Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-10-03

10000 additional jobs in private in
dustry in Minnesota since he took
office. Let me ask Mr.. Stassen: IT
this is true, how do you explain that
the federal government expended
over $52,0O0,000 for WPA in Mime
sofa during the fiscal year 1889, as
compared with little over $35, 00O,-
600 during the fiscal year 1888. Let's
get the record straight and stop tell
ing fairy stories and insulting the
intelligence of Minnesota voters.
One more thing, Governor, on this
matter of employees on the state pay
roll. You neglected to tell the voters
that law was passed by the last
Legislature requiring the perpetual
inventory of state property. Why
did you not state that most of the
work, by reason of this law, has been
done by WPA workers. Why did you
not tell us that if you had hired full
time state employees to do this work,
the state payrolls would have been
increased by thousands of dollars
and the number of state employees
also increased. You must admit, Gov
ernor, that you have been receiving
aid from the Roosevelt administration
while you run around with Willkie
condemning Roosevelt for spending
too much money.
G. o. p. Debt Record.
The governor talks so much about
the state debt. In 1920 the state
debt was $22,372,70O, and when Gov
ernor Olson took office in 1881, it to-
tailed SCI ,708,345. This tremendous in
crease took place without the burden
of big state relief problems. The state
debt increased faster in the ten years
preceding the Farmer-Labor admin
stration than during any other period
of the states history.
1t was through the work of the pro-
gressives that the mortgage mora
forum was made law in 1881, afford
ing breathing spell for citizens in
efforts to save their farms and homes.
The mortgage moratorium was re-
enacted by succeeding Legislatures,
and was copied in other states. The
Farmer-Labor party, however, was
first in this field of protecting human
rights above property rights.
The homestead preferential act, re-
ducing taxes on homes, was also fur
thered and made law through the
Farmer-Labor party.
The minimum license fee on auto
mobiles was reduced from $40 to S.
by the progressives in 1888.
Court UphOlds PrOgressives.
Minnesota could have had an in
come tax on individuals and corpora
tions since 1906, when the wide open
tax amendment to the constitution
was adopted. Conservatives contin-
ued to tell us that the constitution
had to be further amended in order
to have an income tax. Efforts were
made to amend the constitution in
1920 and 1882, but failed.
In the legislative session of 1893,
the progressives went to work. The
income tax was made law, and up
held by the State Supreme Court, in
spite of the fact that constitutional
lawyers, representing their wealthy
clients, had told us ever since 1906
that statutory income tax would not
be upheld by the courts.
We now collect over eleven million
dollars annually, the money going
to the public schools. General proper
ty taxes are too high, but, imagine
what would have happened to proper
ty taxes had it not been for the in
come tax the last seven years.
Performance VS.. Promises.
The income tax is based on the
ability to pay, and cannot be passed
on to the consumer, like most other
taxes. The Minnesota income tax is
not promise, but stands as evidence
of constructive performance by the
Farmer-Labor party.
Let us look at civil service under
the present administration. 1 fought
for civil service long before the gov
ernor made it Cornerstone" of his
campaign. I have always been for
the merit system. What am against
| ID IIlc IIlSIIlOU tIlc SOVcIIlOI Ids ell
ployed in setting up civil service and
the administration of that law.
The law was signed April %, 1899.
After that date, several thousand en-
ployes were dismissed. The law is
filled with spoils-ridden provisions,
and the administration took advan-
tage and fired right and left to make
room for political henchmen.
Protests Hypocrisy.
No Minnesota administration has
practised political spoils as vicious
ly and as unfairly as has this adj
ministration. 1t is against such hy-
pocrisy that I protest. AS governor
of the state, shall insist that the
spoils system come to an end, and
that civil service be not used as a
cloak for vicious, unfair, and coward
ly political purges.
Governor Stassen deceived state
employees and the voters in the 1898
campaign when he said that those
| who had done honest and officiapf