Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-10-10
Hearing From Home


Revisions'', reads the heading of an
article by Orlin Folwick, political
writer, in the Minneapolis Sunday
Tribune.
The legislators who voted for the
Stassen bills in the 1889 session are
hearing from their constituents, and
they are commencing to feel the
pressure now that election is nearing
again.
Several weeks ago a number of
senators meeting at the State Fair
agreed that something would have
to be done about the homestead lien
law.
Representative Roy E. Dunn from
Ottertail county, now says that
thorough revamping of the major laws
in Governor Stassen's 1889 legislative
program to eliminate bugs" and re-
duce many of the high-salaried jobs
created in the reorganization plan,
will be made at the coming session
of the State Legislature.
Involved in the plans, according to
the Folwick article, are the reorgan-
ization act, homestead lien law, civil
service law, labor relations act, and
the loan shark law, all of which were
recommended by the governor and
set up in the 1889 session.
Representative Dunn explains that
the program was made law in an eff
fort to experiment in new fields along
with the governor, but that the laws
should be made to operate sin more
satisfactory manner" That the gov
ernor should desire to "experiment"
in the direction of So per cent interest
rates and homestead liens shows that
his fundamental philosophy comedies
with that of the money crowd.
Dunn admits complaint against all
of the laws and wide spread objec-
ton to the homestead lien law, add
ing however that it is the govern
ment's only protection against loss in
cases where children are able to pro-
vide for their parents but refuse to
do so.
That leaves an erroneous impress
sion. The children's responsibility
act, on the statute books for over
half a century, is the one law that
will make children pay part or all
of the support of parents, if able to
do so.
The state does not want more
property, in the shape of homes, which
will mean more tax-exempt property.
Let us have more and not less indi-
vidual home ownership.
The Folwick article brings out that
another complaint has been against
the number of jobs paying $4,000 to
$4,000 year, provided for in the
reorganization act When the Legis-
lature got through with the job in
1889, it found a considerable in
crease in these salary ranges. The
plan will be, Dunn said, to cut many
of these jobs to about $500 a year
since the type of work merits about
that pay.
Concerning the loan shark law,
which allows interest rate of SO per
cent annually on small loans, Dunn
said investigation has disclosed that
persons borrowing at this rate are
'quite generally satisfied.
According to that, some people are
very easily satisfied. But the remark
did not come from one who has had
to pay the So per cent interest.
Where would the farmer be today
if he could not have borrowed from
his local banker, $50, 500, or more,
for feed, livestock, seed and other
needs, at 8 per cent interest or less?
The SO per cent interest boys are
already invading rural Minnesota.
High interest rates further concen-
trates wealth.
Yes, changes are needed in some
of the Stassen laws, to be sure, and
the administration is hearing from
the people-the voters, but the home
stead lien law does not need amend
ment, it needs outright assassination
It never should have seen daylight.
HJALMAR PETERSEN