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Show African iCopy for This Department Supplied b the American Legion News Service.! LEGION 13 NGrJFCLITiCAL National Commander Reiterates Statement State-ment That Organization Does Not Mix in Controversies. Implying to an assertion that tht American Legion was engaged In political po-litical activity in California, made In congress by Representative GooJy-koontz GooJy-koontz of West Virginia, Alvln Owsley, Legion national commander, stated: "The American Legion reiterates the statement that it is a nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. It is not concerned whether its members are Republicans, Democrats or Socialists. Protestants, Catholics or Jews. It is the one all-inclusive American organize organi-ze tion of ex-service men. The first qualification for membership must be that a man or woman served America in her great crisis. It follows then, naturally, that the man or woman is qualified to serve America in peace, now. "The American Legion is not Interested Inter-ested in the political destiny of any of the great parties. A distinguished congressman seems unable to read the difference between loyalty to political parties and loyalty to country. The American Legion looks beyond and above all consideration of party interest, in-terest, and sees only the good of the country. "Mr. Goodykoontz charges that the Legion In California appreciates and Is undertaking to circulate a speech of William G. McAdoo, delivered at Fullerton, Cal., last Armistice day, in which he discusses the adjusted compensation com-pensation bill. I have no Information that this Is true. But if it is, I must also call the attention of the congressman congress-man to the fact that for more than o year the Legion has been circulating to its members and to the general pub lie the addresses of Hon. Joseph W Fordney, chairman of the ways and means committee of the house at the present time, and the author of the adjusted compensation bill. If the distinguished dis-tinguished statesman from West Virginia Vir-ginia will make a good speech favoring favor-ing the adjusted compensation bill, the American Legion will, in all likelihood, give the largest circulation to his speech that he has ever had in all his life." Vv'ILSON AND PADUCAH FIRST Former President and Kentucky Post Prompt With Donations to Decorate Decor-ate Graves In Europe. Woodrow Wilson, commander of the members of the American Legion during dur-ing their World war days, was the first war notable to contribute to the permanent per-manent endowment fund of $100,000 which the Legion will raise to provide for the permanent decoration of graves ' of war dead in Europe. The first Legion Le-gion post to respond to the appeal for funds was the post at Paducah, which i Announced n contribution of 25 within ( a few hours after the appeal was broadcast. The Legion, in announcing the campaign, cam-paign, stresses the fact that the raising rais-ing of a permanent fund will obviate the necessity of making yearly appeals for contributions. The fund will remain re-main in the national treasury of the American Legion, subject to expenditure expendi-ture only for the purpose of decorating the graves of 32,100 war dead in Europe. Many posts will raise their quotas for the fund by selling popples during the weet preceding Memorial day. Legion Le-gion national headquarters has obtained ob-tained a supply of 2,500,000 silk popples pop-ples and has urged all members and j patriotic citizens to wear the flower I 1n hon;r of those who lie In Flanders fields. AH SING IS TO BE CHEMIST Chinese-American Boy, Recent Americanism Ameri-canism Essay Contest Winner, Has Chosen Profession. S An P'ng Chlng, thirteen-year-old Chinese-American boy, of Ewa, Oahu. i Hawaii, who won first prize In the I Amei'tcui Legion's national essay eon- j test, was the guest of honor at a recent meeting of the Ad club of Honolulu, j After the luncheon, some one asked ' litlie Ah Sing filing, who defeated 50,- 000 American-hern school children In j the contest. "What do you expect to i -study as you prow up and go to col- ! lege?" ! And he answered without hesitation "cher ) I st v." The man who asked the questioi j said afterward : I "That little Chinese-American ho ! has picked wl :.t to my mind is th great coming profession that of chem i 1st. Tiie world today Is being de ! velopcd by chemistry, and the great In ! dustrial developments of the futun will come through chemistry." Ah Sing Chlng will receive a scholar j ship of ?7."i0 lu any college or unlver I slty, donated by Hanford MaeN'Idei fast national commander of the Le j filon. ! Garland W. Powell, national Ameri canism director of the Legion, has an j counced that another essay contest fo I -school children will be held this year i Will. CONDUCT POPPY SALE j Auxiliary to Co-Operate With Lenion ! in Camprrgn All Urged to We;ir I Flower on Memorial Day. "Wear a poppy on Memoiial day." This is the message to all good Americans from Mrs. Edna M. liar-cus liar-cus of Indianapolis, Ind., chairman of the American Legion Auxiliary poppy campaign committee. The auxiliar; has decided to co-operate with the Legion Le-gion in the campaign which is to be conducted a few days prior to May 30. The poppies silken replicas of the real lloiver bearing the official emblem em-blem of the American Legion, are to be sold In a public campaign opening a few days before Memorial day. Funds obtained from this source will be used by local posts of the American Legion for service work, erection of memorials, and for donations to the $100,000 endowment fund providing annual decoration of graves of American Amer-ican dead in Europe. A certain portion por-tion of this fund which will accrue to national headquarters of the Legion will be devoted to their service work, In caring for the claims of disabled and troubled men, seeking relief through the agency of the Legion's national offices. iCd Mrs. Edna M. Barcus. In a recent message to members of the 5,700 units of the auxiliary scattered scat-tered throughout the United States, Mrs. Barcus said : "I know that In your hearts you ai-e anxious to show that you remember our glorious dead ; that you are anxious to pay a tribute of respect and admiration for those who fought In the war. Let us on Memorial day unite In a spirit of splendid brotherhood brother-hood and patriotism and In outward sign, in memory of those who, fulfilling fulfill-ing the noblest traditions of their country, have written another beautiful beauti-ful chapter In American history. The poppy of Flanders is a fitting emblem to perpetually remind us and unfailingly unfail-ingly teach coming generations our debt to those who valiantly saved the light of liberty for us. "The unselfish aim of this campaign should spur us to action. Wear a poppy Memorial day. See that every man, woman and child in your community com-munity and in America wears a poppy that day." LEGION HOME FOR ORPHANS Kansas Organization Is Offered 388 Acres and $25,000 Cash Toward Proposed Institution. As a memorial to his two sons, who died In the service of their country with the Thirty-fifth division, Daniel Dabney of Independence, Kan., has offered of-fered the American Legion of Kansas 8S8 acres of land and $25,000 in cash as a start toward the erection of a Legion Le-gion home for the orphans of ex-service men and women. Mr. Dabney is an oil man and has taken this method of expressing his belief In the Legion and of paying fitting tribute to his sons and their comrades-at-arms who gave their lives for their country. "The Kansas department of the Legion Le-gion is Inspired by Mr. Dnbney's gift," Bays Commander W. P. MacLean, "to renewed efforts in behalf of the children. chil-dren. It has long been a dream of the state," he says, "to undertake some constructive program for the establishment estab-lishment of an orphans' home, and this gift makes a realization of the dream seem imminently possible. "Here Is a chance," says MacLean, "to do something big for the Legion and for Kansas. The national headquarters head-quarters of the Legion is already considering con-sidering the proposition of establishing a nntlonal orphans' home. It has appointed ap-pointed an orphans' home committee of which a Kansas man is chairman. Kansas can get something that will focus the attention and hold the henrts of the Legion to Kansas to a vastly greater extent, and that Is the home and training school for our Legion children. chil-dren. We enn get It by taking advantage advan-tage of this big start that has been offered of-fered to us by Mr. Dabney, and by going go-ing to work at once and establishing a school that will soon be recognized, taken over and supported by the national na-tional organization." A citizens' committee at Independence Indepen-dence has been organized and has offered of-fered its services In co-operation toward to-ward obtaining a fund to erect the first building on the site. The proposed orphanage or-phanage would be composed of several cottages Instead of one large building, with the ldea of making It a home rather than a formal institution, under -he plans now being considered. |