Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-23
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Daily Talks With Thinking Phladelphians Subjects They
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the parents or relatives. asking that money
b" tclcgraphcd to their stranded kin, but in
only few cases has this suggestion met
with the approval Of the touring veteran.
To men carrying Legion membership
card we suggest that wire be sent to their
funds. but this suggestion usually meets
with the fate Of the other one. Since bur
own funds are very limited and there is
much distress among our local men, our
office feels that it is poor practice to ad-
vance transportation money unless repay
mcnt is guaranteed beyond doubt, and we
r"fus" all requests which are not so guar
antccd.
Post Officers Hoodwinked
"When it is necessary to wait day or 70
for an answer to Il telegram for money we
provide food and shelter for the man until
the answer is received. IL the money Is
forwarded W" write on the reverse side Of
his ticket that 1t is not transferable. This
has been found necessary because so many
mon have changed their minds about leaving
the city after they got their money and sold
their tickets
"On frequent occasions men have applied
to MS bearing letters from various post Off =
GERS commencing the men to the best care Of
those with whom they may come into con =
tact. Such letters have enabled men to cx-
tract considerable money from unsuspecting
persons. and we have notified post officers all
over the country not to issue these letters
unless they positively know the men to whom
they give them.
when such requests are presented the
best way is to telephone our Office or send
the man to us. One of our specific Jobs at
this time Is to discourage the practice of
working the American Legion and the public
for train fare with which to tour the coun.
try: our own joblcss men need this money
too badly for this.
Most Are Worthy Cases
But while there are undeniably some OF
TINS type, most Of the men who apply for
help are genuinely worthy cases, They ore
men who dislike to ask for assistance and
come TO MS because they served with us and
would rather apply to us than to the various
civili an relief agencies, which already are
taxed to the limit of their capabilities. For
these men we are cndeavoring to raise a
fund Of at least $4,000.
There also is psychic element which
enters into many Of the cases. though not
among the higher types Of the veterans.
Some of the men were in the service SO long
that they have become accustomed to having
their food and clothing supplied for them
instead OF earning the money and getting
these necessities themselves. Another lob
now before US Is to break those who have
acquired it of this habit and DESTROY this
economically false point Of view. A lot of
the eX- service men claim that the country
owes them living for what they have done,
but when you come TO sift this to the bottom
you will find that most Of those who make
this claim were never out of the country :
the man who served all through the war
usually keeps quiet about the obligations Of
the country. But the man of this type
usually has q job.
War service and membership in the
American Legion are not a cloak behind
which any man can hide. and the Legion
card gives no immunity for anything. The