Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-11-26
Fact And Opinion
Short Term Senator, Arthur E. Nelson
By E. C. Stengelsen.

ShOrt-Term Senator, Arthur E. Nelson
Nelson will wear the senatorial
toga for only short term. It is my
belief that Minnesota will not be the
gamer by the exchange when he
turns it over to Ball A better man
better for Minnesota and better for
the whole country-will be going out
than the one who'll be coming in.
I've known Nelson ever since he
came out of law school some $3.50
years ago. A clean-cut young fell
low l remember him as a Junior
member of a substantial st. Paul law
firm. For time he was mayor of the
city.
Of late years, l had neither seen
nor heard much of him. But the
other day he made a remark which
drew my attention to him very sharp
ly. l shall not attempt to quote him
verbatim, but the gist of what he said
was this:
1T is time someone showed a lit
tie interest in America. There is SO
much concern for foreign countries
that our own is being forgotten"
The task of rehabilitating the
world, after the war is over, will be
/ tremendous. 1t seems to be the
thought of such men as Vice Presi-
dent Wallace, Governor Stassen, Sen
ator Ball and others, that the major
part of the job must fall on "rich
and powerful" America
1t is suggested that in large meas
ure, America must bolster the eco
nomically lettering British Empire.
If she loses India, we must somehow
contrive to help her make good the
loss. We must help rebuild the dew
astated countries of Europe; we
must help raise the living standards
of the Chinese "a few cents a day.;
we must take a major part in polio
ing the vanquished enemy countries
and in establishing new economic and
political regimes.
No definite plans have been offered.
| This is, however, understandable. 1t
is admittedly yet too early to lay out
detailed program. At the end of
the war, we may face conditions
which We cannot forsee today.
But what is evident is that the
part it is proposed we shall take in
the postwar world will be one call
ing for huge OUTLAWS which we shall
never reap other than vaguely theo-
retical benefit.
l hope / guess Alright when l inter-
pref Nelson's remark to mean that
he realizes that which has appar-
emily not occurred to our idealistic
planners, namely that when the war
ends, America, herself, will be an
impoverished country, with its popu-
lation living largely at subsistence
| level.
AS a government, we shall be stag
gering under the burden of a debt
so tremendous as to defy magma
ton. AS individuals, we shall nearly
all be broke.
The impressive figure representing
total national income will be illusory.
1t will bear little relationship to the
individuals economic condition.
Even by next year, figures show
ing income will be wholly misleading.
An average wage of, say, $3.50 per
month, may prevail. 1t will be mean
ingless. Actually, it will amount to
| less than half of that. Taxes, visible
and invisible, will consume the great
er part.
Nelson seems to see what Messrs
Wallace, Stassen and Ball apparent
| ly do not-that America is not merely
large colored section on the map,
of vast resources and tremendous
capacity for production. The real
America is the common man of small
income, multiplied by 100 millions.
In the final analysis, it is the COM
mon mans capacity that is the true
measure of the country's capacity as
whole. 1t is his heard-earned dol
lars that largely make up the vast
sums we are spending.
Most of us merely suspect today
what Nelson apparently sees clearly.
But next year, when the new taxes
begin to hit us, we are all going to
see it.
AS taxes take an increasingly large
share of our income, and as our erst-
while high American standard of
living gradually falls to the level
of pre-war Europe's, our idealistic
planners will see their following con-
stantly dwindling AS people begin
to realize that the end of the war will
mean only an imperceptible tighten
ing of their burdens, they are going
to turn away from the impractical
Missionaries whose proposals for a
postwar world would hold the COM
mon man of America in condition
Of permanent poverty.
They are likely to turn to men like