Chapter XIII: Why the American Legion? (1)

As I glance back over these pages I am impressed with the fact that only the preface of "The Story of the American Legion" has been written here. When the reaches of the years shall gather to themselves the last of the men of the army, navy, and marine corps of the United States during its war against Germany that story may then be faithfully told. So the truth of the matter now is that history is in the writing so far as the American Legion in its relation to the United States of America is concerned. That statement isn't in reality as platitudinous as it seems at first thought.

We have arrived at world importance in history. We have come to that as the result of our part in the world war. Our isolation is over. We are the cynosure of all eyes. Uncle Sam is the dominant world figure; his hands control the reins that are driving the world. He has the enemies which all the successful have. There are those who had, and haven't, and there are those who never had, and want; all desiring, all envying the power of the United States of America. This great power and position was gained primarily by one motive--unselfishness. Just so long as it is our dominant trait will we retain what we have gained. Just so long as we remain true to our innate principles, to the tenets of our constitution, will we retain world importance and world influence.

There is a wolf at the gates of civilized Europe. If he gets inside nothing can stop him from ravishing us. This war has bound us so closely to Europe that we are, in a sense, one and the same. He who strikes our brother strikes us, even though he be so far away that the distance is measured by an ocean. We must get over the idea that distance makes a difference. The Atlantic ocean has just been crossed in sixteen hours. Remember, thought travels even faster.

The wolf that I mentioned is a Mad Thought. He is Bolshevism. He has the madness because of hunger, a hunger not only of body but of mind; the century-long hunger of the Russian peoples for Freedom. Russia has run in a circle. From the autocracy of the classes it has arrived at the autocracy of the masses.

Then, too, all our European brothers are war worn; tired, tired nearly to death with struggle and sacrifice, and this is not a frame of mind calculated to help reseat reason in the world.

Why the American Legion?

One of our great bankers recently returned from an intimate study of affairs abroad. His name is Frank A. Vanderlip. In an address before the Economic Club in New York City he said that Europe is paralyzed and that our task is to save.

I give the introduction to his address as it appeared in the New York _Times_:

"Frank A. Vanderlip, who spoke last night at the Hotel Astor, at a dinner of the Economic Club, which was held for the purpose of hearing his story of conditions in Europe, whence he has recently returned, said that England was on the verge of a revolution, which was narrowly averted in February, when he was there, and the conditions on the Continent of Europe are appalling beyond anything dreamed of in this country.

"He said that the food conditions in Europe would be worse instead of better for a year ahead, because of the dislocation of labor and the destruction of farm animals, and that the industrial and economic outlook, generally, points to a period after the war, which will equal, if not exceed the war period in suffering and misery.

"He said that Italy was afraid to disband her army, because she could not employ the men and was afraid of idleness. He said that the differential, which had kept England preëminent in international trade, was the underpayment of labor, and that this differential was now being wiped out, forcing England to face tremendously serious problems for the future. He quoted a British minister as saying that means would have to be found to send six or seven millions of Englishmen out of the British Isles and closer to the sources of food production, if continental conditions continued long as at present.

"He said that the best printing presses in the world to-day, except those in Washington, were at Petrograd, and that they were turning out masses of counterfeited pounds, francs, marks, lira, and pesetas, so skillfully made that detection was almost impossible. He said that these counterfeits were being spent largely by Germans to foment Bolshevist propaganda.

"Spain would, he said, be the most promising country in Europe except for the labor situation there, which had brought it to the verge of Bolshevism. He said that the most perfect laboratory of Bolshevism in Europe outside of Russia was in Barcelona, Spain, which he said was ruled absolutely by a mysterious secret council, which had censored and fined the newspapers until they quit publication and had enforced its will in all matters by assassinations, which no one dared to punish.

"He said that America alone could save Europe and that its aid must be extended to all countries equally. He said that this was necessary, not only to save Europe, but to prevent an invasion of America by the forces threatening the social overthrow of Europe."

Why the American Legion?

There, at least, is one great reason.

Our men of the army, navy, and marine corps got a schooling in the practical Americanism which our military establishment naturally teaches. Those who were aliens by birth and those native sons with inadequate educational advantages learned a great deal by association with men of better types and by travel. These men can and will stem the insidious guile of the wolf, and, to aid them in so doing, the Legion has an active speakers' bureau under Captain Osborn teaching Americanism in every section of the country. These speakers, in helping to organize the Legion along the right lines, teach the Constitution of the United States and preach that remedial changes in this government can be brought about in only one way, and that is, constitutionally.

Why the American Legion?

America is safe from any real danger if she can keep everybody busy. Less than two weeks after the caucus, the national executive committee had in process of formation a practicable scheme to aid in solving the reëmployment problem. As time goes on this department of Legion activity will become more and more efficient.

Here is another answer to the question.

All through these pages the reader has found references to this question of reëmployment; to anti-Bolshevism; the protection of the uniform; the non-partisan and non-political nature of the Legion; unselfishness; disability pay for the reserve forces; war risk insurance; allotments and back pay; the care of disabled service men; one hundred per cent. Americanism, and the deportation of those aliens who "bit the hand that fed them." The story has dealt almost entirely with these questions because primarily and fundamentally they are The American Legion. This program is the most important in the United States to-day. It means the betterment of the most stable forces in our community life, not only of to-day but for the next forty or fifty years. It means the proper extension of the influence of the most powerful factor for patriotism in our country--the onetime service man. It does not mean patriotism bounded on one side by a brass band and on the other by a dressy uniform and a reunion banner. It means real patriotism in its broadest sense--a clean body politic; a clean national soul and a clean international conscience.

This is the final answer to the question which serves as the title for this concluding chapter.

THE AMERICAN LEGION

LIST OF STATE OFFICERS

ALABAMA:
Chairman: Bibb Graves, Montgomery.
Secretary: Leroy Jacobs, Care Jacobs Furniture Co., Birmingham.

ARIZONA:
Chairman: E. Power Conway, Noll Bldg., Phoenix.
Secretary: Fred B. Townsend, Natl. Bk., Arizona Bldg., Phoenix.

ARKANSAS:
Chairman: J.J. Harrison, Little Rock.
Secretary: Granville Burrow, Little Rock.

CALIFORNIA:
Chairman: Henry G. Mathewson, Flood Bldg., San Francisco.
Secretary: E.E. Bohlen, 926 Flood Bldg., San Francisco.

COLORADO:
Chairman: H.A. Saidy, Colorado Springs.
Secretary: Morton M. David, 401 Empire Bldg., Denver.

CONNECTICUT:
Chairman: Jas. B. Moody, Jr., 202 Phoenix Bk. Bldg., Hartford.
Secretary: Alfred A. Phillips, Jr., 110 Glenbrook Rd., Stamford.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:
Chairman: E. Lester Jones, 833 Southern Bldg., Washington.
Secretary: Howard Fisk, 833 Southern Bldg., Washington.

DELAWARE:
Chairman: Geo. N. Davis, 909 Market St., Wilmington.
Secretary: L.K. Carpenter, Du Pont Bldg., Wilmington.

FLORIDA:
Chairman: S.L. Lowry, Jr., Citizens Bk. Bldg., Tampa.
Secretary: J.T. Wiggington, 818--15th St., Miami.

GEORGIA:
Chairman: Trammell Scott, 97 E. Merrits Ave., Atlanta.
Secretary: Louis H. Bell, c/o Service Record, 208 Flatiron Bldg.,
Atlanta.

HAWAII:
Chairman: Lawrence Judd, c/o T.H. Davies & Co., Ltd., Honolulu.
Secretary: J.P. Morgan, Box 188, Honolulu.

IDAHO:
Chairman: C.M. Booth, Pocatello.
Secretary: Laverne Collier, Pocatello.

ILLINOIS:
Chairman: George G. Seaman, Taylorville.
Secretary: Myron E. Adams, 205 Marquette Bldg., 140 S. Dearborn St.,
Chicago.

INDIANA:
Chairman: Raymond S. Springer, Connersville.
Secretary: L. Russell Newgent, 518 Hume Monsur Bldg., Indianapolis.

IOWA:
Chairman: Matthew A. Tinley, Council Bluffs.
Secretary: John MacVicar, 336 Hubbell Bldg., Des Moines.

KANSAS:
Chairman: A. Phares, 519 Sweiter Bldg., Wichita.
Secretary: Ike Lambert, Emporia.

KENTUCKY:
Chairman: Henry DeHaven Moorman, Hardinsburgh.
Secretary: D.A. Sachs, Louisville.

LOUISIANA:
Chairman: Allison Owen, 1237 State St., New Orleans.
Secretary: T.H.H. Pratt, 721 Hibernia Bank, New Orleans.

MAINE:
Chairman: A.L. Robinson, 85 Exchange St., Portland.
Secretary: James L. Boyle, 184 Water St., Augusta.

MARYLAND:
Chairman: Jas. A. Gary, Jr., Equitable Bldg., Baltimore.
Secretary: Alex. Randall, 12 West Chase St., Baltimore.

MASSACHUSETTS:
Chairman: John F.J. Herbert, 749 Pleasant St., Worcester.
Secretary: George P. Gilbody, 3 Van Winkle St., Boston.

MICHIGAN:
Chairman: Geo. C. Waldo, Detroit.
Secretary: Ryle D. Tabor, 312 Moffatt Bldg., Detroit.

MINNESOTA:
Chairman: Harrison Fuller, c/o St. Paul Dispatch, St. Paul.
Secretary: George G. Chapin, 603 Guardian Life Bldg., St. Paul.

MISSISSIPPI.
Chairman: Alex Fitzhugh, Vicksburgh.
Secretary: John M. Alexander, Jackson.

MISSOURI:
Chairman:
Secretary:

MONTANA:
Chairman: Chas. L. Sheridan, Bozeman.
Secretary: Ben. W. Barnett, Helena.

NEBRASKA:
Chairman: John G. Maher, Lincoln.
Secretary: Allan A. Tukey, 1st Natl. Bank Bldg., Omaha.

NEVADA:
Chairman: E.L. Malsbary, Reno.
Secretary: J.D. Salter, Winnimucca.

NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Chairman: Frank Knox, Manchester.
Secretary: Frank J. Abbott, Manchester.

NEW JERSEY:
Chairman: Hobart Brown, c/o Fireman's Insurance Co., Broad
and Market Sts., Newark.
Secretary: George W.C. McCarter, 765 Broad St., Newark.

NEW MEXICO:
Chairman: Charles M. DeBremon, Roswell.
Secretary: Harry Howard Dorman, Santa Fé.

NEW YORK:
Chairman: C.W. Wickersham, 140 Nassau St., New York City.
Secretary: Wade H. Hayes, 140 Nassau St., New York City.

NORTH CAROLINA:
Chairman: C.K. Burgess, 107 Commercial Bank Bldg., Raleigh.
Secretary: Charles N. Hulvey, A.&E. College, Raleigh.

NORTH DAKOTA:
Chairman: R.H. Treacy, Bismarck.
Secretary: Ed. E. Gearey, Fargo.

OHIO:
Chairman: P.C. Galbraith, Cincinnati.
Secretary: Chalmers R. Wilson, Adj. Gen. Office, State House,
Columbus.

OKLAHOMA:
Chairman: Ross N. Lillard, Oklahoma City.
Secretary: F.W. Fisher, Oklahoma City.

OREGON:
Chairman: E.J. Eivers, 444-1/2 Larrabee St., Portland.
Secretary: Dow V. Walker, Care Multnomah Club, Portland.

PENNSYLVANIA:
Chairman and Secretary: George F. Tyler, 121 S. 5th St.,
Philadelphia.

RHODE ISLAND:
Chairman: Alexander H. Johnson, City Hall, Providence.
Secretary: James E. Cummiskey, Crompton.

SOUTH CAROLINA:
Chairman: John D. Smyser, M.D., 423 South Gargan St., Florence.
Secretary: Ben. D. Fulton, 32 West Evans St., Florence.

SOUTH DAKOTA:
Chairman: T.R. Johnson, Sioux Falls.
Secretary: J.C. Denison, Vermillion.

TENNESSEE:
Chairman: Roan Waring, Bank of Commerce and Trust Co. Bldg., Memphis.
Secretary: W.R. Craig, Nat. Life and Accident Co., Nashville, Tenn.

TEXAS:
Chairman: Claude B. Birkhead, San Antonio.
Secretary: J.A. Belzer, Austin.

UTAH:
Chairman: Harold R. Smoot, Salt Lake City.
Secretary: Baldwin Robertson, 409 Ten Boston Bldg., Salt Lake City.

VIRGINIA:
Chairman: Andrew D. Christian, c/o Ruy & Power Bldg., Richmond.
Secretary: R.G.M. Ross, 508 1st Nat'l. Bank Bldg. Newport News.

VERMONT:
Chairman: H. Nelson Jackson, Burlington.
Secretary: Joseph H. Fountain, 138 Colchester Ave., Burlington.

WASHINGTON.
Chairman: Harvey A. Moss, Seattle.
Secretary: George R. Drever, c/o Adj. Gen. Office, Armory, Seattle.

WEST VIRGINIA:
Chairman: Jackson Arnold, 111 Court Ave., Weston.
Secretary: Chas. McCamic, 904 Nat'l. Bank of West Virginia Bldg.,
Wheeling.

WISCONSIN:
Chairman: E.F. Ackley, 226 First Nat'l. Bk. Bldg., Milwaukee.
Secretary: R.N. Gibson, Grand Rapids.

WYOMING:
Chairman: A.H. Beach, Lusk.
Secretary: R.H. Nichols, Casper.

CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN LEGION AS ADOPTED BY THE ST. LOUIS CAUCUS

May 10, 1919

PREAMBLE

For God and Country we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:

To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; to maintain law and order; to foster and perpetuate a one hundred per cent. Americanism; to preserve the memories and incidents of our association in the Great War; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state, and nation; to combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses; to make right the master of might; to promote peace and good will on earth; to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom, and democracy; to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.

ARTICLE I

_Name_

The name of this organization shall be THE AMERICAN LEGION.

ARTICLE II

_Membership_

All persons shall be eligible to membership in this organization who were in the military or naval service of the United States during the period between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918, both dates inclusive, and all persons who served in the military or naval services of any of the governments associated with the United States during the World War, provided that they were citizens of the United States at the time of their enlistment, and are again citizens at the time of application, except those persons who separated from the service under terms amounting to dishonorable discharge and except also those persons who refused to perform their military duties on the ground of conscientious or political obligation.

ARTICLE III

_Nature_

While requiring that every member of the organization perform his full duty as a citizen according to his own conscience and understanding, the organization shall be absolutely non-partisan, and shall not be used for the dissemination of partisan principles, or for the promotion of the candidacy of any person seeking public office or preferment.

ARTICLE IV

_Administration_

I. The Legislative Body of the organization shall be a national convention, to be held annually at a place and time to be fixed by vote of the preceding convention, or in the event that the preceding convention does not fix a time and place, then such time and place shall be fixed by the Executive Committee, hereinafter provided for.

2. The annual convention shall be composed of delegates and alternates from each state, the District of Columbia, and each territory and territorial possession of the United States, each of which shall be entitled to four delegates and four alternates, and to one additional delegate and alternate for each one thousand memberships paid up thirty days prior to the date of the national convention. The vote of each state, of the District of Columbia, and of each territory or territorial possession of the United States shall be equal to the total number of delegates to which that state, district, territory, or territorial possession is entitled.

3. The delegates to the national convention shall be chosen by each state in the manner hereinafter prescribed.

4. The executive power shall be vested in a National Executive Committee to be composed of two representatives from each state, the District of Columbia, territory and territorial possessions of the United States and such other ex-officio members as may be elected by the Caucus. The National Executive Committee shall have authority to fill any vacancies in its membership.

ARTICLE V

_State Organization_

The state organization shall consist of that organization in each state, territory, or the District of Columbia whose delegates have been seated in the St. Louis Caucus. In those states which are at present unorganized the state organization shall consist of an Executive Committee to be chosen by a state convention and such other officers and committees as said convention may prescribe. The state convention in the latter case shall be called by the two members of the National Executive Committee in that state, territory, and the District of Columbia, and shall choose the delegates to the national convention, providing a fair representation for all sections of the state or territory. Each state organization shall receive a charter from the National Executive Committee.

The officers of the state organization shall be as follows:

One State Commander.
One State Vice Commander.
One State Adjutant.
One State Finance Officer.
One State Historian.
One State Master-at-Arms.
One State Chaplain.

ARTICLE VI

_The Local Unit_

The local unit shall be termed the Post, which shall have a minimum membership of fifteen. No Post shall be received into this organization until it shall have received a charter. A Post desiring a charter shall apply to the State Organization and the charter shall be issued by the National Executive Committee whenever recommended by the State Organization. The National Executive Committee shall not issue a charter in the name of any living person.

The officers of the local organization shall be as follows:

One Post Commander.
One Post Vice Commander.
One Post Adjutant.
One Post Finance Officer.
One Post Historian.
One Post Chaplain.

and such appointive officers as may be provided by the State Organization.

ARTICLE VII

_Dues_

Each state organization shall pay to the National Executive Committee or such officer as said committee may designate therefor, the sum of twenty-five cents annually, for each individual member in that particular state, District of Columbia, territory, or territorial possession.

ARTICLE VIII

_Quorum_

A quorum shall exist at a national convention when there are present twenty-five or more states and territories partially or wholly represented as herein-before provided.

ARTICLE IX

_Rules_

The rules of procedure at the national convention shall be those set forth in Roberts' Rules of Order.

ARTICLE X

_Amendment_

This Constitution is to be in force until the November Convention, when it will be ratified or amended by that Convention.

RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY THE ST. LOUIS CAUCUS, AMERICAN LEGION

May 10, 1919.

_1. Endorsement of the Victory Liberty Loan._

WHEREAS, the Government of the United States has appealed to the country for financial support in order to provide the funds for expenditures made necessary in the prosecution of the war and to reestablish the country upon a Peace basis; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That this caucus emphatically endorses the Victory Liberty Loan and urges all Americans to promote the success of the Loan in every manner possible.

_2. Conscientious Objectors._

RESOLVED: That this caucus go on record as condemning the action of those responsible for protecting the men who refused full military service to the United States, in accordance with the Act of Congress of May 18, 1917, and who were tried by General Court Martial, sentenced to prison, and later fully pardoned, restored to duty, and honorably discharged, with all back pay and allowances given them; and as condemning further the I.W.W.'s, International Socialists, and Anarchists in their efforts to secure the release of these men already pardoned, and those still in prison, serving sentence, and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That this caucus demand full and complete investigation by Congress, of the trial and conviction of these parties, and their subsequent pardon.

_3. Protection of the Uniform._

WHEREAS, it is recognized that the uniform of the United States is as much a symbol as the flag itself, and thereby entitled to fitting respect, and, Whereas, certain unscrupulous firms and individuals have taken nefarious advantage of popular sentiment by utilizing men in uniforms as peddlers and sales-agents, and,

WHEREAS, certain discharged men have so far forgotten the respect due the uniform they wear, as to use it as an aid in peddling goods; therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED: That this national caucus go on record as being unalterably opposed to such practices, and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That each state and local organization here represented be urged to do all in its power to put an end to this misuse of the uniform, which has always been worn with honor and for noble purposes.

_4. Reclamation of Arid, Swamp, and Cut-Over Timber Lands._

WHEREAS, the reclamation of arid, swamp, and cut-over timber lands is one of the great constructive problems of immediate interest to the nation; and,

WHEREAS, one of the questions for immediate consideration is that of presenting to discharged soldiers and sailors an opportunity to establish homes and create for themselves a place in the field of constructive effort; and,

WHEREAS, one of the purposes for which the formation of the American Legion is contemplated is to take an energetic interest in all constructive measures designed to promote the happiness and contentment of the people, and to actively encourage all proper movements of a general nature to assist the men of the Army and Navy in solving the problems of wholesome existence; and,

WHEREAS, the Department of the Interior and the Reclamation Service have been engaged in formulating and presenting to the country broad, constructive plans for the reclamation of arid, swamp and cut-over timber lands;

Now, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: By the caucus of delegates of the American Legion in Convention assembled, in the City of Saint Louis, Missouri, that we endorse the efforts heretofore made for the reclamation of lands, and we respectfully urge upon the Congress of the United States the adoption at an early date of broad and comprehensive legislation for economic reclamation of all lands susceptible of reclamation and production.

_5. 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 sailors, 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 a better job;

BE IT RESOLVED, That the American Legion in 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 the principle announced, which pledges immediate reëmployment to the returned soldier; 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 reëmployment, and recommends that simple patriotism requires that ex-soldiers, sailors, or 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.

_6. Disability Pay._

Whereas, under the provisions of the existing law an obvious injustice is done to the civilian who entered the military service, and as an incident to that service is disabled; therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED: That this Caucus urge upon Congress the enactment of legislation, which will place upon an equal basis as to retirement for disability incurred in active service during the War with the Central Powers of Europe, all officers and enlisted men who served in the Military and Naval forces of the United States during the War, irrespective of whether they happened to serve in the Regular Army, or in the National Guard or National Army.

_7. War Risk Insurance._

WHEREAS, one of the purposes of this organization is: "To protect, assist, and promote the general welfare of all persons in the Military and Naval service of the United States, and those dependent upon them," and,

WHEREAS, owing to the speedy demobilization of the men in the service, who have not had their rights, privileges and benefits under the War Risk Insurance Act fully explained to them, and these men, therefore, are losing daily, such rights, privileges and benefits, which may never again be restored; and,

WHEREAS, it is desirable that every means be pursued to acquaint the men of their full rights, privileges, and benefits under the said Act, and to prevent the loss of the said rights, benefits and privileges; therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED: That the American Legion pledges its most energetic support to a campaign of sound education and widespread activity, to the end that the rights, privileges and benefits under the War Risk Insurance Act be conserved, and that the men discharged from the service, be made to realize what are their rights under this act; and that the Executive Committee be empowered and directed to confer with the War Risk Insurance Bureau, that it may carry out the purposes herein expressed; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That it is the sense of this Caucus that the War Risk Insurance Act be amended to provide that the insured, under the Act, may be allowed to elect whether his insurance, upon maturity, shall be paid as an annuity, or in one payment; and that he may select his beneficiaries regardless of family relationship.

_8. Alien Slackers._

WHEREAS, there was a law passed by the Congress of these United States in July, 1918, known as an Amendment to Selective Service Act, giving persons within the draft age, who had taken out first papers for American citizenship, the privilege of turning in said first papers to their local exemption board and thereby become exempt from service, and,

WHEREAS, thousands of men within draft age who had been in this country for many years and had signified their intention to become citizens, took advantage of this law and thereby became exempted from military service, or were discharged from military service by reason thereof, and have taken lucrative positions in the mills, shipyards and factories; and,

WHEREAS, in the great world war for democracy the rank and file of the best of our American manhood have suffered and sacrificed itself in order to uphold the principles upon which this country was founded, and for which they were willing to give up their life's blood; and,

WHEREAS, these counterfeit Americans who revoked their citizenship in our opinion would contaminate the 100 per cent. true American soldier, sailor, or marine who will shortly return to again engage in the gainful pursuits of life; therefore, be it

RESOLVED: That we, the American Legion, do demand the Congress of these United States to immediately enact a law to send these aliens, who withdrew their first papers, back to the country from which they came. The country in which we live, and for which we are willing to fight is good enough for us; but this country in which they have lived and prospered, yet for which they were unwilling to fight, is too good for them, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That we demand the immediate deportation of every alien enemy who was interned during the war, whether the said alien enemy be now interned or has been paroled.

_9. Disabled Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines._

BE IT RESOLVED: That the delegates from the several states shall instruct their respective organizations to see that every disabled soldier, sailor and marine be brought into contact with the Rehabilitation Department of the Federal Board at Washington, D.C., and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the secretaries of the various states be instructed to write to the Federal Board for literature as to what it offers to disabled men, and that the members of the Legion be instructed to distribute this literature and to aid the wounded soldiers, sailors and marines, to take advantage of governmental assistance and that every effort be made by the American Legion in the several states to stop any attempt to pauperize disabled men.

_10. Espionage Act._

RESOLVED: That every naturalized citizen convicted under the Espionage Act shall have his citizenship papers vacated, and when they shall have served their sentence they shall be deported to the country from which they came.

_11. Resolutions._

BE IT RESOLVED: That copies of these resolutions be forwarded to every member of the United States Senate and to each Representative in Congress.

LEGION FACTS

What has gone before is the story of the American Legion in the making. Now it is a going, growing institution.

Because it will be of vital interest and importance to every one of the four million Americans who wore the uniform, the following information concerning the American Legion, in the form of questions and answers, is here given, as follows:

(1) _What is the American Legion_?

(a) It is the organization of American veterans of the World
War.

(2) _Who is eligible_?

(a) Any soldier, sailor or marine who served honorably between
April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918.

(3) _Are women eligible_?

(a) Yes, those who were regularly enlisted or commissioned in
the army, navy or marine corps.

(4) _When was the Legion started_?

(a) It was first organized in Paris, March 15 to 17, 1919, by a
thousand officers and men, delegates from all the units of the
American Expeditionary Force to an organization caucus meeting,
which adopted a tentative constitution and selected the name
"American Legion."

(5) _What has been done in America regarding it_?

(a) The action of the Paris meeting was confirmed and endorsed
by a similar meeting held in St. Louis, May 8 to 10, 1919, when
the Legion was formally recognized by the troops who served in
the United States.

(6) _Are the organizations in France and America separate_?

(a) No. The Paris caucus appointed an Executive Committee of
seventeen officers and men to represent the troops in France in
the conduct of the Legion. The St. Louis caucus appointed a
similar Committee of Seventeen. These two Executive Committees
have amalgamated and are now the governing body of the Legion.

(7) _Who are the officers of this national governing body_?

(a) Henry D. Lindsley, Texas, Chairman; Bennett C. Clark,
Missouri, Vice-Chairman; Eric Fisher Wood, Pennsylvania,
Secretary; Gaspar G. Bacon, Massachusetts, Treasurer.

(8) _Where are the temporary National Headquarters of the
Legion_?

(a) At 19 West 44th Street, New York City.

(9) _When will the final step in the organization of the Legion
take place_?

(a) November 10, 11 and 12, at Minneapolis, Minn., when a great
National Convention will be held.

(10) _Why were those dates selected_?

(a) Because by that time practically all of the men of the
A.E.F. will be at home and will have been able to participate in
the election of their delegates to the Convention.

(11) _Who were some of the men who initiated the formation of
the Legion_?

(a) Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt, of the First Division; Col.
Henry D. Lindsley, formerly Mayor of Dallas, Texas; Sgt. "Jack"
Sullivan, of Seattle; Lt. Col. Franklin D'Olier, of
Philadelphia; Ex-Senator Luke Lea, of Tennessee; Lt. Col.
Frederick Huedekoper, of Washington, D.C.; Major Redmond C.
Stewart, of Baltimore; Wagoner Dale Shaw, of Iowa; Lt. Col.
George A. White, of Oregon; "Bill" Donovan, of the "Fighting
69th"; Major Thomas R. Gowenlock, of Illinois; Sgt. Alvin C.
York, of Tennessee; Colonel John Price Jackson, of the S.O.S.;
Lt. Col. "Jack" Greenway, of Arizona; Sgt. Roy C. Haines, of
Maine; George Edward Buxton, of Rhode Island; Eric Fisher Wood,
of Pennsylvania; Chaplain John W. Inzer, of Alabama; Lt. Col.
David M. Goodrich, of Akron; Chief Petty Officer B.J. Goldberg,
of Chicago; "Tom" Miller, of Delaware; Major Alex. Laughlin,
Jr., of Pittsburgh; Major Henry Leonard, of the Marine Corps;
Dwight J. Davis, of the 35th Division; Corporal Charles S. Pew,
of Montana; General William G. Price, of the 28th Division;
Bishop Charles S. Brent, Senior Chaplain of the A.E.F.; General
O'Ryan, of the 27th Division; Stewart Edward White, of
California; Private Jesus M. Baca, of New Mexico; General
Charles H. Cole, of the 26th Division; Sgt. E.L. Malsbary, of
Nevada; Lt. Samuel Gompers, Jr., of New York; Col. Henry L.
Stimpson, Ex-Secretary of War; Lt. Col. Charles W. Whittlesey,
Commander of the "Lost Battalion"; Leroy Hoffman, of Oklahoma;
Lt. Col. A. Piatt Andrew, of the American Ambulance in France;
General Harvey J. Moss, of the State of Washington; John
MacVicar, Mayor of Des Moines before the War; Sgt. George H.H.
Pratt, of New Orleans; Col. F.C. Galbraith, of Cincinnati;
Corporal Joseph H. Fountain, of Vermont; Devereux Milburn, of
the 78th Division; Lt. Col. Wilbur Smith, of the 89th Division;
Sgt. Theodore Myers, of Pennsylvania; Col. Bennett C. Clark, son
of Champ Clark; Robert Bacon, Ex-Secretary of State.

(12) _What did the Legion, do at its St. Louis caucus_?

(a) It demanded investigation of the pardon and subsequent
honorable discharge by the War Department of convicted
conscientious objectors.

(b) It condemned the action of the I.W.Ws., the Anarchists, and
the International Socialists.

(c) It protested against certain nefarious business concerns who
are employing men in uniform to peddle their wares.

(d) It recommended that Congress should take steps to reclaim
arid, swamp and cut over timber lands and give the work of doing
this to ex-service men, and give the land to them when it had
been made available for farming purposes.

(e) It demanded of Congress the same disability pay for men of
the National Guard and National Army as now pertains to those in
the Regular establishment.

(f) It initiated a campaign to secure to service men their
rights and privileges under the War Risk Insurance Act.

(g) It demanded that Congress should deport to their own
countries those aliens who refused to join the colors at the
outbreak of the war, and pleaded their citizenship in other
countries to escape the draft.

(h) It undertook to see that disabled soldiers, sailors and
marines should be brought into contact with the Rehabilitation
Department of the Government, which department helps them to
learn and gain lucrative occupations.

(i) It authorized the appointment of a competent legislative
committee to see that the above recommendations were effectively
acted upon by Congress, and that committee has been appointed
and is now at work.

(j) It authorized the establishment of a bureau to aid service
men to get re-employment; and of a legal bureau to help them get
from the Government their overdue pay and allotments. These two
bureaus are being organized at the National Headquarters of the
Legion and will be in active operation by July 1st.

(13) _What else did the St. Louis caucus do_?

(a) It endorsed all steps taken by the Paris caucus, and adopted
a temporary constitution which conformed to the tentative
constitution adopted in Paris.

(14) _What does this Constitution stand for_?

(a) The preamble answers that question; it reads: "For God and
Country we associate ourselves together for the following
purposes: To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United
States of America; to maintain law and order; to foster and
perpetuate a one hundred per cent. Americanism; to preserve the
memories and incidents of our association in the Great War; to
inculcate a sense of individual obligations to the community,
state and nation; to combat the autocracy of both the classes
and the masses; to make right the master of might; to promote
peace and good will on earth; to safeguard and transmit to
posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; to
consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to
mutual helpfulness."

(15) _How does the Legion govern itself_?

(a) The Constitution provides that the legislative body of the
organization shall be a national convention, to be held annually
... composed of delegates and alternates from each state, from
the District of Columbia and from each territory and territorial
possession of the United States.

(16) _How is the Legion organized_?

(a) It is composed of State Branches, and these in turn are made
up of Local Posts.

(17) _What is a Local Post_?

(a) The Constitution states that a Local Post shall have a
minimum membership of fifteen. No Post shall be received into
the Legion until it has received a charter. A Post desiring a
charter shall apply for it to the State Branch, and the charter
will be issued, upon recommendation of this State Branch, by the
National Executive Committee. No Post may be named after any
living person.

(18) _How can I join the American Legion_?

(a) By filling out the Enrollment Blank on the last page of this
booklet and mailing it to the State Secretary of your home
state, whose name is listed below. If there is a Local Post in
your home town, your name and address will be sent to the Post
Commander. If there is no Post in your home town, START ONE,
write your State Secretary for the necessary particulars. The
State Secretaries are:

ALABAMA.--Leroy Jacobs, care Jacobs Furniture Co., Birmingham.

ARIZONA.--Fred B. Townsend, National Bank, Arizona Bldg.,
Phoenix.

ARKANSAS.--Granville Burrow, Little Rock.

CALIFORNIA.--E.E. Bohlen, 926 Flood Bldg., San Francisco.

COLORADO.--Morton M. David, 401 Empire Bldg., Denver.

CONNECTICUT.--Alfred A. Phillips, Jr., 110 Glenbrook Rd.,
Stamford.

DELAWARE.--L.K. Carpenter, Du Pont Bldg., Wilmington.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.--Howard Fisk, 833 Southern Bldg.,
Washington.

FLORIDA.--J.T. Wiggington, 818 15th St., Miami.

GEORGIA.--Louis H. Bell, care of Service Record, 208 Flatiron
Bldg., Atlanta.

HAWAII.--J.P. Morgan, Box 188, Honolulu.

IDAHO.--Laverne Collier, Pocatello.

ILLINOIS.--Name not received yet.

INDIANA.--L. Russell Newgent, 518 Hume Monsur Bldg.,
Indianapolis.

IOWA.--John MacVicar, 336 Hubbell Bldg., Des Moines.

KANSAS.--Ike Lambert, Emporia.

KENTUCKY.--D.A. Sachs, Louisville.

LOUISIANA.--T.H.H. Pratt, 721 Hibernia Bank, New Orleans.

MAINE.--James L. Boyle, 184 Water St., Augusta.

MARYLAND.--Alex. Randall, 12 West Chase St., Baltimore.

MASSACHUSETTS.--George F. Gilbody, 3 Van Winkle St., Boston.

MICHIGAN.--Ryle D. Tabor, 312 Moffatt Bldg., Detroit.

MINNESOTA.--Merle E. Eaton, care of Lee & Lewis Grain Co., 200
Corn Exchange Bldg., Minneapolis.

MISSISSIPPI.--John M. Alexander, Jackson.

MISSOURI.--Ed. J. Cahill, Service Commission, Jefferson City.

MONTANA.--Ben W. Barnett, Helena.

NEBRASKA.--Allan A. Tukey, 1st National Bank Bldg., Omaha.

NEVADA.--J.D. Salter, Winnimucca.

NEW HAMPSHIRE.--Frank J. Abbott, Manchester.

NEW JERSEY.--George W.C. McCarter, 765 Broad St., Newark.

NEW MEXICO.--Harry Howard Dorman, Santa Fé.

NEW YORK.--Wade H. Hayes, 140 Nassau St.

NORTH CAROLINA.--Charles N. Hulvey, A. & E. College, Raleigh.

NORTH DAKOTA.--Ed. E. Gearey, Fargo.

OHIO.--Chalmers R. Wilson, Adj. Gen. Office, State House,
Columbus.

OKLAHOMA.--F.W. Fisher, Oklahoma City.

OREGON.--Dow V. Walker, care Multnomah Club, Portland.

PENNSYLVANIA.--George F. Tyler, 121 S. 5th St., Philadelphia.

RHODE ISLAND.--James E. Cummiskey, Crompton.

SOUTH CAROLINA.--Ben. D. Fulton, 32 West Evans St., Florence.

SOUTH DAKOTA.--J.C. Denison, Vermillion.

TENNESSEE.--W.R. Craig, Nat. Life and Accident Co., Nashville.

TEXAS.--J.A. Belzer, Austin.

UTAH.--Baldwin Robertson, 409 Ten Boston Bldg., Salt Lake City.

VERMONT.--Joseph H. Fountain, 138 Colchester Ave., Burlington.

VIRGINIA.--R.G.M. Ross, 508 First National Bank Bldg., Newport
News.

WASHINGTON.--George R. Drever, care Adj. Gen. Office, Armory,
Seattle.

WEST VIRGINIA.--Chas. McCamic, 904 National Bank of West
Virginia Bldg., Wheeling.

WISCONSIN.--R.N. Gibson, Grand Rapids.

WYOMING.--R.H. Nichols, Casper.

WHAT THE PUBLIC PRESS THINKS

It is interesting to know what the press of the United States thinks of the American Legion. Practically every newspaper in the country honored the Legion with comment. In almost every instance it was favorable. Selection has been made of some of this comment--as much as is feasible to give here. It is of two kinds: first, what the press thought of the _idea_ of the Legion, and second, what opinion it had of the Legion after it was launched at St. Louis. The first type of comment was made prior to the caucus in this country and the second, afterwards. Comment on both types was generally favorable.

Lest insincerity be charged let it be said here that there _was_ some unfavorable comment. One New England paper was surprised that soldiers, sailors and marines were not clever enough to know that the American people would perceive their attempt, through this organization, to "drive a six mule team through the Treasury" and get pension and pay grabs. One Southern paper pictured Colonel Roosevelt returning from the St. Louis caucus, a defeated candidate for the chairmanship, with all hope of the future blasted, while one in Ohio said with equal accuracy and solemnity that "there is no need of such an organization at this time, now that the country is entering the era of peace."

But here is the comment. It comes from north, east, south, and west, and it is typical:

_New York Times_, April 10, 1919.--... It is a pleasure to know
that Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, the worthy inheritor
of a beloved American name, has called a meeting of soldiers and
sailors at St. Louis. Lieutenant Colonel Bennett Clark, son of
Mr. Champ Clark, is an associate of Lieutenant Colonel
Roosevelt, in the plan for an organization of all our soldiers
and sailors as the American Legion. These two gentlemen,
associated in a patriotic movement, indicate by their names its
common national purpose, apart from politics and partisanship.
"A nonpartisan and non-political association is to be formed,"
says Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt, "an association which will
keep alive the principles of justice, freedom, and democracy for
which these veterans fought." Justice, freedom, and democracy,
without partisanship! The idea is noble. It should prevail.

_Leavenworth_ (Kansas) _Post_, April 30, 1919.--... The
character of the men of the American Army who are promoting it
[the Legion] and the high ideals which it professes and proposes
to maintain are a guaranty that it will be a power for helpful
service in the common family of the nation.

The plan of organization sprang from the desire of serious and
able men in the American Army to maintain the high ideals for
which all of them have fought, to preserve the soldier
comradeship and carry it over into civilian life as an element
of broad helpfulness while keeping the record of the army free
from the taint of selfish aims. It was also wisely intended to
forestall by the creation of one big genuinely representative,
nonpartisan and democratic body, the formation of numerous
smaller organizations in various places by men intent on
exploiting the soldier sentiment and the soldier vote for other
than patriotic purposes.

_New York Sun_, April 11, 1919.--... The American Legion will
do an indispensable service. We, who have lived up to the past
few years in an agitation of protest against the pension grab
must now make our minds over sufficiently to realize that in the
new situation we run immediately into danger not of
over-pensioning the veterans of to-day but of neglecting them.

The new organization must of course be nonpartisan and
non-political. Precedent enough exists in the career of the
Grand Army to make that clear. It should include and enjoy the
guidance of the most influential military men. Politicians it
will have at its service so long as it is well run and organized
from within. Despite its proper political limitations, it should
serve as the most salutary means to influence returned soldiers
to cling to plain old Americanism, shed their martial
acquirements and return to plain, praiseworthy citizenship.

_Washington Star_, April 10, 1919.--... The American Legion is
to be welcomed as an agency for the promotion of the best in our
national life. It will represent, with other things, the majesty
of numbers. A great many men will be eligible to membership; and
they will be young, and full of hope and purpose. And when they
act together in matters within the scope of their organization
they will represent a force to be reckoned with in the
formulating of public policies.

_Brooklyn Eagle_, April 11, 1919.--Organization of "The American
Legion" is going on rapidily in every State in the Union. Vast
as was the mass of eligibles on which the Grand Army of the
Republic could draw after the Civil War, it did not compare with
the Legion's bulk of raw material. There will be a formal caucus
on May 8th, at St. Louis, of a real representative character, in
which it is said the enlisted men of the army and navy will have
a majority. Lieutenant Colonel Henry L. Stimson, once Secretary
of War, outlines the plan. He believes that this country's
future hereafter is in the hands of the men below thirty years
of age who fought this war. He trusts that the lesson in
practical democracy afforded by military experience and the
ideals of democracy emphasized by military enthusiasm may be
kept permanently alive.

That this is the main hope of the more active organizers we have
no doubt. Men like Major General O'Ryan, General Charles I.
Debevoise, and Colonel Theodore Roosevelt and Colonel Robert
Bacon would never think of making such a body a lever for
pension legislation or an agency of politics. Yet the
temptation to a divergence from the higher ideals is strong, and
the rank and file may not be inclined to resist it.

_St. Louis Globe-Democrat,_ April II, 1919.--... Such
societies, it has been proved, are never partisan. They are
invariably exponents of broad-gauge patriotism. That they have
great political influence in a high national sense is true, but
they have never misused it nor ever viewed their mission in a
narrow spirit. They preserve the touch of the elbow throughout
life, but only as thorough Americans, devoted first, last, and
always to our common country.

St. Louis is proud to be selected as the place for the
inauguration of this admirable and undoubtedly perpetual
society. All wars are represented by societies formed by their
veterans, and all alike have been truly and broadly patriotic.
It will be the same with the new order, whose membership will,
on the strength of numbers called to the colors, far exceed any
former parallel. This event will be a datemark in our patriotic
annals and in the progress of the nation.

_Syracuse_ (N.Y.) _Herald_, April 13, 1919.--It has been
earnestly stated, as might have been expected, that the American
Legion will be strictly nonpartisan. That much might be inferred
from the circumstance that one of the leading associates of
Roosevelt in organizing the Legion is Lieutenant Colonel Bennett
Clark, son of the late Democratic Speaker of the House of
Representatives. Colonel Roosevelt is sufficient authority for
the assurance that the movement is neither partisan nor
political. He calls it "an association which will keep alive the
principles of justice, freedom and democracy for which these
veterans fought." Viewed in that sentimental, ethical and
patriotic light, it is a commendable undertaking. The American
people will wish it well, and be glad to see it flourish....

_Norfolk_ (Va.) _Dispatch_, April 9, 1919.--If the American
Legion now in process of organization by young Colonel Roosevelt
and his associates, clings to the principles of foundation and
holds by the purposes proclaimed by its founders, it may become
a mighty force for good in the land. It will be composed of
several millions of comparatively youthful Americans, a large
percentage of whom will be voters, while virtually all will have
demonstrated their readiness to fight their country's battles
with weapons far deadlier than bullets.... This assumes the
legion will fulfill the part it has undertaken to play in the
country's life. If it should degenerate into a selfish
protective body, it will be worse than useless. But there is
little reason to fear it will fall so far below its ideals while
there is every reason to hope it will be a powerful factor in
helping the country to find itself again.

_New Orleans Item_, April 14, 1919.--The American Legion through
the tremendous influence and mighty power of 3,000,000 organized
fighting men, is certain to shape and control the destinies of
the nation in years to come to an extent of which the wise will
refrain from even suggesting a limit. With the announcement by
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt that the "Legion will be
interested in policies, but not in politics," the opinion may
safely be hazarded that the great political parties of the
country are due to have new mentors, from whom they may be
forced to look anxiously for their cues.

Primarily among the announced purposes of the Legion is the
perpetuating of those principles of justice, freedom and
democracy for which its members either fought or stood ready to
fight. On the field in France or in the training camps at home,
the millions of America's best manhood have learned intimately
and well a new lesson of individual and national responsibility.
Such lessons, at the cost they were obtained, are not to be
forgotten or lost. The ideals of the fighting men of the states,
producing the valor and the power which made the American Army
irresistible, and the revelations by fire of new realizations
and brotherhood and of world and national citizenship are surely
to be felt in the calm, happier times of peace.

_Philadelphia Record_, April 10, 1919.--... If, as Colonel
Roosevelt predicts, the membership shall eventually comprise
4,000,000 men who were in the military and naval service of the
United States in the late war, it will have possibilities of
power that must be reckoned with. But if, in the long life
before it, the American Legion shall have no more to its
discredit than is summed up in the history of the G.A.R. whose
ranks are now so pathetically thin, it will have been a worthy
follower of its fathers.

_Paterson_ (N.J.) _Evening News_, May 7, 1919.--... The new
organization starts its career deserving and receiving the good
wishes of the entire country. The character of the men of the
American army who are promoting it and the high ideals which it
professes and proposes to maintain are a guaranty that it will
be a power for helpful service in the common family of the
nation.

_Duluth_ (Minn.) _Herald_, May 24, 1919.--There is a great field
for the American Legion, the organization of American veterans
of the World War, and judging by the spirit of the recent
convention and by the expressions of the returning delegates as
reported in the press of the country, it is going to fill that
field.

And the field that awaits it, and that it seems to intend to
fill, is a field of a vigorous and aggressive effort to demand
and enforce a strong and coherent and consistent Americanism.

Not the swashbuckling kind of Americanism--the
chip-on-the-shoulder kind--the we-can-lick-the-world kind. These
lads of ours are the last in the world to preach that fool kind
of Americanism. For they--or at least those of them who crossed
the seas and fought for liberty and peace on the other
side--have seen in the case of Germany what that kind of
nationalism comes to, and they are against it.

But there is a type of Americanism which is utterly free from
the taint of militarism and jingoism, but that yet is even more
dangerous to anybody at home or abroad who flaunts the spirit of
America and defies its power. And unless the signs fail, the
American Legion is going to express and embody and inculcate
that type of Americanism.

_Anaconda_ (Mont.) _Standard_, May 24, 1919.--... At St. Louis
the members voted down all proposals for obtaining from Congress
increases of pay for the soldiers and rejected all efforts to
obtain canvasses of the members to ascertain their preference as
to parties and as to presidential candidates. Everything was
excluded which would tend to committ the organization to any
particular party or any particular candidate. Young Colonel
Roosevelt, son of the former republican president, and Colonel
Bennett Clark, son of Champ Clark, former democratic speaker of
the house, joined hands in the endeavor to keep partisanship and
politics out of the organization.

_Collier's Weekly_, May 31, 1919.--A national convention of
American soldiers and sailors in which no grievances were aired,
no political axes ground, no special privileges or preferments
demanded; where oratorical "bunk" was hooted down; where social
discrimination was taboo and military rank counted not at all;
where the past glories of war were subordinated to the future
glories of peace and where the national interest was placed
above all partisanship--that is something new under the sun. It
was in such a convention held in St. Louis during the second
week in May, that the new spirit of the American army and navy
expressed itself articulately for the first time since the
armistice was signed. The birth of the American Legion was
attended by circumstances having a significance comparable with
those surrounding the signing of a certain document in
Philadelphia one hundred and forty-three years ago, come July
4th.

A brigadier general arises to "place in nomination the name of a
man who--" and is cried down by doughboys with calls of "Name
him! Who is he?" A proposal to give extra pay to enlisted men is
unanimously defeated because, as Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt
put it, "we are not here to sandbag something out of the
Government, but to put something into it." The invitation to
make Chicago the next meeting place of the Legion is refused
because "American soldiers and sailors don't want to go to a
city whose mayor would be ashamed to welcome such a convention."
A progressive Republican, son of a famous father, refuses the
chairmanship to quiet suspicion of personal ambition, and the
office goes to a Southern Democrat of whose party the gathering
is in complete ignorance.

One of the convention stenographers said: "This is the funniest
convention I have ever attended." We have an idea that there was
an element of prophecy in her homely remark--a body representing
more than four million American soldiers and sailors that makes
so little political noise is likely to be about as funny to the
conventionally minded politician as a bombardment of gas shells.
This language of restraint in the mouths of organized civilian
youth may prove to be a natural companion to the famous battle
slogan of the A.E.F.: "Let's go!"