The New York herald., 1921-03-08
MEN OF OLD 69TH
MDORSE LOYALTY
OF COL. ANDERSON
Burn Resolutions Condemn
inc Him for Attending
Madison So. Meeting.
SESSION IS HEATED
Father Duffy Calls Action
OF Former Officer Fool
ish, but His Own Affair.
LEGION TO CALL MEETING
Organization to Combat Dis
loyal Propaganda" of Ger
manic Elements.
LEGION TO CALL MEETING

Resolutions condemning as disloyal
the action of IAeut.-Col. Alexander f.
Anderson in speaking at the recent
Square Garden were burned to ashes
at a meeting in the Waldorf Astoria
last night of former officers and men
Of the 165th Infantry, better known
as the Old Sixty-ninth.
Lieut.. Harold Allen, who introduced
the resolutions. was the only man
present to vote against the burning.
As Capt. William Cook, chairman of
the meeting, touched a match to the
sheet of paper and held 1t blazing
over the CRATE in the state apart
ments somebody shouted:
Three cheers for Col Anderson"
A Heated Session.
The cheers were given with a roar,
and the meeting broke UP with officers
and men crowding around the former
officer to shake his hand. He had ar
rived just in time TO hear Lieut.. Allen
bitterly attacking him fof attending the
Rhine meeting.
The vote for the burning OF the reso-
buttons came at the end of heated but
not disorderly meeting, In which Col.
Anderson's fighting qualities during the
war and his efforts in behalf of
wounded men after the war were ex-
tolied and the right of man to speak
for himself defended.
Although the Rev. Francis p. Duffy,
chaplain and major of the regiment.
was Col. Anderson's chief defender at
the meeting. the chaplain nevertheless
characterized his action in going to the
Rhine horror meeting as foolish and the
meeting itself as wrong.
mo one can bind my tongue" said
Father Duffy. IF don't claim to rep
resent you you've no authority over me,
or over Anderson. talk In terms OF the
Constitution Of the United States.
don't approve Of his going there and I
don't approve OF his speech. but he
didn't claim TO represent you and there
fore you cannot condemn him.
II am a member Of the American
Legion. II would be better organiza-
ton IL there were more men like Ander-
son in II and fewer who pass foolish
resolutions. You knew Anderson during
the war. Since the war he has spent
more time than any one else know in
working for the sick and wounded, in
arranging for burials for the dead. in
seeing that men get citations they de-
serve. If you pass resolutions condemn
ing him both the Sixty-ninth Post OF the
legion and any meeting OF the Rainbow
Association Will repudiate your action
by majority that would leave you fiat"
The meeting was announced on the
bulletin board at the Waldorf as for
Officers only" but a number of buck
privates, corporals and sergeants came
up 10 see about II, and II was one of
these, Supply Sergeant Edward Scanlon
who shouted when the resolution was
proposed. Il object TO the name of
Leut-Col. Anderson being connected
at any time with the word disloyal."
Legion to Call Session.
Roars OF approval from officers and
men greeted this and when Scanlon
later proposed burning the resolution
there was more applause. Capt. X. b.
Deiaoour, who attacked Col, Anderson
for attending "a purely German propa-
ganda meeting" seconded Lieut. Aliens
resolution denouncing him. but toward
the end OF the meeting said II II was the
sense OF the meeting TO burn the resolu-
tions he was for this action. He as
serted that he and the other officers who
organized the meeting had not intended
60 have Il solely for officers and vel
Only a few hours before Col. Ander-
son had been exonerated by the fifty Of
ficers and men OF the Sixty-ninth pres
ent at the Waldorf, representatives OF
the American Legion and other patriotic
and civic organizations decided at the Of
fices OF the Victory Hall Association 10
hold a great "lAll American meeting for
God and country" in Madison Square
Garden on the night OF March is. The
meeting Is called Ito combat the disloyal
propaganda which marked the notorious
Rhine horror meeting" last week The
organizations intend TO fight Germanic
elements planning similar meetings IN AT
least twenty-five other cities.
Edmund Won Mach. chairman OF the
recent meeting, said yesterday that the
committee arranging Il was satisfied
with the result. but that the proceedings
would be published. He said he did not
think the Rhine movement would die
down until French negro troops were
withdrawn. II. w. Galbraith, Jr., ma
tionai commander of the American Le-
gion. was elected chairman OF the or
ganization committee OF the anti-Ger-
man committee. He stated yesterday
that for two years an insidious propa-
ganda. yelling itself in charity. human
ity and decency, was working 10 break
up the friendship Of America and the
Allies