Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1940-12-26
A HARD PROBLEM
ditor Askov American:

<AShON hAASAANNi'
Congressman Harold Knutson said
i'm his observations" of December Is:
Our people have indicated that they
wish to keep out of the war, and any
activity to thwart their will should
be exposed and suppressed"
He is right in that, but it is a hard
problem, when Hitler repeatedly says
he will do away with the English and
U. S. gold-based capitalism. And Hit
Ter tells us that he will make diff
ferent world of the old world. That
includes us. How can we then keep
out of the war?
Just read his speech of late to the
people of Germany. There his lnten-
ton is stated so we can see that ne
will get at the United States sooner
or later when circumstances favor II.
His previous words and actions go
i'm the direction of taking whatever ne
can get hold of. That is the problem
we are up against.
If the United States had refused
selling and loaning to England, and
with Germany robbing all surround
ing small peaceable neighboring ma
tions of all they had, she would there
by be gaining so much strength so
as to be much superior to England.
Then Germany would have had Eng
land conquered long ago, and her
strength added to the German strength.
And the United States unprepared as
we were at that time, would not nave
been able to keep the Germans from
our country. So England has been
fighting for us as well as for her
self. For that reason | have been in
favor of selling to England all she
needs and keeping that up, and pre-
pairing all we can for our own de-
| Tense.
Some people say we should keep our
| friendship with Germany and Hitler,
so that they would not be apt to make
war on us; but Hitler is not making
war on account of anger, but OF APP
petite for ruling and to make him
self big. so Germany can rule and die
tate to all people on the earth. The
action of Germany and Hitler shows
that nobody can trust them. None OF
the robbed nations were on unfriendly
terms with Germany.
The Danish king even had friend
ly conversation with Hitler after the
war had started, and Hitler assured
him that he would not touch Denmark
and then the Germans came there
late at night as other robbers do;
we'll prepared for the robbery, and
that they have practiced ever since
1t is of no use to try to call the at
tention of Germanys friends to such
facts: they can not see any wrong in
that.
Mr.. Knutson says: 1--WE recall how
America was dragged into the first
World war by the skillful use of prop
uganda"
/ If that is so, then that propag anda
must have contained real facts. The
Germans torpedoed and sank one oil
our ships without warning, and by
that killed many United States citi-
zens. The Germans did not deny that
they did that The United States
asked settlement for it, and sent one
note after another to the German gov
eminent, no attention was paid tc
them by the Germans: 1t had gone
on that way for a long time.
If Germany had paid for the prop
erty and lives lost by the sinking
of that ship, that would have ended
it, but she was too stubborn, so our
government took it before the Con-
gress for decision, and it was given
to the Congress this way:
shall we on account OF this in
cident, consider the United States in
a state of war with Germany" A
majority voted yes, but Harold Knut-
son voted no.
I heard that explanation by the dis
trict Judge in court in st. Cloud, when
a man in answering a question said
when the United States declared wal
on Germany" The judge said: 1.-The
United States did not declare war
i According to the vote in Congress
the Germans had started war on us
without declaration of war.
Il What shall we call such action, IL
not war?
ANDREW RASMUSSEN
5000 West River Blvd. Minneapolis.