The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-05-10
miles it's phltc
TO STAGE
A GREAT PUSH
A Nation Wide Campaign Has Been
Planned and Zero Hour Set
for May IL

The American Legion will hold q
campaign for new members the weak
OF May 1922 that will be different.
The great American public, which
has been the "drivee" in so many in
tensive eferts of the last several
years, has cultivated a fine taste in
campaigns. 1t has come to be able to
spot good drive from one that is
poorly handled. 1t can distinguish
points of variety in a campaign. It
has become connoisseur in appeal.
The public, then. will be quick to
recognize the essential difference of
this American Legion effort.
In the first place, it is not "drive,"
but push" Back in the dim days
of the early war publicity experts
borrowed the word "drive" from the
slang of the day. Everyone who went
out after something fell into the easy
habit of calling his campaign
drive" Then. when it came time for
the men who really knew what a war
drive" was to go out after new MEM
bers for their legion, they found that
the word "drive" was as punchless as
a blank cartridge. They had to dig
themselves up a new word. So they
called their campaign "push"; which
is great deal like "drive" except
that it goes farther in implying re-
lentless effort and resistless force.
A feature that the great general
public should be quick to realize is
that they, members of the public, win
not be called on to contribute any
thing except good will. Positively no
money contributions will be expected
or received from them. They will be
expected to exhibit their friendship,
but not their checkbooks.
Only some three million men are
eligible to take active benefit of the
legion campaign. The organization
now has enrolled more than a million
and a half former service men and
women, leaving some three million
who can belong but who do not.
The 'push," then, is aimed directly
az this minority. All Of the combined
efforts of the million and a half of
their fellows will be devoted to bring
ing the absent into the fold. Which
means that every legionnaire will
have to take on and convince two
comrades.
Only about one man in twenty Is
eligible to join the legion. 1t is per-
fectly safe to say that hundreds of
thousands of loyal Americans would
give a good deal if they were eligible,
by reason of active army, navy or
marine corps service, to come into the
legion. But they cannot, and it is only
the three million who are privileged
TO take advantage of the push"
But the legion has no intention of
passing up the general public, simply
because it is not asking anything
from the public The legion keenly
desires to interest every American in
its, "push" because it believes it is to
every Americans interest TO be inter-
ested, which is not as ambiguous as
it sounds.
While only one American in twenty
may be privileged to come into the
legion, every American must support,
in his heart. the legion's platform,
"For. God and Country" Leaders in
every field of American life have
gladly and spontaneously indorsed the
legion's aspirations. 1t is widely rec
pgnized, although less than fifteen
months old, as the greatest force for
the established order IN these United
States.
That the general public feels that
this is true is shown by the way
prominent citizens have come forward
TO lend their aid. General Pershing
has endorsed the campaign and urged
eligible army men to join the legion.
Lieut.-Gen. Robert Lee Bullard, cem-
manding the department Of the east,
has included the same recognition in