Evening star., 1924-03-23

tions, Paul V. Collins, chairman; A.
l.. Giacomini and Charles o. Shaw.
Meetings of the board of governors |
will be held, it was announced by f.
Lester Jones. chairman of the board.
the second Wednesday in each month,
and the clubhouse will be open to
report of the activities of the board
was presented by the chairman.
The meeting Tuesday night con-
cluded with the presentation of the
film, FLASHES of Action" through the
courtesy of the War Department.
Sergt John II. Saum, United States
film presentation.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars in more than 1900 posts
throughout the United States, Philip
pines, China, Hawaii, Canal Zone.
France, and even in far-away Cape
town, South Africa. will sell poppies
Memorial day to serve a twofold pur-
poSe-aS a visible sign of homage to
our service dead and a means OF
financially assisting disabled former
service men. Col. Louis NJ. Fellows,
chairman of the 1924 V. +. w. poppy
committee, declared:
The campaign conducted annually
by the Veterans of Foreign Wars has
now become an established custom,
and 1t certainly looks as though the
veterans dream to see a poppy placed
IN the buttonhole of every American
on Memorial day would this year be
realized. In the past considerable
criticism has arisen in various parts
OF the country. due to the fact that
the scarlet flowers used in the cam
paign were manufactured either in
france or in American factories, and
many of the people were given the
impression that they were the product
of sweatshops. This was caused, too,
no doubt, by the fact that many un-
scrupulous organizations profited by
the custom established by the V. +.
w. and conducted similar sales on
Memorial day.
The poppieS used by the V. f. W.
Col. FellowS further declared, ARE
being manufactured by disa bled vet
Grams of the world war in a clean.
Well ventilated factory in Pittsburgh,
Ia THESE men are of the class
termed non-feaSible for any training
by the Veterans Bureau at Washing
ton, and were employed by the V. F..
W. only when all other agencies of
the government had admitted that
they were hopeless cases. They are
well compensated for their labor, and
under the watchful eye of Veterans
Bureau officials, representatives of
welfare organizations and others in
terested in the problems of the ma
tion S disabled, are making remark
aple Srogress and seem to be rapidly
iorsettlr>< the horrors of war, now
that their ninds are diverted to other
channels"
Wltnin the next three months the
members of the American Legion in
the department of the District of CO.
lumbla Will devote considerable time
at the meetings of the tVenty-cight
posts IN Washington in discussing the
intimate problems of the organization
oGaiiy. These discussions have been
called for by Department Commander
Il n - -
View of having the annual depart
inehL convention, to be held during
Ihe hrst week in August, marked by
legislation that will place the depart
ment on such firm foundation that
its future success will be permanent
ly assured
organized five years ago, the Amer
lean Legion in Washington has grown
at a very encouraging rate accord
ing to Department Commander Nc
Gahan, who has just completed a sur
Eey or other departments throughout
the country.
Every ex-service element in the
bistrlct OF Columbia now finds it pos
siole TO an1llate with a post Of the
american Legion, holding a particu-
lar appeal and interest" declared
Commander McGahan. This is due
TO the fact that there have been char
eight posts.
Each one Of these posts is making
an especial appeal to a certain class
or veterans. There are three posts
whose membership is entirely COM
posed of colored veterans OF the
world war. There are twenty-five
other posts which afford the wash
ington veteran a field for selection
equal to that in any part of the coun-
try.
And the Nations Capital is unioue
in that it has three women's posts.
whlch are thoroughly representative
OF the woman veterans of the world
war. One of these is made up en-
tlreiy or young women who served
IN the United States Navy as yeomen.
Another is made up entirely of young
women who were enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps And the
group, the Army and Navy nurses.
VINO miniStered to the needs Of the
sick and disabled soldiers at home
and abroad, and who today are main
tanning the same degree of fidelity to-
word their companions of the service.
"One of the Washington posts has ac-
CURED and is occupying its own home.
The others are building up towards
that same end. But what is better,
the membership of the present time
IS membership that is sticking and
the result is that the voice of the
American Legion is becoming more
articulate and of greater value all
the while.
I'm the past year there has been an
increasing participation by the Amer
ican Legion in the local affairs Of
Washington. That participation
will increase as time goes on. And
besides, the local members of the
American Legion are increasingly
understanding the particular prob
lens that confront their department
organization and are rallying behind
1T more strongly than ever before.
THE immediate result of this deep
ening interest is that the department
headquarters and the posts are
torily. Relief work carried on from
the department headquarters no long
er duplicates that done by any of the
local charitable organizations In
stranded and needy out-of-town vet
Grams that the most attention is be-
ing paid, and it is in this field that
the greatest good is being done.
From all parts of the country
partment headquarters here Of the
relief and assistance given stranded
and distressed service men and wom-
en-. and 1t is the pride of the local
legionnaires that this work is car
made to the general public
This problem, however, bears
heavily upon the finances of the de-
partment and it is very probable
that a recommendation will be made
that the department dues of mem
bers be increased in 1925. A very
slight increase in dues would place
the department on solid financial
basis and it is believed that the gen.
eral discussion of this and the other
problems that will be encouraged at
post meetings in the next few months
will result in action at the next de-
partment convention, which will
produce the results desired"