The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1939-02-09
Observations
from, Washington
A Genuine War Scare
BY CONGRESSMAN KnutSO,

A Genuine War Scare
When the news came out Of
Washington last week that the
President had called the Military
Affairs Committee of the Senate to
the White House for a secret con-
ference, following which it leaked
out that he had informed the SEN
ators Of his pledge of support to
Britain and France in case of war,
it aroused apprehension throughout
the length and breadth of the land.
The President is impulsive, and
often generous with his impulses.
In common with the rest of us he
detests relationships but he would
go much farther in showing his dis
approval than the average man on
the street is willing to go in saving
the democracies of Europe.
We went over there % years ago
to make the world safe for demo-
cracy and it will take us 100 years
to pay the cost of that expedition,
not to mention the loss of life,
which is irreparable. What the
democracies have in the way of
territorial possessions was acquir-
ed by force. If the dictators should
develop enough strength to take
over portion, or all of the democ-
racies' outside holdings by force it
would be unfortunate but I do not
see that we would be justified in
bankrupting this country in order
to help them hold on to what they
now have.
do not want to be repetitious
but again would like to emphasize
that with IL million out of work,
with over million families on re-
lief, agriculture stagnant, and in
dustry gasping for breath, it would
seem that we have sufficient troub-
les at home to require our full at
tention. With thousand miles Of
ocean on each side of us I cannot
see any danger to our country from
abroad. Our dangers are right in
! our own midst.
| The President has no legal right
to pledge support to any foreign
country, as he did to Canada last
fall, and more recently to England
and France. We have a neutral
ity law that prohibits traffic in
munitions and other war material
in time of war. Would he violate
that law? Only Congress can de-
clare war. Would he take over that
power to himself? President Roose-
welt must be made to understand
that THIS is YET A DEMOC-
RACY.
May Bolster Egg Market
One day last week I called up the
poultry division of the Agricultural
Adjustment Administration to find
out what, if anything, was being
done to help the egg market. I
was told that conference had been
held the day before in Cleveland
by government representatives.
poultrymen, commission merchants
and others. At this conference it
was tentatively agreed that the gov
eminent would step in and buy a
sufficient quantity of eggs for re-
lief distribution to bolster up the
market. I am not able to give any
definite details about it because the
government Representatives had not
returned to Washington when this
was written. I will attempt to get
full particulars for my next letter.
Department officials tell me that
egg production the past several
months has been unusually heavy,
which accounts for the depressed
prices. That may be true in part
in view of the fact that all agri-
cultural commodities are badly de-
pressed I can only conclude that
much of our present day trouble is
due to construction of buying power.
Horse Collar Factory Closes
Several days ago saw an inter-
esting item in daily paper which
announced that a pioneer Madison
(Wisconsin) manufacturer had
gone out of business because the
horse collar business isn't what it
used to be. At one time the con-
/ Germ was the largest manufacturer
of horse collars, pads and caps in
the country. They were compelled
to discontinue business because the
demand for their products has al
most ceased.
There is no question in my mind
but that the present dislocation in
agricultural products is in a large
measure due to the automobile,
truck and tractor, which has de-
stroyed the market for rs or 80 mil
lion acres that were formerly de-
voted to the growing of forage and
feed for horses, and as the use of
motor vehicles increased the troub-
les of the farmer correspondingly
increased.
This being the situation, we must
find another market for the pro-
ducts from this acreage. A part OF
tha slack collld he taken I'D If we