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Show T5ze ! AMERICAN ! L!:,6Mi (Cuuy Tor 'I'll is Oniitwlrnent Supplied by th A iii-rir-ji ii I..-Klon Nra Hirvlc.H.) . I WEST VIRGINIA IS WINNER OF TROPHY I West Virginia rtepnrlnicrit of the Aiiiciiran I.i'gion was reconlly decimal de-cimal Hie winner of the 1 !'; Henry I). I.imlslcy national jiiomberslilp mil-test mil-test after Hie most dramatic and closely close-ly coiil est ed linisli In tin! history of the I.inclsley race. Willi a percentage of 1-!.!(S West Virginia nosed out Idaho, second with llO.f;:! kt cent, and Florida, Ihlrd with KM).!)S per cent. The I.lmlsley trophy is awarded annually an-nually to Hie department attaining the highest percentage of Its preceding year's membership by March 1. Never In the history of the Blndsley cup competition has the race finished under such dramatic circumstances. During the 48 hours preceding the close of the contest the membership curds of the departments of West Virginia Vir-ginia and Idaho were being sped toward to-ward national head(iiarters at Indianapolis Indian-apolis by rail and air. West Virginia's commander, Arthur C. Yates, and adjutant, Roderick O. Merrick, taking no chances of getting their cards In late, personally conveyed con-veyed 3,000 of them to national head-oiiurlers head-oiiurlers to place them under the wire on February 2S. Their action won for West Virginia the Llndsley contest, for other departments, depending on the air-mail and regular mall service, got their cards In too late to heat the mountaineers. The first ten departments to finish In the I.lndsley race were: West Virginia, Vir-ginia, 12-I.DS; Idaho, 110.03; Florida, 100.0H; Oklahoma, 8S..r.5 ; Wyoming, Rfi.70; Montana, RO.fin ; Indiana, 80.30; Arizona, 70.81; North Dakota, 77.07; Kansas, 71.01. Unprecedented pro-March membership member-ship activity has been the experience of the Legion this year throughout the nation and has resulted In many membership records being set. up. Three departments, Idaho, West Virginia Vir-ginia and Florida, had surpassed their 10'J5 membership figure before March 1, 1020. Three departments "over the top" before March 1 Is an unprecedented unpre-cedented record In the Legion. Idaho led the nation by going over on Feb- ruary 2-1. Florida and West Virginia went over neck nnd neck on February Febru-ary 2S. Florida established perhnps the most remarkable membership record by not only going over the top of last year's total, hut by exceeding Its 1920 quota, considerably higher than the 1925 figure, on March 11. With a quota of 9.9S9, Florida on that date turned cards In at national headquarters headquar-ters showing a paid-up membership of 10,075. |