Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-04-11


range matter in 1
volving days, 81
weeks and months, -
while climate is IN SzA
judged on the basis of decades and
centuries.
The Bureau states that for the
country as whole, every winter for
the past quarter of a century, ex-
cepting those of 1918 and 1886,
has been uniformly warmer than
normal. The summers are also hot
ter and drier. The Weather Bureau
says that we may look for a cold,
wet cycle to follow the warm dry
one that we are now in. UnfOrtun-
ately, the weather officials cannot
prophesy just when the new cycle
will set in but they seem to think that
it is overdue. Incidentally, Washing
ton has experienced the coolest March
since 1896. Maybe that is the be-
ginning of the change we are looking
for.
Real Democracy.
The other day I read an article
calling attention to the fact that more
than 400 communities in New Eng
land still hold town meetings once
a year, when they discuss and de-
eide common problems. These gath
erings are attended by practically
every voter who is physically able
to get to the meeting. We have sim
liar town meetings in Minnesota and
have had since the state was or
ganized. well recall the town meet
ings that we had years ago in north
ern Sherburne county, when the vot-
ers would meet and decide how much
to levy for schools, roads, bridges and
other necessary expenditures made
necessary by local self-government.
Discussions pro and con were usually
on a sound basis that showed an in
telligent understanding.
a town meeting is democracy in its
purest form for there the people act
direct instead of through represen-
tatives. The strength of democracy
lies in active participation of people
in public affairs. 1 am wondering
whether our people, as whole, pay
as much attention to their govern
ment as did our fathers. We have so
many things to divert us these days
that we do not have as much time
to give to government as we should.
Now it takes perfect weather to bring
out as much as go per cent of the
vote. l can remember when we used
to have to break the roads in order
to get to the polls. Nothing but SER
ious illness could stop us. 1t isn't
that we are getting softer. Rather,
/ would say that we are becoming
more Indifferent. 1t is significant
that as our interest in government
declines the cost of its operation in
creaseS.
Would Tax Machine Production.
Senator O'Mahoney (Democrat) of
Wyoming, thinks that we can solve
the unemployment problem through
granting concessions in the form of
tax reduction, or wage subsidies, to
employers who use manpower instead
of machinery. Under the Senator's
plan the tax on machine production
would be materially increased. Vet
eran Senator Norris, in commenting
upon O'Mahoney's proposal said, "We
ought to hesitate long time-I think
forever, before we put a stop sign
along the road of human progress.
I'm afraid that's what this would
have tendency to do" MIR. Norris
expressed the opinion that govern
ment should welcome all techno-
logical improvements that reduce
human labor" and then meet any en-
suing problem of unemployment by
a reduction in hours without a reduc-
ton in pay.
l came on the scene just about
the time that machinery was becom-
ing extensively used. Many an acre
of corn have helped to cut by hand,
and the same is true in digging of
potatoes. That was drudgery 1
started to learn the printers trade
on the old Clear Lake Times. We
had a Washington hand-press, which
was all that the name implies. Type
setting of all kinds was done by hand
and only the more fortunate weekly
papers could give their readers as
much as Is columns of local news
each week. The rest of the space not
used for advertising was filled with
plate matter of dubious value. AS a
result of the introduction of labor
saving machinery many weekly news
papers now give their readers SO to go
columns of local news and nearly all
employ more help than they did back
in the days of hand work.
To drive out lavor-saving machin-
cry through taxation would be equiv
alent to turning the hands of the clock
back to the old stagecoach days, when
homes were heated with fireplaces.
Unemployment can be cured in a
much easier way. Give industry the
green sign to 60 ahead, reduce crush
ing taxes and remove burdensome
governmental restrictions that ham,
per and hamString all activities.