The Cordova daily times., 1920-06-17

w " " HY DID they locate the
 WAY national Headquarters of " the American Legion at
 Indianapolis?
 This Is question that many dele gates to the Minneapolis convention of the American Legion are unable to answer. They know that Indianapolis was not one of the three cities re- ported favorably on by the committee, that 8 minority report was presented on the floor of the convention. result ing In the election of Indianapolis as permanent headquarters of the organi- xzation.
 Fred Bates Johnson, an Indianapolis attorney and one of the Hoosier dele gates to the convention. was asked how the Indianapolis delegation ma- neuvered to secure the headquarters.
 ''It was a case of superior salesman ship, as l see It." said MT. Johnson. 'TThat means, as you know, faith in the superior quality of the product you're trying to sell, thorough knowl edge of the article, and hard work.
 "We not only worked hard in try ing to convince the members of the committee that Indianapolis was the logical location-we tried to sell the city to every delegate we could talk to. The result was when we found we had lost out in committee, we felt pretty confident we could win by rais- ing the question on the floor of the and wQ 6f6
 "We had delegation thoroughly we'll informed on the advantages the city afforded as headquarters cen- ter. The line of argument was, Of Csurse, shaped to fit the particular delegate with whom we were dealing, and all in line with a pre-arranged plan. Pm not saying that the political bent naturally inherent in every Hoo sier may not have helped us in winning out over the competing cities.
 "Our first argument was that Indi- anapolfs was the ideal convention or headquarters city because it is oGly sixty miles from the center of popu- lation and thus most accessible to the largest number of members. We ex- plained that with fifteen railroads ant thirteen electric interurban lines, this greatest inland railway center was easily and directly reached from all parts of the country.
 eve showed them how more cities of 30.0O0 population and over can be reached in a nights ride from 1ndt- annapolis than from any other city in the United States. embracing zone including Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Toledo. Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Chat tanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, St. Louis, Peoria and Springfield. Over two million people live within two hours ride of the city and over 6O,- 100000 can be reached over night.
 'tWe also argued that the fact the city was an ideal headquarters lOca- ton was evidenced by the number of national headquarters already located here, listing among these the United Mine Workers of America, Internation- al Brotherhood of Bookbinders, Inter- national Typographical union, Inter- national Brotherhood of Teamsters and Chauffeurs BrickIayers, Masons and Plasterers' International union, Bar bers' Internationa union. and the h. ternational Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. This array of labor or- ganiZatfons assured the approval Of the thousands of legion members be longing to labor organizations.
 we said we could assure all ex- service men of a most cordial welcome as Indianapolis had always been most