The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-04-07
BRING IN MEMBERS
SAYS THIS OFFICER
LEGION OFFICIAL ISSUES
PEPPERY STATEMENT
Total of Thirty Thousand On
Organization Roll In Mime
sofa; Raymond F. Tenant,
Treasurer, Urges Former Sol,
diers To Join American So
ciety.

An interesting review Of mem
bership work done by the Ameri-
can Legion has been sent through
out the state. II is an interview
with Raymond l. Tenant, treasur
err of the American Legion of Min
neSota:
"A membership fee of three dol
lars a year has been sufficient 70
meet post, state and national Le-
gion expenses. The fact that nc
increase in dues has since been
made, shows that the three dollars
average is about right. On this
basis, there were in Minnesota IN
1921, a total OF 10000 paid up Lee
gionaires out OF total soldier pop
ulation oil approximately l0O,ooo
Iowa with a similar soldier popula,
ton, enrolled the remarkable total
OF $4,000 Legionaires in 1921, While
Wisconsin. slightly larger, couio
ago the Minnesota Legion led Iowa
and Wisconsin in the percentage OF
re enrolled Legionaires. or the
$4,000 Minnesota Legionaires OF
1921, more than $4,000 have paid
their dues for 1922, but during the
last week there has been an unac-
Countable drop in total weekly re-
enrollments from Minnesota. In
stead OF 1000 reinstateInents per
week, there have Deen less than
5uO. Should this continue, the
Gopher Legion would soon start
skidding IRON the honored position
which has been bringing 1t national
attention. One more bad week ana
we will drop from sixth place ID
the national mem ,ership race.
Two things are inevitable. we
must either renew our membershll
efforts with redoubled energy OF
take back seat among the Legion
departments of the nation.
1T is my sincere believe ina,
states, holds the worlds most in
teiligent and industrious citizens
Our veterans are part Of our citi,
zenship. Carry the Legion appeal
of service tc community country
and comrades directly to them
show them why you ask their NOR
al and financial support, and they
will back you up and help make
the Minnesota Legion the blgges'
and finest and greatest.
Members outside Cities
1T is found that in the large cl-
ties of the state the most difficulty
is being found in appealing to the
ex- soldiers. Outside the large CIT
les, the five hundred Minnesots
posts are delivering the members
More than hundred have sur
passed their last years total.
For three months we have beer
among the six leading Legion DC
partments," states the Gopher Le-
gion Adjutant, Stafford King. Fol
weeks the seventh department mas
been more than five hundred mem
bers below us. The six Leaders
were Pennsylvania, New York, H.
linois. Ohio. Iowa and Minnesota
But during the last two weeks
there has been an unaccountabie
slackening in the speed with which
Gopher Legion posts have peer
RENTING for additional members
From a rate of one thousand pei
week our Gopher total has dropped
to less than 500 per week.
"ln the meantime, Massachusetts
Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Cali
fornia and Michigan have put or
stronger spurts than ever and are
fast cutting down the Minnesota
lead. Massachusetts has just nosed
ahead by about fifty members
That leaves the Gopher gang II
seventh position.
do we stay there? De we sir
hack farther? Or do we show the
stuff that's in us? Let's forge
ahead once more. Lets interview
our delinquents and get their dues
and that will give us our 10000
Legionaires of 1921, with almost
nine months in which to double oul
last years membership. Secure
GO 900 Gophers for 1922. Its a big
lob but the Gopher gang can do IL.