Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-07-27

OTA
Roosevelt that he could not hope to
get action at this time on a neutrality
bill that would give him the power to
favor certain belligerent nations at
the expense of other belligerents
Leader McNary and Senator Borah
pointedly told him that in their opin-
ion what he asked for would newt
ably drag us into the next war. Vice
President Garner frankly informed
the President that he did not have
enough votes to put it over, to which
the President replied that, "the re-
sponsibility for not enacting neutral
| ity legislation would have to rest on
the Senate" "Of course the respon-
sibility is on the Senate" Borah is
quoted as having replied. "Where
else could it rest? 1t is perfectly
proper that it should be there. We
are not operating under Hitler
The President announced that he
will call a special session of Congress
to consider neutrality legislation in
the event crisis should arise in
Europe or Asia. That is as it should
be. Under the Constitution the Con-
gress is charged with formulating our
foreign policy. 1t is the Presidents
duty to carry that policy into effect
If crisis arises Congress should be
| in session.
Colleagues inform me that they re-
ceived more letters from constituents
with reference to the neutrality ques-
ton than on any measure that has
been before Congress in the past two
years. On the other hand, l received
very few letters, no doubt due to the
fact that l have fully explained my
position on neutrality in my weekly
letters and the folks back home knew
exactly where 1 Stood
The Lending Spending Bill.
Ere this letter appears in print the
Senate will probably have disposed
of the Presidents $2,800,0O0,0OO lend
ling program. AS reported by the
committee the amount was reduced
to So ,4O0,000,0O0. Provision has been
written into the bill to prohibit gov
eminent competition with private
business. The measure provides that
none of the money shall be used for
building, establishing any business or
enterprise which is or will be in sub
stantial competition with any exist
ing private enterprise. Loans for hos
pitfalls are exempted. The measure
will probably have hard Shedding in
the House where the members are
rapidly becoming economy minded.
The Silver Sellout.
On the monetary issue the President
won debatable victory. Administra-
ton leaders in the Senate finally sue
ceeded in securing approval of the
conference report, restoring his power
to devalue the dollar to SO percent
of its pre-new deal gold content for
another two years, and continued the
sterilization fund.-
But the entire controversy was
vitiated by pitiable surrender, first
of one side and then the other, to the
demands of the silver bloc, which
enabled that bloc to obtain legal
price of II cents an ounce for domes-
ticated silver, at time when the
commodity brings only about half that
amount in the world market.
This sellout to the silverites has
marked the entire history of the pres
ent Administrators monetary legis-
lation. First, the silver bloc forced
the President to buy all American
silver at an artificial price which fur
niShed them a substantial subsidy
They they compelled the treasury to
buy foreign silver until its silver
holdings should equal one-third of
the value of its gold
Under this program the government
has spent more than $1,0O0,O0O, 600
for useless commodity and paid a
huge sum in subsidies to the silver
interests. Now as the result of an
other sellout the silverites have Sc
cured fixed price for domestic silver
which adds six and one-half cents an
ounce to the subsidy previously re-
ceived
Calls Refugee Conference.
President Roosevelt, in a new eff
fort to solve the European refugee
problem, last Thursday invited Of
ficials of the ntergovernmental Com
mittee on Refugees to meet with him
in two-day conference at the White
House the first week in September
At this conference it is hoped to find
permanent homes for the refugees
of Germany, who number about 7OO,-
900, according to my information. A
place must be found for these poor
unfortunates. Under the agreement
between Great Britain and the Arab
ians in the Holy Land immigrants