Soldiers Protest Against Gov. Small’s Naming Keehn National Guard Commander

(Jewish Daily Bulletin)

Former fighting men of the Thirty-third Division, A.E.F., now members of Chipilly Post, American Legion, have formally protested to Gov. Small against the appointment of Lieut-Col. Roy D. Keehn as major-general of the division, the principal unit of the Illinois National Guard, it was learned today.

A resolution adopted by the Post at its last meeting, declared that the office should be filled by an officer “who has proved himself an able leader of men in the field.”

Failure of Governor Small to appoint ?rig.-Gen. Abel Davis, acting Commander of the Illinois National Guard, to the post as permanent Commander, met with disappointment in military, political, banking and civic circles.

The resolution adopted by Chipilly Post declares in part:

“It appears from his (Gen. Keehn’s) own public statements that he has had no practical experience in military training and has never commanded troops in the field or elsewhere.

“There are many loyal men in the Illinois National Guard who have risen from the ranks and who have directed troops in actual battle and who are deprived of reasonable and well-deserved promotion. The late war emphasized the need of trained men in handling troops. We believe that this office should be filled by an officer of the National Guard who has proved himself an able leader of men, as shown by past achievements and demonstrations of his ability to command troops in the field.”

In honor of the fifteenth anniversary of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, the 260 chapters are conducting a drive to gain new members during this month. During February more than 1,500 new members joined the organization. The goal is 50,000 members before the end of the year. At present there are 42,000 in the senior and junior organizations.