Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-05-07
Contest Between Veterans
of Foreign Wars and
Ex-Firemen
COUNCIL TO DECIDE
Russell Mitchell Post and Relief Truck
Company Seel; Headquarters at
Friendship House.

4 WHAT promise to be an interesting
fieht fer the POSSESSION OF tn. MS
toric o!I Friendship fire engine h2ust
now controlled By the City Council ani
the Friendship Veterans Ere AsSocla-
ton is looming between the member
of Russell Mitchell Post No. 500, Fet-
erans u Foreign Wars and the mem
bcr.; of the fJrmer volunteer f!rcmen
Of the reliance Fire Company No. ).
The fi@h: undoubtedly will be wagei
on the f,tor cf council and the oW-
come is awaited with considerable in
tereSt.
To begin with on Apri! 26 the msm.
bcrs of Russell Mitchell Post petition
e.l city council 20 ass;s; them in OBJ
tanning possession of the Friendsh:?
engine house They explained in then
lcHar .aat they desired 20 open the
house for visitors and charge an ad-
mission fae and use tn. fuMiS de-
rived ;herefrom for the relief f.m,'
anil the upkccp Of the building.
The Reliance Fire Company a. .
mectin., held last Thursday night. as
stated in Tha Gaz@t,c last night, do
ciied 10 JOIN the Friendship Veterans
Fire Association and expect TO have
quarters at that company'S house ]
also was stated jy enc Of tn" former
volunteers that they expected some of
the for'ucr members Of the Relief
Truck Company TO also join them in
becoming identified with this asso-
c;atlon.
The following is a copy cf the lei
ter submitted 10 city council by the
Veterans of Foreign Wars.
April -. 1921
Ciy Ccuncil.
Va.
Gentlemen:
We. the members CT Russell Nit
chcl! Pos: No. 609 Veterans of For
c.~n Wars of the United States, do
hereoy respectfully solicit ycur assist
ance in obtaining the Friendship En-
rine HoGSe on South Alfred Street for
th-. following purposes:
FirSt-Wc desire to assist all needy
cx-serv:ce men and their families fin
ancially and otherwise and in order
to do lis we need a coed sum CT
money. THIS we do not care 10 beg,
for !; would appear as charity to those
we helo. We canndt lot our heroes
be thr0wn on charity. And for this
rsa son We desire to have the autnor%y
20 open ms Historic House to visitors
and By charging admission We can
make money for this relief fund and
for the :,pkeep cf the building. This
relief fund is for the assistance of
all ey-Srrvice men and their fami-
lies Of arv war of the United States.
either home or foreign service We do
not discriminate.
Sccond-We desire 20 secure q
home Of our own and would like TO
have the upper rooms as a meeting.
place.
We agree to make the necessary
improvements for the upkccp of tht
property # admission fee will allow i,
we also agree TO fence off at Least five
fcs.s from the relics so that theE will
ROT i" handled by tn" visitors.
This historic house as a si@htssH-
irr p.ac" for tourists VIII he in charge
cf an ex-service man who will be re-
spors:nlc 20 q committee appointed by
tEis post. This committee 10 make DC
tail monthly reports to our Adjutant
lsecre.arr' and Quarternaster (trea-
surer) ana any person or persons de-
s:cnated by your Council. This report
wi! n,t 3e for publication as We do
rot publish the names Of those We as
S::S5r.
We feel hat YOU will assist Us in
helping our comrades w';c are less
fo,suna:.. than we.