Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-02-01

Help Distressed Countries.
The movement to extend help to
distressed Finland and Poland is not
making the progress that it should
although all parts of the country are
urging haste. The need is great be-
cause of the severe winter they are
having in northern Europe. The need
for food and clothing in Poland is
much greater now than it will be a
few months hence and unless we act
soon l fear that many will die of ex-
posture.
Finland's request for go million
dollar loan has been cut to 20 million
by the Senate committee. She already
has an uneXpended balance of 10 mil
lion dollars to her credit l am sorry
that the President indicated in his
letters to the presiding officers of the
two houses of Congress that the credit
advanced should be available only
for non-military expenditures. What
Finland needs, more than anything
else, is war materials with which to
defend herself, and we can sell her
this without violating our neutrality
law because no war has been declared
between Finland and Russia. The
Finnish Minister stated the other day
that if sympathy could win a war, the
Firms would now be in Moscow. He
is absolutely right. The Firms can
neither fight nor live on sympathy.
They must have planes, guns, bombs
and other war equipment, and that
SoOn
l attended dinner last evening
where / met several well informed
individuals living in neutral northern
European countries. One and all
were agreed that if Finland can get
the necessary help in the way of
aeroplanes and other war materials
for defense, promptly, she will win
the war; otherwise it is doubtful as
they are fighting against tremendous
odds. Finland is not fighting to pre-
serve democracy as much as she is
fighting to prevent the spread of
Communism which, undoubtedly, will
spread over the greater part of the
earth in the event of Russian tri-
umph in that country. Today Finland
is the Thermopylae of Christian civ
ilization and if mankind is not to
pass into the control of insane brutes,
Finland must be given immediate
help.
LeWiS-ROOsevelt Break.
1t is seldom that we have two polit-
ical surprises of such importance
breaking at one time as we had last
week. One was the declaration by
John L. Lewis, (CIO czar), that any
ticket carrying Roosevelt for a third
term would go down in 'ignominious
defeat" Coming from a man who
probably controls several million
votes, the statement is significant.
That it caused uneasiness and appre-
hension in the ranks of the high COM
mand was evidenced by the fact that
the following day several members
of the cabinet, and lesser New Deal
officeholders, came out with emphatic
statements to the effect that Mr..
Roosevelt can be elected for a third
term. Mr.. Lewis objection to the
New Deal is its failure to cure I'M
employment, to give proper recogni-
ton to labor, both politically and eco
nomically, and he also takes excep-
ton to trade ills, debts and taxes.
The other surprising event was the
declaration by Postmaster General
Farley, down in North Carolina, that
he places his country above his party.
This, political analysts take to mean
that he will oppose third term for
Mr. Roosevelt. AS far back as last
August one of the leading Washing
ton correspondents, in his column,
declared that Farley would not go