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

undoubtedly sincere in desiring that
peace reign over the world after that
great holocaust He presented his
fourteen points to Congress on Janu-
airy 8, 1918, and enlarged upon those
points in later addresses. President
Wilson wanted freedom of navigation
on the open seas in peace or war.
riers, equality of trade, reduction of
national ornaments to a point con-
sistent with domestic safety. He re-
quested mutual guarantees of politi-
cal independence and territorial in
tegrity to great and small states alike.
President Wilson wanted peace
that would be permanent and settle
ments to be fair and just to bring
that about. He said in one of his
speeches to Congress-: every terri
torial settlement involved in this war
must be made in the interest and
for the benefit of the populations con-
cerned, and not as part of any mere
adjustment or compromise of claims
amongst rival States"
But when Lloyd George of Eng
land, Clemenceau of France, and Or
lando of Italy, got through with the
so-called peace conference it was an
entirely different matter. America
fought for an ideal in that war. The
European leaders were not idealists,
but played the old game of power
politics and they had their way. Will
son surrendered his peace points for
a League of Nations, that the Eur
opean leaders knew they could and
would control.
We had helped part of Europe de-
feat another part of Europe and in
doing so we lost over 100000 brave
sons and crippled for life tens of
thousands more. We burdened our
country with a Is billion dollar debt.
We loaned over 10 billions to various
European nations which they refuse
to repay and which is now being
paid by the American taxpayer. Aft
er the World war was over we helped
to draft one of the worst peace
treaties in all history, so bad, indeed,
that our own Senate refused to rati-
fly it.
Instead of ending all wars and max
ing the world safe for democracy,
we helped create the situation that
brought on countless more wars, in
Guiding those now raging. We helped
prepare the soil of Europe for the
dictators that are now battling for
supremacy. Il
Today we have people among us
who would repeat the stupid blunder
of 1917. 1t is wise child that stays
away from the fire after having once
been burned.
We are interested in the welfare
of America and interested in pre-
serving liberty and democracy in this
country. We are interested in keep
ing America strong so that she will
be in a position to help rebuild the
world after this disastrous war is
over. Therefore, we must let. reason
guide our course, and not our emo
tons. Our indignation must not re-
place our reason.
Students of history will recall the
propaganda spread in America for
Americas help to save the French
Revolution and, also, for America to
save the world from Napoleon.
Former President Herbert Hoover,
who directed the work of the Bel
GUM Commission during the. World
war, reports that he saw the per-
nicious technique of propaganda de-
veloped for three years in Europe.
He dealt with leading officials of the
various countries. Mr.. Hoover states:
DAILY I read of atrocities on both
sides that, to my knowledge, were
sheer inventions They were in
vented by the thousand to create
hate"
Mr.. Hoover who speaks from ex-
perience and first-hand knowledge
says that, eff we go into another
World war, liberty will be lost to
America. Surely the voice of ex-
perience calls to us that we are little
likely to emerge again without great
impairment, if not total loss, of our
American system of liberty. What
shall it profit a nation that loses it's
own soul?
During the World war we pro-
fessed we were fighting only the die
tator over the enemy people. Then
we punished the enemy people for
the war.
"The social regeneration of nations
must come from within. 1t cannot
come from without"
Let me give you another illustra-
ton of what war propaganda and
hysteria can do to people, The elder
LaFollette made speech in the
United States Senate in which he
embodied an Associated Press dis
patch of October l, 1917, from Hous-
ton, Texas, as follows:
Judge Waller T. Burns of the
United States District Court in charg-
ing a Federal Grand Jury at the
beginning of the October term today
after calling by name Senator Stone
of Missouri, Hardwich of Georgia,
Vardaman of Mississippi, Gronna of