The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-22
National Commander American
h Legion Here Today.
Addresses Large Audience at C.
of C. Luncheon.
MUST CARE FOR DISABL ed"
To Hold Big Reception in
Memorial Building Tonight.
Party VIII Leave for Denver
( Friday Noon.

man in the United States we do not
need to fear for the safety of the in
stitutions of government we love
SO wen,' said Franklin D'Olier, ma
tionai commander of the American
Legion. in his address to the members
of the legion and the Chamber of
Commerce at the luncheon given in
his honor today noon at the c. of c.
D'Olier, Mrs. D'Olier and James
Darst, associate editor of the Ameri-
can Legion Weekly. arrived in Topeka
at 1925 o'clock on the Union Pacific
from Kansas City. and were taken to
the Cham ber of Commerce rooms i'm
mediately in cars.
Albert Strain. president of the c. of
C., INTRODUCED State Commander
Phares of Wichita, who in turn in
troduced D'Olier. D'Orier spoke of
the growth of the Legion, from the
original 1000 men who met in Paris
in March of 1919. to the present
strength of one and a half million
members all over the civilized world.
The ideals of the Legion are right"
said D'Oiier, 'and our aim is to serve
our country, our comrades and our
community. 1t gratifies me greatly
to see the interest that the Legion
posts over the United States are taking
! in municipal affairs
He spoke of one post getting be-
| hind the building of high school in
its community and making the pro-
1
He dwelt for some time on the in
crease of pay allowed disabled service
men.
"A group of US ex-service men had
a meeting in Washington on Monday
concerning the inadequate pay all
lowed disabled soldiers, and on Satur-
day of the same week. the bill allow
ing disabled men $50 a month and in
some cases more, was passed by both
houses. We men who returned from
the war with whole bodies are not the
ones who paid the price of victory.
| leg. eye and in some cases each. paid
the price for freedom and world dem
ocracy."
In speaking of the support from
home, D'OHer said: 1T was not the
imam in France. whether he was un-
loading freight at st. Nazarre. or
Brest, or fighting in the trench, nor
the men at home in the service, who
accomplished the victory. The men,
women, and children who remained
in the homeland and sent their en-
lcouragement to US. who gave their
Imoney-aIl they could spare and then
some more-these were the patriots
who won the war. Without them we
could have done nothing"
THE American Legion will in time
\ be the Izest powerful organization In
the states" said D'Oher in closing,
| the reason LndC II HldkeS no uiA
! ference whether a man is Republf-
| can, Democrat, Protestant or Catholic,
he is welcomed with open arms into
| the Legion, a powerful organization
| which stands for law and order, and
| loyalty to country and comrades at all
times and at all turns of the road.
| ApplauseA from the packed dining
room interrupted D'Olier many times.
The doors and hall were packed with
interested listeners who could not find
seats A U-shaped table seated the
] forty distinguished guests. including
Mrs Capper. The American Legion
| emblem, in the shape of the coat
lapel button, hung behind D'Olier. His
talk lasted about fifteen minutes.
Many diners allowed their meals to
grow cold while they leaned forward
in the chairs. straining their ears for
every word of the speaker.
TIE party was to rest this afternoon
at their rooms in the National hotel
and will attend reception tonight at
o'clock given in their honor at the
Memorial building.
| James Darst associate editor of the
American Legion Weekly, is travelling
with the party, looking oyer the vari-
Gus states and posts for local coloring
useful to his publication. Darst has
been identified with several of the
Heading newspap pers of the country. He
served overseas as a lieutenant in the
seth division and is a close friend OF
Leslie Edmunds of Topeka, who was
captain in command of Darsts COM
pany.
The party has only started on Their
tour They spent Monday in st. Louis
Tuesday and Wednesday in Kansas
City, and will leave Topeka at noon to-
morrow on the Rock Island for Den
yer. The rest of the trip so far as II
has been mapped out is as follows:
Cheyenne, Wyo.. Pocatello, Ida
Salt Lake City. Reno. New, Carson
City, San Francisco, Los Angeles
Portland. Centralia and Seattle
Wash, and Helena, Mont. The party
will get a brief breathing spell at the
next stop in Yellowstone park. and
then proceed to Bismarck, n. D.
Water Town. s. D.. Hastings. Neb.
then a big jump to Cleveland. o., and
planned into Oklahoma and Texas. bu'
no definite decision has yet been ar
rived at
Franklin D'ouer. a graduate oi
Princeton, class of '9S, has achieved
great promine ence both with ex-servict
linen and in the financial world He
is president and principal stockholdel
of the Franklin D'Olier Woolen Mills
one of the largest in the United States
D'Olier's war record began as a cap
tain in the quartermaster depot
Philadelphia. where his factory is 10
Gated IN January, 1919 ne was sen
to France and placed in charged o
the first United States salvage depo
there. at St. Pierre Des Corps. neal
Tours. Not satisfied with the size anC
capacity of this depot, he was en-
gagged in organizing the largest salvag'
depot in France, at Lyons, when th'
armistice was signed
D'OIier also IS a dyed-in-the-woo
baseball fan. He can tell you Bah
iRuth's batting average from 1918 q
! the present season. and can give tn
! personal history of most OF the prin
/ cipal actors on the diamond-shaPe'