The Story of The American Legion Part 21

(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 const.i.tution 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, Ma.s.sachusetts, 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 partic.i.p.ate 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 Was.h.i.+ngton, 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 Was.h.i.+ngton; 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 citizens.h.i.+p 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 const.i.tution which conformed to the tentative const.i.tution adopted in Paris.

(14) _What does this Const.i.tution stand for_?

(a) The preamble answers that question; it reads: "For G.o.d and Country we a.s.sociate ourselves together for the following purposes: To uphold and defend the Const.i.tution 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 a.s.sociation in the Great War; to inculcate a sense of individual obligations to the community, state and nation; to combat the autocracy of both the cla.s.ses and the ma.s.ses; 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 comrades.h.i.+p by our devotion to mutual helpfulness."

(15) _How does the Legion govern itself_?

(a) The Const.i.tution 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 Const.i.tution states that a Local Post shall have a minimum members.h.i.+p 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.