Evening star., 1925-06-02

From New York comes the news
that +. D. Roosevelt, former Assistant
Secretary of the Navy, has accepted
the Craftsmanship for New York OF the
American Legion Endowment Fund
CORPORATION. in raising New York
States quota of the proposed S9,OO0,OOO
fund. The President of the United
States is ex-officio chairman of the
national committee. On the committee
are all members of the President CAD
met, together with the heads OF many
prominent organization, such as the
American Red Cross, the A. F. or l.,
the Masonic Order, the Knights of Co
lumbus, the G.. A. r.. the United Con-
federate Veterans, the spanish var
Veterans and the American Legion.
Next week announcement will be
made of the acceptance OF the chalr-
manship for the District OF Columbia
of one Of the most prominent capital
| lists and philanthropists in Washlng-
ton, and the task will be undertaken
of raising the Districts quota. several
States have already oversubscribed
their allotment.
This S5,000.OO0 permanent endow-
ment fund, for two causes, closely
allied, was decided upon at the last
September national convention OF the
American Legion, held in st. Paul
Only the interest of the fund will be
available for current use. When the
present needs pass, for which the fund
is to be raised, the President of the
United States then in Office will ap-
point a committee which will decide
its further use in lines analogous to
the immediate purpose-the care OF
orphans of deceased veterans of the
World War and the gathering of legal
proof of claims of veterans for re-
habilitation and compensation under
the law.
1t is calculated that the s5,000.O00
! fund will provide an annual income
| of S225,O0O. About half will be used
in the care and education of the or
phans of the veterans. There are to-
| day over $4,000 such orphans, of
whom 5000 are in poverty or a state
Of partial dependence. The number
will increase in the next 10 or Is
years, as the veterans die. 1t is not
| the purpose to 'tinstitutionalize" the
orphans by building any large
home" but to construct cottage
| "billets," each to be presided over
by a "house mother" AS far as pos
sible, the orphans will be provided
foster parents and taken out of the
| "billets," but they will always be the
proteges of the American Legion un-
til they finish schooling and become
sell sustaining. Iney VIII atten0
public schools in the neighborhood of
the billets. Only one such billet has
vet been put into operation-it is in
Michigan-but others are under con-
sideration. a millionaire philanthro-
pist living in Washington learned re-
Gently of the undertaking and in
uuired whether a billet had been
planned for New England. Then he
added
IT have a home facing the ocean
a large house with nine acres of land.
AS near as I can recollect, l paid
STE, 900 for it. You may have that
for billet
While the great house is not class
ed as a cottage billet" 1t is quite
probable that the plans will be ex
pansive enough to permit the or
phans to enjoy the bounty of Mr..
Greatheart.
The work of the American Legion
is not limited to Legionaires;. no ques-
| tions are asked of a veteran whether
| he belongs to the American Legion or
not The only question is whether he
| served in the World War. President
Coolidge in his December, 1924. mes
| sage to Congress recognized the Amer
! ican Legion as the one outstanding
| orga nization for the relief and care of
| World War veterans.
Congress has appropriated literally
| for the relief of veterans through the
Veterans Bureau. 1t is the function
| of the rehabilitation committee, of
] which Capt. Watson 3. Miller of this