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THE FOUR MINUTE MEN OF TEKAMAH,
NEBRASKA
THE Four Minute
Men was a nation-wide organization, being a Division of the
Committee on Public Information. This committee was created
by executive order of the President of the United States,
dated April 14, 1917, and the Four Minute Men was made a
division of this committee on June 16, 1917, with the
personal approval of President Wilson, who requested that
the work of the organization be extended as rapidly as
possible throughout the country. The purpose of the Four
Minute Men was to assist the various departments of the
government in the work of national defense during the Great
War, by presenting messages on subjects of vital national
importance to motion picture theater audiences during the
intermission. The subject matter was prepared and the
speakers directed from Washington under authority of the
United States Government. The work was in charge of a
National Director at Washington, and in each state there was
a state chairman appointed by the the national director. In
each city where the work was organized there was a local
chairman appointed by the state chairman, this local
appointment being confirmed by the director at Washington.
Each of them served through three or more campaigns, and
were awarded the official badge of the organization, being
an official bronze button of rectangular shape, impressed
thereon. Burt county and the state of Nebraska look high
rank in the record it made. Not until after the history of
the organization of Four Minute Men in this state is written
will the average citizen realize the amount and importance
of the work done. In the Second Liberty Loan the state
speakers talked to over 300,000 people, and by September,
1918 had a part in eleven speaking campaigns with an honor
roll efficiency of one hundred per cent. The local chairmen
in the different towns and cities numbered 338, with over
1,800 speakers, being second in point of numbers to the
great state of New York only. In the Third Liberty loan over
4,000 speeches were made to 1,105,000 people. Nebraska
ranked fourth in the number of speeches made with a record
efficiency in the Fourth Liberty loan. With 98 6-10 per cent
efficiency record in the Fourth Liberty loan, Nebraska stood
the unquestioned first among the states of the Union, and on
December 9, 1918, stood first among the states of the Union
as regards the comparative number of commissions granted to
local chairmen for faithful and effective work, and first in
the Union in the number of insignia badges awarded to
speakers for effective and faithful work. The Four Minute
Men became in truth and in fact "the official human voice of
the government."
The local Four Minute Men in Burt county
kept up their good efforts until all stood in the honor roll
column, with a record of 100 per cent efficiency, having
taken part in from seven to eleven campaigns. At first the
field of the speakers was in the theaters, but later was
extended to the churches, school houses and all public
gatherings.
The pictures of the most prominent of the
Four Minute Men in each town are on the following pages over
their-name and postoffice. Many more to be included if space
and things would permit.
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