Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-09-05


Day Hjalmar Petersen had the
following to say about the life
and work of U. S. Senator Ernest
Lundeen:
With the untimely death of Ernest
Lundeen, junior United States Sena-
tor from Minnesota and pioneer Far
mer-LabOrite, in a plane crash last
Saturday in Virginia, the liberal
movement received a tragic blow.
But let us liberals of Minnesota
take consolation in the fact that Sem
ator Lundeen died in the harness -
that he died in the service of the peo-
pie and his nation.
Our sympathy, and the sympathy
of the entire state, goes out to Mrs.
Lundeen and the children, Joan Jes-
sic and Ernest Ward. We know how
closely knit this family was. And
we know how Mrs. Lundeen was an
career. We hope that she and the
children allow themselves to take
great comfort in the knowledge that
Senator Lundeen fulfilled his purpose
on this earth much more effectively
and humanely than most men are
able to do. He was a genuine SER
want of the people and his name will
go down in state history as such.
A fighter, Ernest Lundeen allowed
no odds to turn him from the path
as he saw it-and his vision was
clear. He dared to do the unpopular
thing if he felt it was the right
thing. Several times in his lifetime
he faced disfavor and defeat because
he had the courage to speak out
forcefully and act for what he
thought was right.
At the height of the war hysteria
in 1917, he voted against the entrance
of the United States into the World
War as a Congressman from the Fifth
Minnesota district. He hated war. He
could not understand why the United
States should send her soldiers to
fight abroad on foreign soil. He knew
what war meant, because he, him
self, had been a soldier. So, despite
the fact that he knew vote against
war would damage him politically,
he was one of the few men in Con-
gress with the courage and fore
sight to work and vote against en-
tering the conflict that cost hundreds
of thousands of our young men and
billions in public treasure.
And, down through the years since
his vote against war, Senator Lun-
deem has been an uncompromising op-
ponent of violence between supposedly
civilized nations and civilized men.
OF late he had been fighting as
ably and as strongly against throw
ing the United States into the present
European conflict as he did in 1917.
1t is possible that we might now be
shipping our youth across the sea to
be killed if it were not for the oppo-
sition of Ernest Lundeen, and others
of his character
At least we know this much; the
campaign carried on by Lundeen, and
others of his kind, has done much to
educate the people of the United
States against war.
Instead of the hysteria for war that
swept the country in 1916 and 1917,
today we have people who are large
ly against sending our men and mon
ey abroad to fight. This state of mind
was built-up by the efforts of the
liberal movement and men such as
Lundeen.
But the Senator's work against war
was by no means his only contribution
to the general welfare of the people.
His entire career was one of SER
vice.
Ernest Lundeen was born at Beres-
ford, S. D. He was the son of
Swedish Mission pastor. AS pastor,
his father was forced to farm to feed
the family. When he was very
young, Lundeen's family moved TO
Dayton, Iowa, where he attended
public school.
In 1901 he received his bachelor
of arts degree from Carlton college
at Mortified, and entered the Uni
versity of Minnesota law school. In
1906 he was admitted to the bar.
While a college student, Lundeen
joined the Twelfth Minnesota Volun-
teers for service in the Spanish-Amer-
lean war. He became an expert RI
fleman and, since, has won many me-
dals for craftsmanship.
Always interested in politics, Lun-
deem won his first election as state
roprocontativo from tho TWo1fth ward
in Minneapolis in 1910.
Even at that stage he was man
with liberal views. He aligned him
self with the liberal bloc in the house