Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-01-25

representative government in Europe
is fighting with its back again the
wall. Russian triumph in Finland
can only mean the imposition of Com
munism on every democratic coun-
try over there. 1t has taken man.
kind thousands of years, at tremen-
dous cost in blood and treasure, to
attain political freedom. Finland is
fighting for the preservation of dem
ocratic government. Surely, 60 mil
lion dollars would be a small contri-
button on our part toward the preser-
walton of Christian democratic gov
eminent, as against ruthless autoc-
racy whose bloody hands threaten the
extinction of personal freedom in a
war-torn continent.
The Presidents proposal contem-
plates that the money advanced to
Finland shall be spent in this coun-
try l have not heard the question
raised that the loan would be poor
risk. We all know Finland's reputa-
ton for paying her debts, and it
would seem to me that this should
count heavily in her favor in her hour
of need. To me it looks like good
investment from whatever angle
viewed.
Country's Future Bright.
One day last week Dr. Harold c.
Moulton, president of the Brookings
Institution, told Washington gath
ering that there is no reason to be-
lieve that this country has already
attained full economic. development
Said he:
at is abundantly evident that our
economic system has not yet de-
veloped to point where it can pro-
vide the great masses of the Amer
lean people satisfactory minimum
standards of living, let alone the re-
quirements for the good life.
with a rate of economic advance
ment equal to that prevailing dur
ing the great period of expansion
from 1900 to 1880 it would take until
the year 1000 simply to double the
existing standard of living"
Dr. Moulton, who is recognized as
one of the country's soundest econ
omists, is absolutely right We have
come far in the last so years and
today man with an ordinary in
come enjoys much higher standard
of living than did the richest so or so
years ago. Everything indicates that
a much more rapid raising of living
conditions will be witnessed in the
next so years. All about us we can
see constant improvements along that
line, also great need.
Takes President at Word.
In his last appearance before Con-
gress the President challenged us to
find new ways for reducing the ex-
penses of government. The House
Appropriations committee accepted
Mr.. Roosevelt's challenge to take the
responsibility for reducing the rock
bottom figures of his 1941 budget and
slashed $94 ,492, 166 from his budget
estimate of S1,194, 704,473 for the
independent offices asked by him.
Among the cuts made was one for
2 million, 1870 thousand dollars on
the appropriation for the White
House; another of rs million in the
200 million dollars that Mr.. Roose-
welt asked for the Maritime Com
missions ship construction program.
When the reduced bill came before
the House last week that body sus-
tanned every cut and made couple
of additional reductions on its own
hook
Congress is beginning to realize
that we cannot continue going in
the red to the tune of several bill
lion dollars each year without ulti-
mately bankrupting the country. AS
a matter of fact, the slashing process
should have been put into operation