White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-03-31
Preparedness Is
Best Guarantee
For Our Peace
STATE AMERICAN LEGION COM
MANDER SAYS WORLD
PEACE FAR AWAY

John Lindblad Post No. II OF White
Bluffs was host Tuesday evening to
Irwin H. Jones of Wenatchee, state
commander of the American Legion,
and other Legion officials of Wenat-
chez and the Yakima valley.
Following a banquet Tor eX-service
men at the Commercial hotel at
o'clock, at which time the officers of
the local Post were installed, the party
adjourned to Liberty hall, where Com
mander Jones addressed meeting
which was open to the public.
After explaining that the American
Legion was organized shortly after the
World War for the purpose first of
looking after the interests of disabled
veterans, Commander Jones said that
the organization has expanded and
grown until today it has a member
ship of 1,056,OO0, or approximately
Is per cent of all those in military
service in the United States during
the World War. This, he said, makes
the American Legion the largest in
membership of any ex-service mems
organization in any country in the
worlds history.
Through the Legion's activities the
speaker said, the government made an
endowment appropriation of about
$800,000,000, and the interest on this
sum, amounting to 100000 annually,
is being used for the building and
equipping of hospitals for disabled vet
Grams. These hospitals are scattered
all over the United States, the two
in Washington being at American Lake
on the Coast and at Walla Walla in
Eastern Washington. At this time 49,
900 disabled veterans are receiving
treatment in these hospitals.
In support of the Legions conten
ton that being reasonably prepared
/. for war was the best guarantee for
peace, Commander Jones made pas
sionate and convincing plea urging that
the United States army and navy be
brought up to the strength named in
the agreement made at the Disarma-
ment Conference. Our navy at the
present time, he said, is only about
tWo-thirds of this strength, while the
present standing army of 10000 men
should be increased to 10000. The
other nations who were parties to the
Conference have their armies and
navies up to the strength agreed upon.
After calling attention to the efforts
being made by the Legion to reduce
unemployment, Commander Jones said
in conclusion: "The American Legion
does not want war. We abhor it. But
until the nations of the earth are will
ing to put out of their hearts greed
for wealth and power and substitute
the feeling of brotherly love, the hope
for universal peace is largely a myth
Any one who has illusions along this
line need only visit the European coun-
tries and he will learn that such a
dream is one thousand or possibly two
thousand years in the future. Russia
has 100000 trained men. France
with population of only about third
of that of the United States, has a
standing army of quarters of a
million men. The war preparations of
other nations are in proportion. Let's
avoid war if possible, but if it comes,
in the name of humanity let us not
send our boys into battle so unpre-
pared that they do not know the first
rudiments of self protection"
Other Legion officials at the meet
ing included Claude Trout, present
commander, Harold Bolin, past COM
mander, and Ernst Knoebel, past adju-
tant, of the Wenatchee Post; Lester
Shaw, Yakima, Sixth District COM
mander, and Thomas Granger, COM
mander, and M. E. Flynn adjutant, OF
the Yakima Post; Asa Purdy, COM
mander, and Don Thompson, adjutant
of the Kennewick Post; and James
Shepherd past commander of the
Prosser Post and Ford johnson and
Ira Jones, members of John Lindblad
Post who drove over from Yakima fol
the meeting.