The Alaska daily empire., 1920-11-12
AMERICAN LEGION
 DANCE IS A MOST
 BRILLIANT AFFAIR

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 The second annual Armistice Ball of the American Legion has passed into history and this event, which was given at the A. B. Hall last night by the members of Afford John Bradford Post No. 4, will long be remembered by those at tending as social function par excellent.
 The decorating committee spared TO work in artistic designing and the general committee left nothing undone that would promote the gayety of the evening.
 Gov Thomas Riggs, Jr., and J. P. Walker, Departmental Commander of the American Legion in Alaska, made short talks during tho even- ing. Gov. Riggs, Jr.. praised the members of the Legion and MT Walker told of various things the Legion had accomplished
 Following the short addresses, the Grand March, led by Mir Walker and Mrs Thomas Riggs, Jr, was had and this was a colorful scene Ex-servico men of all ranks par ticipated with those in civilian clothes, and the fair sex, in pretty party dresses, made terpischorean scene.
 Red Cross young ladies served punch during the evening.
 The attendance was large, in fact for several hours during the even ing it was a struggle in dancing, so many couples being on the floor, and the gallery, just previous and after the grand march, was filled to oyerfowing.
 Gov. Riggs Address.
 Gov. Thomas Riggs, Jr., made the following apt remarks to the mem bers of the American Legion and others attending the dance:
 'InterWoven as is the love of Lib orty with every ligament Of your hearts, no recommendation of mine is necessary to fortify or confirm he attachment'
 Theses words are not mine; they are the words of our greatest Amer ican-George Washington-deli delivered in bis farewell speech to the people Of the United States. They were true then and they are true now
 "The love of liberty was the con rolling principle of the life of Washington. and through his exam ple is the controlling principle of the life of every true American Were it otherwise we would not be celebrating Armistice Day We would now be under the domination of the descendants of those fierce Germanic tribes which overran the high civilization existing at the commencement of the Christian era and set back the clock of progrcce for a thousand years.
 Thank God for the American spirit which will keep alive the tra- ditions of our forfathers and which in distressful times will cause each American to lay aside petty animcsi- ties and selfish ambitions, and to rally to the support Of the flag. This lag in itself is little save as a thing of beauty, but as an emblem of our great national ideals. it is all, and so it is that we arc thrilled by the sight of it and in our hearts is reused the wish to be true 10 the high standards of our republic and 10 the heritage which has come down to us direct from the hands of the father of. our country
 'I spoke just now of Americans Do not mistake the term. The slack CT in the great war either in mili- tary or a civil capacity, the profit eer, the | W. w. the communist the bclsheyist: these are not Amer ican; they may have exercised the privileges of citizenship. but in the great melting pot they are merely the scum, obscuring and darkening the pure gold of the nation.
 "Of the 116 big and little wars the United States has been engaged in. there are three outstanding dates October 18th. 1871. April. 9th 1865 and November II. 1918 wonder how many here present know the import of these three dates? On October 18th 1871. Corn wallis laid down his arms at York town. The war of the American