Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-02-19

"A SPECIAILE DelleNeu 10 DC Ill
4 n 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 10. Campbell
and national, state 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 overells 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. j. Winslett,
national vice commander of the Lee
gion; State Commander Bert FL. Gin
gan, Mayor o. G. 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-
tion which government engineers
originally had estimated 1t would take
three months to build, was brought to
virtual completion within one week,
and more than 500 tubercular dere-
licts of the war who had been unhos-
pitalized and partly shelterless, sud
denly found themselves with roof
over their heads
The whole demonstration was
planned and carried out within lit
tie more than 48 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 a wheelbarrow full of rocks,
drove an ex-army truck and wound
40 his strenuous afternoon with an
mpassioned plea to Tucsonians and all
good Americans to get together and
stand squarely behind the legion In
"the most important movement now
starting here for the benefit of dis
abfed ex-service zen that has yet be-
gun In the United States"
At the conclusion of his address,
the overalls the governor had worn
fErng the afternoon, and which fil-
ured conspicuously In several hundred
feet of movie" film unwound by ii
Pathe News camera man, were auc-
toned off to the highest bidder, the
Morgan McDermott post Of the legion
at Tucson. Approximately 5000 for
the benefit of welfare fund for pa
tients at the hospital was realized
from the auction, each bidder being
obliged to hand over the sum offered,
irrespective of whether 1t was high
enough to get the clothes. The bid
of the Legion Post was $40.
The attention Of #. w. Galbraith,
Tr., the legion's national commander,
vas first attracted to the Tucson stu
alton after Fl. d. MacArtan, the public
health service physician in charge OF
the hospital, had gone to Washington
and reported that more than half Of |
the 1913 patients then In the institu-
ton were sleeping In condemned
army tents, and that there were up |
450 other tubercular ex-
service men entirely unhospitalzed
In the community as result of the
Songestion which followed the usual |