Deal. Here is
a portion of DR.. Gruening's testimony:
"Mr. Knutson: Let me ask you this:
Have any of the reciprocal trade
agreements we have made been felt in
Puerto Rico?
CDR. Gruening: Yes, sir; they have
"Mr. Knutson: Which one?
CDR. Gruening: The Cuban treaty
in particular; the British treaty and
the Swiss treaty.
"Mr. Knutson. I would be glad if
you will give us few details.
CDR. Gruening: Puerto Rico had