Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-11-21
Must Work Unitedly

Must Work Unltedly
Speaking over d i o station
WCCO last night Hjalmar Peter
sen talked on the origin and
meaning of Thanksgiving d ay,
telling also of the opportunities
available to the first and later
immigrants to the new land.
Continuing, he discussed the
problems and tasks yet confront
ing the people nationally and in
the state, listing some of the re-
medal measures necessary to in
sure security and happiness for
all.
The speech in full is printed
herewith:
Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiv-
ing day, and we are reminded of the
spirit of faithful industry, w h h
prompted the Pilgrims who came here
seeking religious liberty and liveli-
hood, to set apart day for Thanks
giving at Plymouth Rock after their
first harvest. They had suffered
terribly during their first winter on
American soil from exposure, hunger,
and disease, and yet when the May
flower sailed back to England the
following April, not one of the sur
vivors returned.
The Pilgrims were thankful for
their bountiful harvest, and today,
800 years later, we are thankful that
as a nation, we are blessed with
abundant resources of soil. forest and
mine. Our responsibility is to con-
tinuously work toward devising ways
and means of distributing the goods
and services which such nation can
provide, according to the needs and
wholesome desires of the people.
We are thankful today because rep
resentative government, with tn e
secret ballot, is the law and practice
of our land. The beginning of such
a government may be traced to the
Mayflower Compact, the rules by
which the Pilgrim Fathers agreed to-
gether that the colonistS would be
governed. The tradition of the New
we cherish, and we are grateful to-
day for the continued township unit
closest to the people, and that through
the medium of radio, this tradition
may be kept alive with the entire
state and nation as the participating
audience. May 1, at this time, ex-
press my appreciation to WCCO for
the courtesy of this radio period, and
to WLOL for a broadcast last week
AS person born on foreign shores
coming from Denmark to this great
land of opportunity in the arms OF
my parents, am indeed thankful
to be citizen of democratic America
This vast country will continue to
offer opportunity to youth and to the
foreign born for which we may all
be thankful.
The transition from Dane to Ameri-
can, for instance, was easy and natur-
al. In custom and culture, our two
peoples are much alike
We have built our homes through
out the length and breadth of this,
our new land. The fruits of our
labors we have offered unstintingly
for the advancement and enrichment
of American life. Our children we
have reared and pledged to loyalty
to our adopted land.
We have given gladly because we
have been received cordially. Ameri-
ca has given us generously of re-
sources and opportunity for initiative
and self-development. True, the op-
portunities have been diminished dur
ing the last two decades. They are
dormant for lack of proper and long
time governmental planning, but faith
and the will to do will revive and
enlarge those great American oppor-
tunities for those who live on the
product of their own labor.
It is an honor to be a citizen of q
country that has reared such noble
statesmen as Washington, jefferson
and Lincoln. Jefferson, the great
apostle of liberty and equality, be-
lieved in the honesty of the people
and that majorities rule, not by force
but by right.
Another political election has de-
termined the will of the majority. L
now behooves us to do all in oul
power to work unitedly that our ma
ton and our state might progress.
and our people enjoy security anc
happiness.
This is particularly true in these
times when the world seems on fire
and we do not know how far tina
fire may spread.