Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-08-29
More Serenity


No political party is perfect and
the Farmer-Labor party does not
claim perfection. However, in the
main, it has done much good for Min
nesota. 1t is very doubtful if we
would have had net income tax on
individuals and corporations yet, had
it not been for the Farmer-Labor
party.
The opportunity for such tax,
based on ability to pay, has been here
since 1906 when the constitution was
amended. But, the income tax, aid
ing the public schools, was not made
law until progressives had majority
in the House of Representatives in
the 1888 session, and when we had
Farmer-Labor governor, the late
Floyd B. Olson. The mortgage mora
forum, homestead preferential act,
lower minimum auto license fees, I'M
employment insurance, and other
meritorious legislation, was brought
about through advocacy and work on
the part of Farmer-Laborites
The daily newspapers in the Twin
Cities, especially, have been building
a halo around the present youthful
governor the past two years. They
have defended and upheld him at
every turn. And, if one were to be-
ieve all the propaganda in the news
columns and editorials he would think
that we had state administration so
pure and so noble that there could
be no fault to find.
The Legislative Investigating COM
mittee did its little part in the at
tempt to create such impression.
Working with the administration, it
did its best to smear the two remain
ing Farmer-Labor elected officials and
the party as whole. But, when in
November it was asked to look into
all departments of state, it soon folded
up. The Investigating committee was
not set up to really investigate and
correct evils wherever found 1t was
set up, at public expense, as smear
ing committee and did its best along
that line until its game was made
publicly known.
Speaking before a picnic at Snail
Lake, just north of Saint Paul, on
Sunday, August 25, Hjalmar Petersen,
during the course of his fifty minute
talk, made the following statement:
Instead of flying to Indiana and
Oregon to help notify Willkie and Nc
Nary of that which they already
know, it is time the governor of this
state stay home long enough to tell
the people of Minnesota what they
don't know, but should know about
the graft and corruption in the hand
ling of the Anoka tornado fund by
his own appointees.
There has been forgery, embezzle-
ment, and the grossest mishandling
of the funds by Governor Stassen's
appointees. Months ago the Anoka
county auditor notified Mr.. Langlais,
public examiner of the state, of the
forgery committed by one of the
governors employees in the handling
of this fund. But, nothing was done
until they found out that we knew
about this scandal. Now, they have
arrested one individual.
"Where did the money come from
to cover up the amounts lost by the
forgeries? What about the excessive
amounts of money handed out in
several instances to prominent Re-
publican politicians who had suffered
some losses in the tornado, to the
neglect of others who had suffered
more, but were not so politically
prominent?
"Where is Mr.. Ray Chase who likes
to write against the Farmer-Labor-
ties? Here is graft and corruption
in his own home town of Anoka, COM
mitted by the appointees of the pres
ent governor! l challenge Mr.. Chase
to write pamphlet about the graft
and corruption in his own home town,
occasioned by the mishandling of the
tornado funds by the governors APP
pointees.
81 understand that there is going
to be an attempt to white-wash this
whole matter, or let some lesser light
be the goat. AS the federal govern
ment provided half of the money,
I have written our United States
Senator, Ernest Lundeen, demanding
that there be federal investigation
of the disbursements of the Anoka
tornado fund. THERE is NOT GO
ING TO BE ANY WHITE-WASH
OF THIS ANOKA SCANDAL IF I
CAN STOP IT."
Herewith is copy of letter written
by Hjalmar Petersen to Senator Ern-
est Lundeen:
There is something rotten about