Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-09-21
AGAINST PROFIT SYSTEM

AGAINST PROFIT SYSTEM
Editor Askov American:
I have to the best of my ability
studied the opinions of Lewis o. An
derson and Charles D. Egley, and ar
rived at the conclusion that Ander-
son did his best to explain that it is
the best for the producing class that
they by the profit system are
sucked" by the profteers.
I find that Egley is unreasonable
After Anderson has declared that he
is in favor of the profit system, Egley
then says as follows:
eff Mr.. Anderson can show me
how that spread between income and
outgo for the producing class can be
narrowed to the point where our
wealth producers can buy back as
much as they produce, thereby elm
mating SURPRISES, thereby making
the wealth which we now can pro-
duce available to all the people, with
out squeezing out profit, I shall be
an attentive listener to his plan"
It is for others to make that plan
when Anderson don't want a plan
to that effect. It is plain that great
majority of the people are satisfied to
be skinned by the profteers as they
keep on voting for it after they
are well aware of the fact that they
are being skinned all the time. We
viii go back to the time the Repub-
licans came into power. That was
about the time of the Civil war. After
that time they had the run of the
whole thing. The Democrats elected
a president a few times but no altera-
tons of government were done by
that. The profit system has been in
operation during all that time, with
the result that when the panic started
five percent of the people had taken
in profit 80 percent of the wealth
so there was left only 10 percent
of the wealth for the 95 percent OF
the people who had produced it all
but there is no reason to grumble
about that, as the profit system is
according to the Constitution of the
United States. But there is another
thing to grumble about The profit
system should be made harmless by
an income tax; for the purpose Of
such we have the 10th amendment tt
the Constitution of the United States
The producing class is in many cases
taxed above ability to pay, but the
rich class is not taxed up to ability
to pay. My reform plan is, let every
body be taxed to full ability when
ever there is need of it.
When a poor person goes with 6
dollar to buy goods and needs a dol
lars worth, but has to pay big
part of the dollar in indirect tax or
the goods, and another big part Of
it to make a big profit for the gam
blers between the producer and the
consumer, then the consumer is taxed
above ability to pay. "a reasonable
pay for handling the goods must be
paid). The rich people do not fee
such little thing. I say: Take all
indirect taxes off the goods and lei
them be paid out of net cash in
come. The money is always there
If there is no income then there are
no taxes.
Our Congressman, Harold Knutson
has once in letter to me admitted
that to be the only honest taxation
Old age assistance and all relief
for idle workers should be paid out
of Federal income tax instead OF
the government borrowing money
from the rich profteers for it. That
can be done, as it would be in con-
formity with the 10th amendment to
the Constitution of the United States
Let the rich people stay as rich as
they are, there will be no harm in
that, and they will not feel to pay
the tax when it is only on net cash
income, but they will have no money
to loan to the United States when
they pay it to the government in
taxes. That would fill up the spread
between income and outgo as Mr.
Egley asks Mr. Anderson to show tc
him.
There is nothing Red in my opin-
ions as it is all in conformity with
the Constitution of the United States
but in my opinion there is too much
black in the opinion of such people
who can vote for the profit system
as it has been and is practiced
which they should know has resulted
in that S percent of the people at the
time the panic started, were the own.
ers of 80 percent of the wealth ir
the United States. Millions of peo-
pie should be in need on account
of there being too much of every
thing which they needed, so lot
of it should be destroyed and less
produced in the future. The only
trouble was there was no buying
power because the profiteers hao
taken it in form of profit. In the
year 1929 there were 500 persons
who each had an income of $1,000
600, or more up to $15,O00,000, blu,
Mr.. Anderson may think that was
right. Where such profits exist, 9TH
ers are bound to be poor in proper
ton.
Il If I am wrong I wish Mr.. Ander-