New-York tribune., 1920-10-05
loo Much Welfare Work
at Ellis Island Now,
Wilson Aid Declares
in Telegram to Woods
Veterans Sought
To Make Citizens
Plan Indorsed by Wallis
and Nationwide Organ
ization Was Perfected

Louis f. Post, Assistant Secretary of
Labor whose immediate dismissal was
recommended at the recent American
Legion convention in Cleveland. tele-
graphed yesterday to Arthur Woods.
former Police Commissioner, who now
is chairman of the Legion's Americana
zation committee, that his department
would have nothing to do with the
Leglons Americanization plan to
facilitate the entrance and assimiIa
ton Of immigrants.
Mr.. Woods was surprised at the fiat
and final refusal which the Depart
ment of Labor returned to the Legion's
proposal. All that the Legion sought
from the government were the names
and destinations OF incoming aliens to
be used for Americanization work
among them. This information the
Legion bureau at Ellis Island would
send to the post neares. the place
whlch each Immigrant had decided
upon as his future home
AS fast as the names of newcomers
IN their district were received Legion
members would enroll them among
those who were to receive the benefit
of the neighborhood and social welfare
work of the post, and every effort
would be made not only to fit them
speedily to cope with conditions in this
strange land, but also to imbue them
with the principles upon which the ma
tlon was founded.
Plan Endorsed by Wallis
Frederick A. Wallis, Commissioner of
my 1fr,,o Il I IL
Deputy Commissioner, had expressed
cordial approval of the plan. al
though remarking that their judg-
ment in the matter was not final.
The project had been in prepara-
ton for months, the two million men,
bers of the Legion and it's women's
auXlllarles have been organized for the
purpose, and Mr. Woods recently re-
newed his request for formal authori-
zatlon by the Dep; rtment of Labor on
learning that the department. had in
creased the number of welfare organi-
cations admitted to Ellis Island from
seven to fifteen.
Rowland B. Mahany. acting Secre-
request Of Mr. Woods, had indicated
that the idea did not appeal to him,
saying that already there were more
philanthropic societies at Ellis Island
than there was room for and that the
government would be reluctant to place
the welfare of immigrants in the hands
of any private organization.
Mr.. Woods said last night that the
telegram that he had received from Mr..
Post gave no hope of reconsideration
of the plan, and so far as he could sec
nothing whatever could be done with
the organization which the Legion had
1,-fo 20 I1F,
Woods Describes Purpose
"The Legion proposed to put it's mil
lion and a half to two million mem
bers, organized in 5000 or 10000 posts
throughout the country, at the dis
posal of the newly arrived foreigners'
he said, 'to welcome them when they
reach their destination, to make it easy
for them to learn English, to help them
find job if they needed one, to help
them find place to live-in general
to befriend them, to do for them what
one friend would do for another, to
help them see our country as it is and
to stay with them, not for a week or a
month, but unit! they became citizens.
The plan of the American Legion
was cordially approved by Acting Com
missioner Uhl, who has been so long
at Ellis Island and done such splendid
work there, and by Frederick A. Wallis,
present Commissioner of immigration
at Ellis Island.
ever since the beginning of the
summer the American Legion has been
ready to begin this, needing nothing
except that the Department of Labor
furnish the Legion with the names and
destinations of newly arrived imm-
grants. The Department of Labor has
refused to do this.
Upon receipt of such information
immediate action would be taken by the
Legion. Immigrants upon arriving at
their destinations would be called on
by some member of the Legion, who
would be prepared to do for them what
one comrade would do for another. In
case of women immigrants the womens
auxiliary would be called into action.
THE intention of the Legion was to
have this plan cover the whole country,
so that any immigrant going to any
part of the United States, if he was
not going to friends who could help
him, would find friend in some mem
Der of the American Legion"
The Americanization committee of the
Legion, confident that its offer would be
Continued page eIeyen)