The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-01-28

4 SPECTACLE believed TO be AL
IN most unique in American history
and one that has given tremendous
impetus to the nationwide fight of
the American Legion to obtain at
least simple justice for sick and dis
abled heroes of the World war, was
staged in the thriving little desert
city Of Tucson. Ariz.. recently.
Led by Gov. Thomas f. Campbell
and national, stare and local repre-
sentatives of the Legion, the entire
citizenry of the community brought
every business activity TO standstill
for a day while more than 5000 men
and women in overalls or other appro-
pirate working garb, drove their auto
mobiles TO Pastime park. three miles
north of the town. and labored with
their hands to expedite construction
of an emergency public health serv-
ice hospital for tubercular ex-service
men.
Governor Campbell E. ]. Winslett,
national vice commander of the Lee
gion; State Commander Bert II. Gin
gan, Mayor o. c. Parker and hundreds
of other prominent business and pro-
fessional men of the city and state
appeared in real working clothes and
manipulated shovels, picks, hammers,
saws and wheelbarrows in the great
est frenzy of activity the community
had ever known The immediate re-
suit was that the emergency institu-
ton which government engineers
originally had estimated it would take
~,
virtual completion within one week,
and more than 500 tubercular dere-
licts of the war who had been unhcs-
pitalized and partly shelterless. sud
denly found themselves with a roof
over their heads
The whole demonstration was
planned and carried out within a lit
tie more than 4S hours, while Governor
Campbell and State Legion Comman-
der Clingan made flying trips from
Phoenix to address mass meeting
under legion auspices at the armory
on the evening preceding the park
event, and TO participate in the heavy
work" there next day. The chief
executive of the commonwealth
pushed q wheelbarrow full of rocks,
drove an ex-army truck and wound
up his strenuous afternoon with an
plea to TucsonianS and all
good Americans 10 get together and
stand squarely behind the legion in
''the most important movement now
starting here for the benefit of dis
abled ex-service men that has yet be
gun in the United States
At the conclusion of his address, ]
the overalls the governor had worn
during the afternoon, and which fig
ured consplcuously in several hundred
feet of movie" film unwound by a
Pathe News camera man. were aUc- !
toned off TO the highest bidder, the /
Morgan McDermott post of the legion |
at rncson. Approximately $500 for |
the benefit of a welfare fund for pa |
TENTS at the hospital was realized |
from the auction. each bidder being /
to hand over the sum offered, |
irrespective of whether it was high I
enough TO get the clothes. The bid |
If the Legion Post was $50.
The attention of f. w. Galbraith.
r.. the Iegion's national commander,
vas first attracted to the Tucson stu
ltion after II. d. MacArtan. the public
lealth service physician in charge of
he hospital. had gone to Washington
md reported that more than half of
he 12S patients then in the institu-
ion were sleeping in condemned
rmy tents, and that there were APP
45O other tubercular ex-
service men entirely unhospitalized
congestion which followed the usual