The sun., 1919-09-28

hclpfulness."
Through its several divisions at ma
tional headquarters, 10 West Forty
fourth street, New York city. and its To-
cal posts organized through active State
branches, the American Legion is giving
the discharged service man a direct man
to man service Matters pertaining to
Government insurance. allotment and
allowance claims, Liberty bonds pay
ments, back pay, compensation, bonuses,
mileage and other financial transactions
which have become involved during the
war. receive the expert advice of a War,
Risk officer who is on duty at national
headquarters. Where claims are so COM
piicated that their euocessfui handling
requires a knowledge of law, they are
referred to Washington. where repre-
sentative Of the legion gives them his
personal attention.
Employment Ala Onered.
There is also at national headQuar-
ters a Unemployment division which has
been cooperating with Col. Arthur
Woods, assistant to the Secretary of
War, in providing jobs for discharged
soldiers through the stimulation of In
creased public works construction. Col.
Woods has advised the American Legion
that 1t is the only agency that can ef-
fectively absorb and carry on the Cow
srnments unemployment work, and that
Is one Of the tasks which the legion
has undertaken. You can give to the
work the touch of man to man and COM
rade to comrade which can be given
in no other way" Col. Woods wrote.
After thorough Investigation of the
great problem of rehabilitation in a USE
full occupation for disabled veterans the
legion has branded the first years work
of the Federal Vocation Board as "a
black record of broken promises and
has suggested in the American Legion
Weekly certain remedies that must be
applied Immediately if this Federal
agency is to fulfil its obligations to the
men who have paid with their bodies.
In addition to demanding prompt i'm
provement in the functioning of the Fed
eral Vocational Board the legion is sup
porting Senator Lenroot's bill, which
would 0ffer to any veterans of the war
with Germany, regardless of disability,
nine months educational and apprentice
ship training at Government expense.
Every member of the American Legion
has been notified to consider himself a
committee of one on unemployment. In
this way one veteran will consider HIM
self responsible for the placing of an
other, and be devoting a small part of
his time making inquiries among friends
as to job vacancies he will either obtain
a position for the man or put him in
touch with persons who do know OF
vacancies.
A national speakers bureau has been
organized to explain the ideals and aims
of the movement to the country at large.
Theodore Roosevelt of New York, one of
the founders of the American Legion at
| the Paris and St. Louis meetings, has
~ ha Nd
far Western States Other national
speakers are Chaplain John w. Inzer of
Alabama and ]. f. J. Herbert Of Mas
sachusetts.
The American Legion has an official
| publication. The american Legion Week
( w, which is the medium through which
| thousands of cX-service men express
their opinions and preserve the memo
rles and incidents of their associations in
| the war. 1t has news articles, fiction
and personal narratives. with excellent
illustrations. Its editorials tell what the
legion believes that the ex-service man
| thinks about the great questions which
| are before the American nation after the
war.
| Timely Projects Urged.
| At the st. Louis meeting the delegates
| committed the league to certain timely
projects They indorsed the efforts made
by the Government to reclaim ark
| swamp and cut over timber lands q
| afford opportunities for discharged sol
diers to establish homes they demanded
that Congress should Geport to their own
| countries those aliens who refused to
Join the colors at Americas entrance
into the war and those other aliens who
caneelled their first citizenship papers
| in order to avoid the selective draft
| they demanded full investigation of the
pardon and subsequent honorable dis
charge by the War Department of con-
victed conscientious objectors, and they
went on record in favor Of the deporta-
ton of naturalized citizens convicted
under the espionage act.
In Washington the American Legion
| has a legislative committee under the
joint chairmanship of Luke Lea, former
Democratic Senator from Tennessee, and
| Thomas w. Miller, former Republican
Congressman from Delaware, whose
duty 1t is to keep in touch with iegisla-
tion proposed for the benefit of eX-ser'
| vice men and women. This committee
| is supporting an amendment to the Wal
Risk Insurance act which will permit the
beneficiary to elect whether matured in.
surance shall be paid as an annuity oil
in one payment, permit the insured &c
select beneficiaries without regard tc
family Relationship, authorize an In
crease in the period of automatic insur-
ance covering the early months Of the
war, and providing for an increase il
compensation award cases. The legior
is urging active support Of the Jackson
bill which embodies its programme OF
removing the alien Stacker menace from
America. This bill hasAlready passed
the House and is now before the Senate
Committee ON Naturalization and I'm
migration.
The permanent policies of the Ameri
can Legion will be discussed and adopted
at the Minneapolis convention. Up Il
the time of the convention the mission
OF the legion will be organization ant
membership.
Members Of the legion can be identi
fed by a small button which is worn IL
the buttonhole of the coat 1t consists
of centre replica of the regulation
bronze star shaped discharge buttoI
surrounded by a circle OF blue ename
bearing the words american Legion" IL
gold with a fiuted gold edge. Veteran
wounded in the service are entitled t.
membership bottoms with a silver centre
and for women members the button take
the form of clasp pin.
|
sixty-six Crap shooters Freed.