The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-30
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BURE AU
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. DirOGter.
washingtaa. D. G
THE C. Ar. OF THE GREAT WAR.

THE G. A. r. OF THE GREAT WAR.
Washington. D. c.. July 27.-Nine
months after the fighting came to an
end in France. 1t is evident that the
! so-called American Legion is to be-
come the Grand Army of the Republic
of the recent war. Already the or
ganization has a national headquar-
tiers and far flung tentacles that reach
into every state, every city, ana al
most every village and town under the
flag The American Legion is spread
ing like a prairie fire and sweeping
all before it.
At 10 West 44th street, New York
City. are the national headquarters of
the legion. Here are found the offices
of the joint national executive commit
tee, composed of thirty-four members.
which is the governing body of the
legion for the present. Here are to be
found offices of teeming activity oc-
| cupying a full floor of an office build
ing and carrying on the work of the
| organization. Here is to be found the
finance division which provides the
funds for operation in advance of that
| time when membership will be sufft-
cient to carry forward the, work Of
the legion. Here is to be found the
| Legislative division, the business of
| which is to present the views and
needs of the organization to congress.
Here is the mill of the organization
which is working thru all the states.
! Here is the speakers bureau, the COM
| mittee on war risk insurance, the COM
mittee cooperating in matters OF en-
ployment. and the committee which
! publishes the organizations weekly
! magazine. Here, in fact. Is the very
center of this new force in the life of
a nation, a force that is already stu
pendous in its influence.
Tied into this national headquarters
are the different state departments.
Each state department is under the
1 control of a state commander who is
assisted by state adjutant, a state
finance officer, and advised by state
Judge advocate. All the local chap
/ ters in a given state are under the
Jurisdiction of a state commander.
The state commander is the inter-
, mediate step between the national
headquarters and the individual post.
He issues the charters for the indi-
vidual posts and aids in their organi-
cation.
ANY group of fifteen service men.
no matter where it is located. may
apply for p charter to form post.
This application is made to the state
commander who personally issues the
charter. There is also a state secre-
tary in each state and he may be
called upon for any information. So
does it become possible that any group
| of former serving men. wherever To-
Gated. may get together for the crea-
ton of a local post of the American
Legion, and may become functioning
units in that Legion. The fact that
one or more posts already exist in a
community does not prevent the for
nation of new posts. Already there
are more than a thousand such posts
in the United States with member
ship Of more than 100000 men. The
task that the national organization
has set itself is to so increase the num-
Der of these posts and the member
wi
vention of the Legion is held in Min
neapolis on the eleventh of November
next, the anniversary Of the signing
of the armistice, that there will be
million men enrolled in this great So
ciety.
The first step toward the organiza-
ton of this society was taken in Paris
in March of this year and it assumed
definite form when in May represen-
tatives from all the states and from
overseas, met in a caucus in St. Louis
and formed a tentative organization
and wrote a tentative constitution to
be effective until the men in service
overseas returned, to ratify It or to re-
write it at the great convention which
! will finally build the structure.
: The first individual post of the
American Legion was created in
Washington. D. c., in March of this
year and has been functioning ever
since as a bellwether and model for
all those Cnat nave followed.
The Legion sets forth its purposes
in the preamble of its provisional con-
stitution as follows: ITO uphold and
defend the constitution of the United
States of America; to safeguard and
, transmit to posterity the principles of
justice, freedom, and democracy for
which the members of the military
and naval services of the United States
| contended in the war of 1917-191S; to
maintain law and order; to foster and
perpetuate 100 per cent American
} ism; to inculcate the duty of the citi-
zen to the state and nation, and to
preserve and develop equality of.right
and opportunity in the United States;
to make right the master of might
, both in domestic and international
affairs. and to promote peace and
good will among the people of the
: United States and the nations of the
earth: to cement the ties of comra de-
ship formed in the service; to preserve
, the memories and incidents of the
great war, and to consecrate the COM
radeship of its members by their de-
votion to mutual helpfulness and serv-
i've to the nation"
1t defines eligibility for member
ship as open to all persons who were
: in the naval or military service dur
ing the period between April 6. 1917.
and November IL, 1918. and all per-
sons who served in the services of the
allies provided they were citizens OF
the United States when they enlisted
: and are citizens when they apply for
membership.
Thus does 1t pitch the purpose of
; the organization on a very high plane
and thus does it make 1t clear that
none who have not been actually en-
listed in the army and navy are to be
I members. Thus is it made clear, how
2 ever. that this is an organization in
: which officers and men stand on a
basis of absolute equality and there
fore an organization which is destined
S to be run by the enlisted men. because
of the fact that they are so much
more numerous than any other.
The American Legion came into be-
ing under official authority and en-
= couragement. The first meeting in
Pa ris was held with the annrnual of