Askov American., 1941-08-28
Government Issues
Will of the Voters Ignored
BY Hjalmar Petersen.

w III VI tAAO VOtCAS ASAOAC CO
The late Senator Ernest Lundeen
was an outstanding champion Of
American isolation from war-to keep
America out of European entangle-
ments. AS representative in Con-
gress in 1917 he voted against Ameri-
can entry into the World war. AS
a consequence of that vote he was
defeated for reelection in 1918 in
the Fifth Congressional district, and
was defeated for various public Of
fees in the several succeeding elec-
tions.
1t was not until 1882 that he was
elected representative-at-la For
II years he suffered politically for
having voted against war. When the
consequences of the World war-in-
flation and deflation-hard times for
the farmers and others, showed up,
it began to enter the minds of the
people that perhaps the anti-war
vote by Mr.. Lundeen was right after
all. The concentration of wealth, un-
employment, and later realization
that America had no business in the
World war, and that war does not
end wars-only promotes them, all
tended over the years to vindicate
Lundeen in the public mind. In 1884
he was reelected to Congress with
large vote in the Third district
and in 1886 he was elected U. S.
Senator with big send-off.
There is no doubt that Lundeen
was elected Senator from Minnesota
because the people had realized after
bitter experience that he was right
in his vote against war, and because
they knew where he stood on that
all-important issue, that he would
vote against European entanglements
should the issue come up again, as is
now the case.
Following the untimely death of
the Senator last year, Governor Stas-
sen appointed his press agent, Joseph
H. Ball, to the United States Senate.
1t is carrying personal favors far to
promote a press agent to the high
office of U. S. Senator. Ball had
never been elected to any public
office. He had not stepped up the
ladder in the usual American way,
but he had labored diligently as a
political writer to build up the Gov
ernor.
For year or more before the 1898
campaign Ball followed Stassen at
community picnics and fairs where
he spoke, even to the murder trial
at South st. Paul that Stassen lost.
Pictures were taken and published
and write-ups appeared frequently in
the st. Paul Pioneer Press and Dis
patch. Up until his appointment
Ball continued to propagandize for the
Governor. Out of hundred articles,
he might have given dainty slaps on
the wrist to Stassen two or three
times in his endeavor to make it ap-
pear that he was neutral and fair.
But the people see through the thin
veil more than political propa-
gandist realizes. That was proved in
the last election, when the Pioneer
Press and Dispatch could not even
carry st. Paul and Ramsey county
for the Governor.
But being good press agent was
not the only consideration for ap-
pointment to the Senate-though it
was important to the Governor in his
dreams about going to the White
House. He appears to think that
Minnesota is too small for him.
The group that Stassen played with
at the National Republican convention
in 1910 must of course also have con-
sideration. There is Willkie, the
House of Morgan crowd, and the
Kuehn-Loeb banking house. They
would not want a Neutrality-suspicious.
Senator from Minnesota if it could
be prevented. The crowd for all
out-aid to Britain and Russia, at any
cost to America, and other war
minded interests with whom the Gov
ernor trains, naturally wanted some
one who would vote their way.
The result was Joe Ball, who, after
voting for the lend-lease bill came
out to Minnesota and announced that
he was "risking his political skin"
apparently taking himself seriously.
It was a lot of unmitigated crust
for the young Governor to appoint
a press agent-a person who would
90 down the line with the war-mindec
and war-mongers. This is especially
true in view of the fact that Mime
sofa voters had elected non-inter-
ventionist Senator and the Governor
could easily have selected a non