The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-12-03
AMERICAN LEGION NEWS

| The secretary of the convention bu-
reau, Chamber of Commerce, Kansas
City, Mo-, has made a complete check
on all the hotels and found the only
damage done at the time of the
! Legion national convention, was a
broken window in the Baltimore hotel
Pillows destroyed at hotels and feath-
ers used to shower the parade were
all paid for.
The wild rumors and stories going
around about destruction, fights and
murders are not true, says the report.
There was not a single death in Kan
sas City attributable to the conven-
tion-there were q. few cases of
''sOuse", but no death of that nature.
The trash cans which the boys used
to good advantage were old containers
ready for the dump and were simply
white-Washed and set up on streets
during the convention for trash. They
were scrapped Immediately after the
convention.
Only one hotel reports guests 1eav-
ing without laying their bills in any
amount, which is the Coates House.
They figure the amount is $639.00, but
over 100000 of this was accounted for
by the fact that guests departed We'd
nesday morning when their reserva-
ton called for Wednesday nights
lodging and they would not pay These
reservations were all made thru the
housing committee and the guests nat
urally did not know they were sup
posed to pay for three or four nights
when they only stayed two or three
nights. So the Coates House actually
lost about $4,000. The walk outs
at the Baltimore and Muehlebach
amounted to less than $4,000 which
is under their usual weekly loss Not
single hotel other than the ones
mentioned report a "walk-out." The
national headquarters of the American
Legion have asked the names of
guests who departed without paying
their hotel bills and have promised
to pay these bills if the guests can
not be located.
A collection of gifts ranging from
a Montana wildcat to jar of beauty
cream will be taken back to France
by Marshal Foch when he sails from
New York December IA on the liner
Paris, according to members of the
American Legion party who have the
generalissimo on a tour of the United
States.
An incomplete inventory of the
marshaPs presents, made before he
started for the west where a motley
collection of new souvenirs awaits
him. includes Theodore, the wild west
bobcat; scorpion embedded in glass;
gold flower bowl from the Iron and
Steel Institute; White River pearl
scarfpin from Arkansas; game rooster
from Sedali2, Mo-. as an emblem of
France; medals by the score, received
from practically every city he has Wis
tied; Oglalla Indian pipe; miniature
Boy Scout statue; pot of beauty cream
from Detroit: three gold swords; In
dian war club from Boy Scouts; gold
Distinguished Service medal presented
by the Legion; box of corncob pipes
from Missouri; scores of books of
every description and numerous gifts
of flowers which he has turned over
TO hospitals along his route
Il treasure each of my gifts" the
marshal is quoted as saying, mot for
any value attached but for the spirit
that prompted the giving"
In his western trip the generalissimo
will touch points in Minnesota, N
Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington,
Oregon, California, Arizona, N Mex
leo, Texas, and en- route back east
Alabama, Georgia, North
and South Carolina. He will visit
several points in Canada Immediately
before sailing.
What is Americanism? Ten years
ago you never heard the word at all,
and lately you have heard it every day.
What does it mean?
'Americanism means loyal, cooper
alive life in this nation, under the ma
tons constitution. It is not merely
faith and a state Of mind. but a pro-
gram, present and pressing" The def
milton is that of President Harding.
Continuing in an interview for the
American Legion Weekly. the chief
executive says:
81 am sorry to say that in the days
that have passed since war was de-
clared four springs ago, the word has
been little dependent. It has been
used too much by empty men who had
nothing really worth while to say and
therefore shouted for America nisrn to
conceal their paucity Of real ideas.
In our own recent times we have
seen it challenged. Therefore, we
are giving our Americanism more
thought because here and there men
have arisen to question its validity
and value"