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

is well for us to remind ourselves of
what Washington once said: 81 want
an American character
Those who would have America
go to war say that we must fight for
democracy. 1t was recently an
nounced from Washington that the
United States as the arsenal of the
democracies" will supply Soviet Rus
STA with munitions of war. Thus
we find President Roosevelt, Willkie,
Stassen, and Ball ranging themselves
on the side of the purging Joseph
Stain.
Russia is at war with Finland and
the Soviet air forces are bombing the
civilian population of gallant little
Finland, a country which approx
mates our conception of democracy
as closely as any country in Europe
with the possible exception of the
Scandinavian countries and Switzer-
land. Our munitions in the hands
of Communist Russia are to be used
to subdue democratic Finland, and all
this in the name of democracy. Re-
cent events have made it plain that
all talk about Americas going to war
for democracy is a traveSty and a
farce
There is plenty of evidence that
Stalin's agents have worked in Ameri-
ca to create class hatred. I know
something of what they did to the
progressive movement in Minnesota,
but will not here dwell on that.
One of the main arguments adj
vanced by the war-minded is that we
must make war to protect and de-
fend our foreign trade. In 1929 our
foreign trade equalled 10 per cent
of our total trade. That was the
peak.
The latest available statistics dis
close that American foreign trade was
four per cent of our total trade in
1889. Since then many of the mark
cts of European countries under Hit
ler's domination have been closed
to us and it is now reliably estimated
that our foreign trade is less than
three per cent. 1t is for this three
per cent of our total trade that some
of our citizens urge us to 60 to war.
During the last twelve months of
the World war the United States spent
almost twenty billion dollars. With
greater mechanization the cost of war
has greatly increased. Today an eff
fort comparable to our effort in the
World war would cost at least forty
billions year. For the cost of
Americas participation in Europe's
war for six weeks we can buy and de-
stroy, if necessary, our surplus wheat
and cotton, or better still, we can
buy and distribute to those of our
people who are undernourished and
underclothed all of our surplus wheat
and cotton.
1 do not believe in a foreign policy
which goes to war on calculated
basis of profit in dollars and cents.
believe there are civilization val
ues, cultural values, spiritual values,
which flow from peace which can
not be measured in money.
But, even on the basis of a cold
blooded dollars and cents foreign
policy, we will save money in the
long run if we stay at home and
mind our own business and accept
and pay for the curtailment of foreign
trade which results from a war torn
world
America, however, is as nearly self
sufficient as any nation. And let us
remember, that regardless of the
outcome of this war, America will
have foreign trade For example:
The East Indies will continue to sell
rubber where there is big market,
and in turn those Islands and other
countries will need our exports.
Even the victors as we'll as the
vanquished in war have to return
to the paths of peace if they are to
restore their own exhaustion.
I am a liberal. l believe that
liberalism is largely an attitude of
mind. 1t is the attitude which wants
to be helpful to the underdog, which
wants to make his lot little better
wherever opportunity offers.
True liberalism seeks not to de-
stroy, but to preserve the basic fabric
of American government, American
law, and American life. True liberal
ism rejects Communism, Fascism,
Nazism and all the other Isms which
today afflict the national life of
America. True liberalism seeks to
work out within the fabric of our
fundamental law a more equitable
distribution of this worlds goods
and preservation of the personal
liberties which have been handed
down to us in America by those who
came before us.
The preservation of these personal
liberties is absolutely essential to the
working of the democratic process in
America. Without free speech, a free
press, free religion and the right of
free assembly, democracy can not
work. In these days of complicated
issues confronting our people it is
only by argument and counter argu-
ment, and fact and counter fact, that
our DeODle become informed that