The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-06-02

((25 &] lZz (Nl I'D so
COMMANDER MacNIDER ASSERTS
VETERANS OF AMEnllAN LEGION
ARE BUSY sOMBAT1NG EVILS
AND HELPING IN CONTRADICTION
BY Henford MacNider.
American Legion National Commander.
Editors Note.-Henford MacNider 10
known tc all Americans as the active
head Of the American Legion. HIS wa:
record IL q fine one and to that he IL
steadily adding a record for clean
leadership Of a powerful organization
The American Legion mast b count
ed in on every national activity or
movement. The men OF the Legion ne
lieye in and trust Commander Mac
Nider. AS an American you can do
the same in reading the followins
The guiding motive Ct the American
Legion is to keep alive at least some
part of the wonderful spirit Of service
that animated everyone in 1917 and
1918. If even a flicker of that spirit
can be preserved and turned to good
account Legion men feel hiatt their
organization will not have existed In
vain.
The application Of such spirit Of
service to national problems may be
known as Americanism. TIL. Legion
has already succeeded in passing or
is working to pass in every state
school laws covering the teaching OF
the American constitution. 1t Is work.
ing to build up in the coming gen.
Grafton vivid realization of what Am
erican citizenship is. what American
insttutcns are and how and why they
should be respected Many states al !
ready are carrying out in the schools
complete programs written by the Lee
gion which will inspire a new kind
of citizenship in the years that are
not far away.
The Legion is working actively to
combat radicalism. 1t has taken an
active and very influential stand
against class and sect selfishness and
intolerance in every form. The Legion
is working toward the passage OF
sound immigration laws and for ade-
ouate military and navl defense for
the country.
The Legion's work is very practical
and not visionary and it Is local-in
thouands Of American communities
and not merely national. Almost every
one Of the 1900 Legion posts can
show concrete examples of good work
done for the community. Out in Kan
sas. a post adopts a Boy Scout troop:
in Wisconsin the Legion stands sron-
sor for the education and citizenship
of an alien who had worn the Amer
lean uniform: in Missouri, pest
plants trees on n highway; In New
York, the Legion raises $4,000 to
buy sanitarium for the tubercular
ex-service men. The examples are
myriad.
Theme there is the Inter.allied Vet
erans' Federation. that was practical
~ sponsored by the Legion. 1t II a
dream but it is near to coming true
and it's possibilities are far-reachtng.
The Federation embraces representa-
tives of ex-service mems organizations
in all the allied countries. It aims at
such an interchange ideas and such
a preservation Of the spirit Of COM
radeship Of the war, that conflict or
even i'll will between late allies must
be impossible.
The Federation has made great
strides in organisation. 1t has ex-
pected that even more will be accom-
plished after the convention of dele
gates from the allied countries In New
Orleans in October, Just prior to the
League national convention.
The Legion has always been first In
the fight to obtain justice for thed is
abled of the late war. Surely. 1t is q
genuine community service Tor the
Legion to lead the way in demanding
proper care for those comrades OF
ours who came back blind. MANNED
and broken in health and body and
who must live the war forever in the
homes and hospitals of our country.
These men gave their best that all
Of us might enjoy continued safety and
citizenship in this country OF ours
Certain organizations and few tndi'
viduals have succeeded in arous' ne
some interest in behalf Of the dis
abled veterans but the American Lee
gion. backed by the press Of the coun'
try, has net only written. pushed but
actually put through Congress ever!
bit Of legislation for the disabled man
1t 10 perfectly safe to say that hat
Il not been for the Legion. the shame
full neglect and disgraceful Treatment
Of these men would still exist.
The adjusted compensation legisla
ticn did not originate with the Amer
lean Legion. but with congress-. Legion
men were told at their flrst convention
that national legislators wanted t
know the best way to adjust the pa!
Of the service men. They said the!
realised this should be done but ha'
nearly . hundred bills before then
and wanted the thought Of the lie
gion. Then the Legion wrote the ave
fold compensation bill and turned
over without recommendations. Their
from Thousands Of platforms al owe
the country. the men who are noV
representing NJ down In Wash'n gto
promised these four million men thu
they were going to fulhll an ohaiga
tion. 1hey put the entire returne
service population In the state q
mind whore they feel that they hav