Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-05-08
World War Veterans Bare
Issues in Opening at
st. Louis.
ROOSEVELT SITS
IN FIRST CHAIR
Election Of Permanent Officers viii De
Left 70 November convsntion--0is.
ssnsion Between Regulars and Ma.
tionai Guard, Decision On Oroarixa.
tion's Attitude Toward Negroes, and
Adoption Of Greed Discussed.

St Louis. May S.--The American
Legion. composed of men with world
war records in the military or naval
service. opened three days session
here today with more than thousand
delegates. representing practically
every stats in the union. present Lieut..
Col. Theodore Roosevelt presided.
The sessions of the various tenn
porary committees during the past two
days have brought to light many diff
ferences OF opinion. Foremost among
these is the dissension between the ma
tional guard and the regular army.
Clark Faces About.
A strong effort is being made ON tho
part of national guardsmen TO exclude
regular army men from the legion.
Col. Bennett Clark. who a few days
ago, told the national guard convention
that tho regular army must .h.
smashed now is tho lea der af tha
forces fighting for recognition OF the
regular army in the legion.
Colonel Clark openly announced to-
day at the convention that altslo '.he
held no briefs for the regular army"
he did not intend that the more than a
million men now In France should get
other than a square deal at the CAUCUS
saying that tho efforts TO exclude reg
ular army men would affect hundreds
of thousands of soldiers still In France
who had not received discharges.
Propose Negro Auxiliary.
that Of admitting negroes to member
ship. Southern delegates, headed by
Alabamans ara proposing that they 30
allowed to form an auxiliary orgAHtsa-
ton.
Today's sessinns were dsvuted al
most entirely 20 organization and pre-
sentation ofsvarious resolutions to the
resolutions committee.
Purposes Of Legion.
The report of the committee on
creed. which has been adopted by the
temporary executive COMMITTEES and
placed before the convention states
that the American Legion has the fol-
lowing definite purposes:
u-To inculcate the duty ard obli-
cation OF citizenship.
(2)-To preserve the history and In
cidents OF our participation in this
war.
(3)--To cement the ties OF comrades
ship formed IN service.
f)-To protect. assist and promote
the general welfare of AL soldiers, sail
ors and marines and those dependent
upon them.
t51-To encourage tn, maintehance
of individual and national efficiency ~
the end that tie American peo ple shass
never fail in their obligation TO hu-
manity
(5)---To maiutain the sacred doc
trine of undivided and uncompromistn<
loyalty to every principle for whicn
the American nation stands In the be-
lief that that doctrine should bc tho
guiding princnle OF the everyday life
OF each citizen.
The caucus does not intend to~elect
permanent officers but v!ll appoint an
executive committee TO govern the orr
xaniZation until convention can %
held some time in November when per-
mancnt organization viii be effected
Voting al Tho congress is on tpa
basis of congressional representation
of states. each state being entitled 70
twice as many votes as it has con
yressional representatives.