Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-16

At this moment there is no situation
| In the United States on which poll
ticians are riveting more thoughtful
gaze than on the approaching Detroit
convention of the American Legion.
The reason is that the Legionnaires.
their history a phalanx Of more than Q
| million, have become q full-hedged
| political power. They do not claim 70
| be such and vehemently disavow any
intention of aspiring TO be-. But the
| fact remains that no other single class
| element In the country'S life, not even
| the Federation of Labor, approaches
the Legion In political strength. II Is
a perfect example Of what an organized
minority can accomplish, for the Legion
represents roundly a mere NTH OF the
men and women who joined the colors
| during the World War. In addition
TO the Legion, there are the Veterans
of Foreign Wars, considerably smaller
! in Misunderstanding some SoO,Oo
more or less-but compactly organized
and capable Of clearing for effective
action, as they periodically do.
*&& +
Congress regularly and religiously
bends the knee to Legion demands.
| According to Legion leaders. the shoe
| Is really on the other foot, for 1t Is
| said to be vote-chasing ONCE holders
who egg the service men on to Treas
ury raids. The soldiers bitterly resent
the charge that they are tin-cup
brigade. At any rate, Congress passed
the soldiers bonus over president COOL
idre's veto and the bonus loan bill over
PRESIDENT Hooyer's veto last Winter. II
the Detroit convention plumps for fur
ther bonus loan legislation at the COM
+, inc sassion the chances favor its en-
actment. although it Is problematical
whether a White House veto this time
could be overridden. THE Legion
vote" is more seductive than ever on
the eve of O congressional election, SO
nobody can tell what House and the
third Of q Senate craving Ior perpeCua.
tion viii do. Unnoticed for the most
mart. the American Legion has steadily
mounted into the position of political
notencv so long welded by the Grand
Army of the Republic after the Owl
War Prom 1868 to 1895 the Repub
lican party, over q period of nearly 80
wears. nominated no man for President
who was not q Civil War veteran
Grant, Hayes, Garfield. Harrison, Nc
Kinley, in the order named. In 1880
| the Democrats went to the veterans
for their candidate-Gen. Hancok-and
in 1896 the Gold Democrats put up
Gen. John NJ. Palmer.
X X X
| It is for the time being in the local
| nolitical situation that "the Legion vote"
makes itself most felt. Hardly State,
, county or city nominating convention
nowadays of either party, is not heavily
saturated with Legion influence. AN
aspirant who has the service mems
backing enters the lists with q distinct
| advantage over an opponent whom the
| Legion opposes. The day will inevi-
| tabiy dawn when the organization will
| invade the national political field as
the g. A. r. did. The average Legion
naire today Is a man of anywhere be-
tween as and 40. He Is Just begin
ming to be politically conscious. He
| has as comrades q score of men, gen.
| orally older than himself, who have
/ achieved national prominence and are
known to cherish national ambitions.
| The foremost of these are Pat Hurley.
Secretary Of War, and Hanford Mac
Nider, American Minister to Canada.
Every time his I'd Division cronies
have a reunion, MacNider IL re-nomi-
mated for President OF the United
States.
Senator Simeon D. Tess Of Ohio,
chairman of the Republican National
| Committee, no longer looks upon the
depression as a psychological phantom
with no existence in fact. He's just dis
| closed what happened to him recently
when he tried to make touch at his
bank. To Buckeye constituent the
Senator wrote:
"The one thing lacking Is confidence