The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-06-23
Am rican
ID Le9ri11en,
MacNider. The Mani
"a a

MacNlder, the man! TO those
who know and love MacNider and
are constantly thrown in his COM
pany, the best description of "Mac"
-as everyone calls him five min
utes after being introduced-is that
of the doughboy who said: 'Uncle
Sam may have made MacNider a
Colonel, but he is still a buck pri-
vate. at heart"
"MacNider, the man who turned
down 700 nationwide speaking en-
gagements to come 20 st. Paul and
Minnesota for Memorial Day, the
idol of Legionaires, the wonder man
to the buck privates of the organ
ization which he leads, when asked
how he happened to rise from a
private to a colonel, said: 81 don't
know, unless it was because / was
always hanging around zzheadquar-
tiers and they promoted me to get
rid of me-"
That's Macs way of explaining
it, but there's no more truth in it
than in his claim that he isn't a
speech maker. This man MacNijer
earned every promotion General
Pershing ever gave him. Every
where he goes he meets men who
served with him, and from the look
of affectionate esteem with which
they greet him, it isn't hard to see
that where MacNider leads, those
who know him will follow. AS an
officer he wasn't afraid to lead his
men anywhere but-never, even when
obliged to disobey higher. orders,
did he risk their lives needlessly.
And wherever he sent a man, he
was always ready to go with him.
"MacNider claims he's no orator.
He is wrong. He is one of the
best public speakers in America,
because while he doesn't talk long,
every sentence he delivers has a
punch back of it. Macs motto is
"there never was a speech that was
too short. He doesn't tire his
audience with endless verbiage. He
hammers his point home and quits.
And mingled with his sound logic
are many humorous stories, in most
of which he is the goat.
"But speaking voice ism. all
MacNider has. He has a wonder
full personality. He is a fighter for
right and justice to his sick, in
jured and unemployed buddies. Al
though he is Republican, he's the
most democratic guy on earth, and
in spite of the hardships of a
speaking tour which has lasted seven
months, he never complains, and he
is scheduled to speak continuously
until the Legion National Conven-
ton next October.
"MacNider's democracy is illus
srated by the fact that he always
carries his own grip. When the
train pulls in, he is the first man
to grab his overgrown suitcase and
nine times out of ten he will grab
someone else's bag too and rush
for the train. Whether he is talk
ing to an audience of fifty or five
thousand he never loses his good
humor. The only remark he makes
when a slim crowd turns out to
welcome him is: "I guess these
folks must have heard me before"
"But he is wrong again. To
have heard MacNider once is to
want to hear him again. Many of
us have heard him do.el times
but every time he SPOKE we got
new thrill out of his mes sage and
we are sure that every citizen who
heard him received a new and finer
understanding of MacNider, the
man, and of The American Legion,
and what Legionaires hope to ac-
complish.
"MacNider's dearest wish is to
see all buddies of the great war
united in the American Legion.
While he feels that the big bond
which should bind them together is
good fellowship, the memory of
their war service together, and love
of country and community, he does
not hesitate to shoot straight from
the shoulder when he says: every
veteran who refuses to join the
American Legion is deserving his
disabled comrades as much as if he
had left Them lying wounded on
the field of battle" That's Mac
Nider, the manl
organized and constructive effort,
properly directed, is what will in
sure the success OF the American