Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1920-11-26
KICK FROM THE TRENCHES
Private Soldiers and Sailors Legion
Not in Favor of Five Million
Dollar Marble Palace

Declaring that to use the $5,000,000
which the Knights of Columbus re-
Gently offered to the American Legion
for a national memorial building in
Washington would be "moral breach
of trust and an act of injustice to the
large number of cases of unrelieved
distress and suffering among soldiers
and their families" Marvin Catch
Sperry, National President of the
Private Soldiers and Sailors Legion,
in a letter to James A. Flaherty,
Supreme Knight of the Knights of
Columbus, at Philadelphia, told Fla
herty he hoped the Knights would
reconsider the offer and "devote the
money to the humane and Christian
purposes for which it was intrusted
to them" President Sperry's letter
| is as follows:
"The newspapers report that the
Knights of Columbus made proposal
to the American Legion to donate to
that corporation $5,000,000 collected
for aid to the soldiers of the United
States during the World War, and
that this $5,000,000 was to be used
to build a memorial hall and head
quarters building for the American
Legion at Washington.
"I suggest to the Knights of Colum-
bus, who propose to turn this great
sum of money over to the American
Legion for a Memorial Hall and Head
quarters Building, that this money
was not donated to the Knights of
Columbus for any such purpose.
"From talking over the subject,
with many citizens and ex-service
men, find they hold the same opinion
viz: That this money contributed to
the Knights of Columbus during the
war was for aid and relief of our
soldiers in those matters which would
not be reached and cared for by
regular military and governmental
agencies. AS we are all aware there
are many cases of injury and distress
that befell soldiers and their families
during the war and as results of the
war, which the army and the govern
mental agencies can not and do not
reach. And it was for the relief of
such cases and conditions that many
million of dollars was freely and gen.
erously given by the American peo-
pie to the Knights Of Columbus.
"To use this money for any other
purpose is a moral breach of trust
and an act of injustice in large num-
Der of cases unrelieved distress and
suffering among soldiers and their
families solely for the aid and relief
of whom this money was given.
"To turn this money over to build
great marble palace at Washington
| for the American Legion is certainly
an indefensible diverting of this
money from the purpose for which it
was clearly intended.
"There still remain a great number
of cases of unrelieved injury distress
and suffering among the victims of
the war who are not being reached
and probably never will be reached
by any governmental agency. Would
it not be far more just and humane,
and in accord with the merciful and
generous intent of those who gave
this money that it be used for the aid
of the helpless victims of the war
rather than for the building of osten-
tatious palaces for the use of
wealthy corporation like the Ameri-
can Legion?
"I trust the Knights of Columbus
will reconsider their action, and de-
vote the five million dollars to humane
and Christian purposes for which it
was entrusted to them"