The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, September 3, 1936, Page 9

AMERICAN LEGION @ 17th Annual Convention Edition THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE VOL. XLVIIL, NO. 7269. - SECOND SECTION—PAGES | TO 8 “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1936. NATIONAL COMMANDER MURPHY URGES BALANCED PROGRAM FOR ALASKA LEGIONNARES Veteran Leader Declares “‘Let Us Not Trespass Upon | proud. Of those things which we |sought to accomplish, yet must |await another year, I can only say | that we did our best, and, in so| doing, T trust, advanced them fur- ther along the road to assured ulti- | mate success. Whatever glory may | have accrued from this year's work | belongs to you. Because you gave me loyal, vigorous support, many things were made possible; without that kind of support, our road would have been rough. NICHOLS TELLS PROGRESS MADE BY 40 AND 8 Chef de Gare_Gives Inter-| Cordova. And from present indi- cations, we will welcome a Voiture Locale at Retchikan in the year 1937 that will ‘be difficult for the rest of Alaska to - excel, because when the Ketchikan boys do any- thing, they do it well. As most Veterans know, the For- ty and Eight is a secret society with- in the American Legion, which goes in for fun in a big and serious way .. but the whole story of what he Forty and Eight is and what SIXTEEN PAGES DEPARTMENT CONVENTIONS GETTING BETTER Constructive Program Go- than ever; that there is more con- ;structlve work planned and per- ;tormed; that there is a steady pro- gress in the right direction. Our department conventions are becom- ing bigger and better, which proves that our enthusiasm has not suf- fered with the lapse of time. No, sir, watch the boys (and the gals too) showing the old-time pep when they meet at these yearly el- bowrubbing parties of ours. PIONEERS' HOML COLORFUL PLA HANSEN SAY i Lodatls Pratesd esting Account of What o Aboad, PastD Which leads to the conclusion that | Superintendent ‘lells Inter. Ameri i ‘ i it does will never be known by any-| ing Ahead, Past Depart- |The American Legion has not yet| esti ; 5 Those Sacred erican nghts We, So Properly I would belittle your intelligence Organization ]s one who hasn‘t ¢limbed aboard the ¢ tc : d Spa reached its zenith, and that our es‘ms l?eta.lls 0‘ '&)lll' Defend: " in Zeal to Protect that Which We Have, | if 1 should deny that the job of Na- Box Car and become & memver of| MentCommander Says | Jorih-wnile program of constrac.| doughs’ Life at Sitka 1 » * tional Commander of The American this Brotherhood. ey s 7 4 Do Not Stand in Path of Orderly Progress, He Advises. BY RAY MURPHY t National Commander of The American Legion 1 am especially honored to address these few words of greetings to my comrades of the splendid Department'of Alaska through the columns of The Daily Alaska Empire. As you enter upon the duties of your department con- vention, I am sure you are fully conscious of the impoxjtanc.e of the forthcoming deliberations. The American Legion is not a private organization, it is a great public movement; it wields tremendous influence because the people respect it for the things it has accomplished and the high ideals to which it is marching. Let us be sure that we, as Legion- naires, continue to merit that respect. ; The direction the Legion will take in the coming year is in your hands. As you know, our national convention in Cleveland a few weeks hence will but mirror the collective de- terminations of the conventions of our many great depart- ments, of which Alaska is one. Think well, therefore, upon the questions which will come before you for decision. There is one test by which you always can decide a question of public interest: “Is it good for America? If it is good for America, | Legion is a difficult, sometimes try- ing, one. I say this not by way of complaint, but in explanation. If, in the course of this year, I seemed |to have neglected some things which were of particular interest to you, I want you to know that they were not slighted, but that, true to the traditions of our organization, we took our program in the order that it was arranged for us by the the same way, it is a matter of deep | personal regret to me that I am | unable to attend your convention, National Executive Committee. In| (By Stanley J. Nichols, Chef de Gare, Grande Voiture of Alaska) It was just a few years ago in the town of Cordova, Alaska, that the frist Voiture Locale of La Societe 40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux was form- ed by the live-wire members of that |lively Post. ... since then the‘ Grand Voiture can boast of four Voitures under its jurisdiction: Ju-| neau, Anchorage, Fairbanks and | KRR tom of my heart, I can honestly tell you that I shall ever remember this which I know will be outstanding |in its success. If the days and | months could be lengthened, then, ! indeed, might your National Com- mander attend to all of the duties he most certainly would like to en- Joy. With all sincerity, from the bot- | year, when it has been my great | pleasure, my high honor to serve | you as your elected leader. Your loy- | alty and your support will ever be | a source of pride to me, and when, |a few weeks hence, I return again | to the ranks, I shall know how to be that same kind of Legionnaire. | | | Welcome Legionnaires! The Forty and Eight is an honor |society as well. There are very def- inite qualifications’ that all candi- dates MUST meet. It makes no membership campaigns—it's mem- bership is offered to selected few as a special privilege won by them through loyal service to the Legion. Social or financial standing, World War rank, religion, place of war service, count nothing in the (Continued on Page Two) (By FREDERICK NELSON, Past Department Commander, Petersburg) Sixteen of my 17 years as an ac- tive Legionnaire have been spent in Alaska, and during the past ten years it has been my privilege to attend sgven department conven- tions. From this close touch with the Legion in Alaska, I would like to make the observation that the American miop is now healthier tive work in behalf of community, State and Nation is going to go forward for a long time to come. And that, I submit, is a good omen for our nation. ———.— ADJUSTED SERVICE CERTIFI- CATES: Immediate cash payment at full face value and cancellation of accrued interest, refund of inter- est pald, uncomplicated or confused by questions of government finance or theories of currency. Superintendent tells interest- § ing detalls of sourdough’s life at Sitka, Nobody wants to grow old. object of Ponce de Leon when crossed the Atlantic in his craft was primarlly to seek Fountain of Youth. How to young has been the lurid sucl bait for ages of quack medic! (Continued on Page Twc) i e R On The —————————————— S —— it will be good for the Legion and all of our citizens; if it should be bad for America, then you may rest assured it also will prove to be bad for the Legion and for our people. | . Our own welfare is gauged solely by the welfare of our coun-: Job... to JUNEAU and the @ try; the two are inseparable. Urges Balanced Program [ If there should be any one sug- | gestion which I might offer you, | it is that you will be temperate ‘n| your judgment and balanced in| your program. The American Le- gion has many important duties to perform; it is not a one-track or-‘ ganization. Prejudice and unreason- ing passion often may carry the best of people off on a tangent which can lead but to oblivion. Our pri- mary interests must continue to be child welfare, rehabilitation, Am-| ericanism based primarily upon the sure foundation of youth improve~ ment activities, law and . order, highway safety, national defense, community service and world peace. The American Legion ever has given intensive consideration to the danger of subversive interests within our borders; I hope that we ever shall, It is as true now as when it was said many years ago, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. We shall keep vigilant against those influences which would destroy or overthrow our form of government by force or violence, we shall con- tinue to insist that in necessary in- struction about other forms of gov- ernment, there shall be no trace of indoctrination, See Where We Are Going ! At the same time, my comrades, let us be sure that we see where we are going, let us not blindly tres- pass upon those sacred American rights we so properly defend. The world progresses, America with it. We must be sure that in our zeal to protect that which we have, we do not stand in the path of orderly progress. Never has the sun shone upon a greater or nobler democracy than our own; I for one am not afraid to have it stand up for com- parison with any government on this earth. I am not afraid that it will suffer by such comparison; nor that our people will desire to dis- card it. It is well that we should give thought to the immediate present, but not at the cost of neglecting the future. Our country will be just what our children and their chil- dren make it. Your time and my time is comparatively short, our children’s lives and their opportuni- ties are just beginning. If Ameri- canism, as The American Legion understands it, means anything at all, it surely means the promotion and furtherance of our great youth activities program—our junior base- ball work, our efforts in behalf better education, our support of Boy Scouts of America, ‘The American Legion those other big things are doing for youth in our Americanism pro- gram. There lies our opportunity; let no other consideration over- shadow it. & The Right Way So again T say, in the new Le- gion year which so shortly will RAY MURPHY begin, let us adopt and adhere to a balanced program, and if we should consider new roads to be traveled, let us be sure that way is the right way, measuring every step we take by the infallable yardstick of the general welfare of our country. That our personal welfare as individuals' is limited strictly by the generall welfare is undebatable. As our coun- try progresses, so may we progress, and if it should suffer, so must we, as citizens, suffer likewise. It has been a real pleasure and an honor to serve you this year. Of the HOTEL ZYNDA Elevator Service S. ZYNDA, Prop. WELCOME TO JUNEAU! AMERICAN LEGION 1936 DEPARTMENT OF ALASKA CONVENTION andifyouFLY . . . . . FLY ALASKA AIR TRANSPORT PHONES—Juneau Hangar, 612; Night and Day Office, 587 SHELDON SIMMONS “JIMMY” RINEHART Chief Pilot Pilot things we have accomplished, I am | You Apparently these Legionnaires have something on their minds—But for the life of us we can't tell what itis. CAN YOU? Well, here's how to find out. . .. ASK BILL JOHNSON at JUNEAU CASH GROCERY It's adate. . . then—any day during Convention Week HAROLD R. BROWN, Agent Tell Us! ALASKA'S LARGEST FLEET of STEAMSHIPS operated : by Alaska's longest-established steamship company will continue to serve you dependably and keep pace with progressive. Alaska. OUR FACILITIES are at the command of the DEPART- : MENT OF ALASKA, AMERICAN LEGION 1936, 17TH i ANNUAL CONVENTION—WELCOME! Alaska Steamship Co. M. ]. WILCOX, Agent