THE REËMPLOYMENT PROBLEM
We are now coming to the consideration of a subject that was nearer to
the heart of every delegate than any other. That is the reëmployment
of one-time service men. This matter is of the most intimate and
direct concern to the Legion and its leaders and because of its
importance I believe the details of the discussion are sufficiently
interesting to permit me to quote them verbatim from the minutes.
THE CHAIRMAN: "The secretary will read the next resolution."
SECRETARY WOOD: "Reëmployment of ex-service men."
"WHEREAS, one of the most important questions of readjustment and
reconstruction is the question of employment of the returning and
returned soldiers, and
"WHEREAS, no principle is more sound than that growing out of the
general patriotic attitude toward the returning soldier, vouchsafing
to him return to his former employment or to a better job, therefore,
be it
"RESOLVED: That the American Legion in its first national caucus
assembled, declares to the people of the United States that no act can
be more unpatriotic in these most serious days of readjustment and
reconstruction than the violation of this principle announced which
pledges immediate reemployment to the returned soldiers, and be it
further
"RESOLVED: That the American Legion in its national caucus assembled
does hereby declare itself as supporting in every proper way the
efforts of the ex-service men to secure reemployment, and recommends
that simple patriotism requires that ex-soldiers or ex-sailors and
ex-marines be given preference whenever additional men are to be
employed in any private or public enterprise, and be it further
"RESOLVED: That the American Legion recommends to Congress the prompt
enactment of a program for internal improvement, having in view the
necessity therefor and as an incident the absorption of the surplus
labor of the country, giving preference to discharged ex-service men."
MR. WALSH (Pittsburgh): "I move, Mr. Chairman, that we adopt the
resolution."
The motion was seconded by Colonel Jones, of Washington, D.C.
MR. LEVEREE: "Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention, I desire
to present to you a substitute for this resolution. As one who has
been endeavoring to give a post-war service to these men who are
coming back here and need to be replaced in the industries of this
country, as a volunteer dollar-a-year man in the United States
Employment Service and one who has accomplished results in the work to
the extent that the bulletin of the National Chamber of Commerce has
commented on the work, I desire to call your attention to the fact
that the resolution as presented is not concrete. It says nothing. It
talks in generalities, and I want to present to you a concrete
proposition based on the experience of the Bureau in New Orleans."
"WHEREAS, it is desirable both for the welfare of the soldiers,
sailors, and marines, now rapidly being discharged from the service of
the United States of America, and for the industrial readjustment of
the country that the process of returning these men to productive
occupations in civil life be speeded up as much as possible;
"AND WHEREAS, by reason of the failure of the Congress of the United
States to appropriate funds for the purpose the said process has been
retarded and left to private initiative; now, therefore, be it
"RESOLVED: That the American Legion in caucus assembled calls upon the
Congress of the United States to promptly appropriate funds to be
administered for the benefit of existing coordinated Bureaus for the
Employment of Returning Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, to the end
that there may be no interruption in the service now being rendered
and that it may be broadened and speeded up, be it further
"RESOLVED: That each local post or organization of the American Legion
is urged during the period of demobilization to constitute itself a
committee of the whole, which shall cooperate with the local
Employment Bureau and shall establish and maintain a liaison between
such Bureau and every employer in the community through members of the
local post or organization who are already employed in such
establishment to the end that it may be made easy for the employer to
avail himself of the service of the Bureau by communicating with
someone in his own establishment, and that every soldier, sailor, and
marine already replaced in industry may have an opportunity to assist
his comrades to become likewise."
"Gentlemen, this is the crux of that whole business--getting somebody
close to the employer where you can bring about that liaison which is
suggested in this substitute motion."
The motion to adopt the substitute resolution was made by Mr. Leveree
and seconded by Mr. Luss.
MR. DESMOND (of Pennsylvania): "What has been said, in my estimation,
is not comprehensive enough. In the city of Philadelphia which is
known as the Cradle of Liberty, when the men who had given up
positions in the educational system--I mean teachers--returned from
the service of their country they were not, as promised, given the
exact positions which they left. Neither were they given positions of
parallel importance. They were actually demoted in grade so that these
motions do not cover such circumstances. In many cases, in
municipalities, men have returned from the service and have been
forced to take positions not of a parallel grade but positions of a
lower grade.
"Men, Americanism depends on America's school systems, and if the ones
who are directing our school systems are so unpatriotic as to demote
those who go forth to serve their country, what is going to become of
America and Americanism? And I wish to make an amendment to the effect
that municipalities and boards of education in those municipalities be
forced to give men their parallel positions if not positions of better
grade and that in no instance will they be allowed to demote a man
because he has gone forth to serve his country. I put that forward as
an amendment, that the municipal governments and boards of education
in our municipalities be forced to give men positions of equal grade
if they cannot give better grade."
MR. SIMINGTON (of Washington): "I speak in opposition to that amended
resolution. In my State I represent ten thousand organized men. In my
State the present system has proven a failure. The organization that I
represent handles an employment bureau that places 350 service men a
week in permanent positions and 150 in temporary employment, and I say
to you that that record is far and above the record of the U.S.
Replacement Bureau. It is a proven failure. Gentlemen, I believe that
it is 'For George to do'--and we are George.
"The service man wishes to take care of himself and his own. It is for
the service man to handle his own problems and I suggest as an
amendment--I am not sure of my being in order in offering an amendment
to an amended amendment, but I suggest that it be the sense of this
meeting that Congress assist the American Legion in taking care of its
own in the matter of employment and that it do not use civilians to do
the work." (Applause.)
The motion was seconded.
MR. HILL (of Pennsylvania): "The original resolution that is before
the convention, I am frank to say, has been forwarded to me by a
soldier from Allegheny County, who walked the streets of Pittsburgh
for eight or nine weeks pleading this principle. A resolution adopted
by the Mothers of Democracy was sufficient for him to get back his
job, because he held a position as a county employee of Allegheny
County and he invoked this principle and vitalized every military
organization in Allegheny County, and by means of that he got back his
job and his back salary and his mother's allowance which was cut off
since January 1, 1918. This resolution was originally presented by me
as a member of the National Resolutions Committee from the State of
Pennsylvania. The National Resolutions Committee appointed a
subcommittee of which I was a member, a committee of three, to
consider this and refer it back to the National Resolutions Committee.
That committee passed favorably upon it and the National Resolutions
Committee passed it.
"Now, if that resolution, as it stands before the house, was
sufficient to get a job back for him, playing almost a lone hand,
surely it is sufficient for any man here or for, this American Legion,
for all it provides for, and all that is necessary to be done is the
simple patriotism with the American Legion in back of it which can
place its hands on the shoulder of any substantial employer and say,
'Do you wish to rectify yourself on this thing called "patriotism?"'
Do you wish to give the soldier back his job who presents to you a
meritorious case? We give you a chance. If you do not take it we will
publish this thing and you will go down to contumely and
stultification."
MR. KNOX: "Gentlemen, I am speaking on behalf of the Resolutions
Committee. We spent all day yesterday listening to such requests as
this. Our final calculated judgment is represented in the resolutions
as presented. We found in the discussion that there was opposition to
an endorsement of the United States Federal replacement division.
(Applause.) And so we determined that the language as adopted covered
the cast. We proposed to create in this organization a reemployment
bureau of our own, and the resolution as presented is all the support
that bureau needs.
"I move you, sir, that all the substitutes for the original resolution
be laid on the table."
The motion was seconded.
MR. BENNETT CLARK: "I simply want to call attention to the fact that
under the rules of the House of Representatives that if you lay all
amendments on the table it carries the entire proposition to the table
and I don't believe this convention wants to do that."
MR. KNOX: "I ask a ruling on that, Mr. Chairman. If we lay all these
substitutes for this resolution on the table will that kill the
resolution?"
THE CHAIRMAN: "Unless you dispense with the rules."
MR. KNOX: "Mr. Chairman, I move you, sir, the suspension of the rules
to a sufficient extent so that we may table the substitutes which have
been offered to the original resolution offered by the committee."
Motion seconded by Mr. Bond of New York and carried.
THE CHAIRMAN: "The question now comes back to the original
resolution."
The question was called for and it was adopted.
MR. ACKLEY: "Mr. Chairman, I have another amendment to offer."
THE CHAIRMAN: "It's too late. The secretary will read the next
resolution."