Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-07-03

death for having voted against en-
tering the World war, and wishing
that he could buy the ammunition
and be part of the firing squad that
would kill them. Yet that is what
and war hysteria does
to people otherwise considered sens
IDLE. What difference between the
words of this pseudo patriot and those
of Lincoln who said in the midst of
war: with malice toward none and
charity for ALL"
Here in Minnesota the elder Lind
bergh was bounded by the mobs for
being real American and trying
to keep us out of war. Senator
Shipstead's house was painted yell
low. The late Senator Lundeen was
thrown into refrigerator car in
the middle of winter by an un-Ameri-
can mob because he opposed our en-
try into the war and our joining the
League of Nations.
AS Senator LaFollette, in the speech
referred to, said: "a declaration of
war is the highest and most awful
exercise of sovereignty"
The most un-American thing, short
of treason, that an American citizen
can do it to abuse a duly elected
Representative or Senator for voting
his honest conviction on the ques-
ton of peace or war.
The great Henry Clay speaking at
Lexington, Kentucky, on the 18th
day of November, 1847, while the
Mexican war was taking place, took
a strong position in behalf of the
right of the people to freely discuss
every question relating to the war,
even though the discussion involved
a strong condemnation of the war
policy of the executive.
AS to the question of declaring
war aims, Clay, in the same speech,
said: Either Congress or the Presi-
dent must have the right of de-
termining upon the objects for which
a war shall be prosecuted. There is
no other alternative. If the Presi-
dent possesses it, and may prosecute
it for objects against the will of Con-
gress, where is the difference between
our free government and that of any
other nation which may be governed
by an absolute car, emperor or king?
"The right to control their own
government according to constitu-
tional forms is not one of the rights
that the citizens of this country are
called upon to surrender in time of
war"
We should remember that Congress
alone has the right to declare war
and Congress alone has the right to
declare the objects of war. We should
further remember that the Congress
men are the elected servants of the
voters who place them there. How
ridiculous for anyone to say that the
master cannot criticize the acts of
the servant. Under our form of
government the voter is the master,
and must always be the master, if
liberty and democracy are to be
preserved.
In the midst of the Mexican war
Abraham Lincoln, then a Congress-
man, severely criticized the President
for his conduct of that war. During
the same war Daniel Webster said:
eve are, in my opinion, in a most
unnecessary and therefore, unjusti-
fable war;"
have quoted from these great men
to show that even while a war is on
the true American policy is to permit
free speech and open discussion of
all the issues relative to the war.
Yet, in America today, we have some
people in high places who are criti-
Ching distinguished American citizens
for urging that we keep out of the
European war.
Secretary Ickes states that he thinks
Lindbergh has an understanding with
Hitler. 1t would be just as unfair
hOA JOc VI iiiC ~ oSSOoC 4vAl. 4ShCS
of having an understanding with the
King of England to drag us into the
war.
Secretary Ickes goes on to say:
eff it is not to be America next, we
must leave nothing undone to help
England repel the brutal hordes of
Hitler and to destroy them"
Ickes called Col. Lindbergh an Eek
colonel, "our Knight of the German
Eagle, "Hitler's stooge", IAN Ameri-
can Quisling", and a "Nazi wolf in
pacifist's clothing. Ickes claims to
get his inspiration from Washing
ton, Lincoln, and Prime Minister
Churchill. The Prime Minister by
the way said that this is no time to
moralize about Communism.
Members of the American Legion
and other service organizations who
were in the World war know some
thing about war from first-hand
knowledge. They know the suffering
and the. agony that men must go
through in the hell of battle. They
have seen thousands of comrades
killed outright and thousands of
others manned for life. They appreci-
ate more than any other class of our
citizens the suffering that is still