The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-05-13

States who has travelled more since
last fall than Hanford MacNider, ma
tional commander of the American
Legion, he must be a double-identity
railroad man, a brakeman on the
TranscOntinental by day and a Pull
man porter by night. MacNider has
visited fOrty-four states of the Union
since his election in Kansas City Mo-
last fall. He speaks in an average of
eight cities in each state, and eight
times forty-four is 1852, not counting
the towns and cities he has reached by
trolley car, automobile, airplane,
horse and buggy, motorcycle and
walking.
He has been in his home town,
Mason City, Ia, just three times
since his election to head the World
war veterans. He was there on
Thanksgiving, at the earnest demand
of his father and mother, and they
persuaded him to give them Christ
mas. Then this spring he simply had
TO go back to attend the annual meet
ing of the stockholders of his e mn
Fany, or they might have gone - get
him. There's a vacant chair in his
mothers house, but MacNider is trav-
cling on schedule, and the more he
travels. the more the Legion demands
that he travel
If he complies with every request
from a Legion post that he visit them
ana their citizens, he will have been
in some 1900 towns and cities of
the United States before next fall,
and in some hundreds of others that
Will form Legion post just to get
him there.
He Is a Hard Shaker.
They used to talk about hand-sIiak-
ers in the army and they still talk
about them around election tinTe-
but not the kind of a hand-shaker as
is this man MacNider. He considers
it a privilege, he says, to grasp the
full five fingers of the strong right
hand of every Legionaire every place,
and he makes it a strong, cordial
grip that one doesn't forget AMI he
says at least a few words with each
one. A statiStician tried to figure out
how many hands MacNider shakes
IN month and gave it up when he
reached the ten thousandth hand. It's
at least that figure, it was estimated
not counting the ladies and gentle
men who shake left-handed. if any.
About the first place MacNfder goes
when he gets into a town and the re-
ception committee let's him. is to the
nearest and farthest hospital where
sick and wounded ex-service men are
still living the war. The Chief, as
they call him. was wounded himself,
at st. Mihiel, and he has a deep af-
lection for those young men whose
bodies will forever bear the scars suf-
fered for their country. No one ever
thought that his effort to. cheer up
the disabled buddy on his bed of pain
was forced or put on" and nobody
would want to think such a thing. out
loud, in the presence of a Legion man.
He Rides All Night.
Riding all night on the train. up
early after perhaps five hours of sleep
on thefrails, to breakfast with a Lee
gion post at seldom later than 1880
or o'clock in the morning, a speech
then, before and after breakfast: a
trip to the hospitals, a going over the
local posts problems and open
house" for everybody and the morn
ing is gone. Then luncheon with the
leading civic organization of the city.
where he meets the business men and
talks with them on any subject and
then a bite to eat before he starts
parade, and generally there is one,
then begins.
MacNider tries to get out of parad-
ing, but when he can't help being in
one, he asks to march with the Legion
men instead of riding in the decorated
automobile He gives as a reason,
Zone that cannot but be accepted)
that he wants to keep in physical
trim by walking-that's the only exer-
else he gets and he keeps in good
trim, at that. Then follows the gen
eral public meeting, IN the opera
theater, the largest hall or even in a
nice. clean barn when nothing else is
handy. It's now O'Clock and he's
due to speak before the Legion post
in a town fifteen miles distant in half
an hour.
A swift ride by auto. another "open
house" another speech more person
al meetings Of the "buddies'' and he's
/ off, to appear at a dinner-banquet
/ with speeches, etc. After that he talks
with the post members, their wives,
mothers and daughters OF the Legion