The Republican journal., 1919-11-06
Work for the Legion.

TIC AuellCdu Legion Has zone It's
work, IN war. There remains for it a
work in peace no less important and no
less urgent. Its members went abroad
when German hordes were invading
France and threatening her overthrow.
and without them there was no force
sufficient to defeat the menace They
have come home to find Bolshevism in
vading the United States and threaten
ing its overthrow, and without them there
is no force sufficient certainly to defeat
the menace. What are they going TO do
about it?
Here is the situation, depicted without
camoutla9e: Nearly year has passed
since the armistice was signed and the
President declared the war at an end.
Our Expedltionary Forces have been
brought home and dismissed TO civil life
Not single effective thing has been
done to reorganlze the army into an ade-
quate force for domestic service in an
emergency. Congress has not agreed
upon any measure for a Federal army,
and the States have not reorganized their
National Guard units. we are practically
without a military establishment worthy
OF the name or equal to the demands that
may at any moment be made upon it,
Moreover, no matter how promptly and
wisely Congress and the States should
now act, much time, probably months,
would elapSe before there could be an
adeQuat ely dependable establishment.
Meanwhile every day discloses more
omlnous menance and potential need of
saving military force. Boshevism, the
worst enemy of government and of civil
ization, has invaded the United States in
force, just as surely and as maliciously as
the Germans invaded france. Every day
brings further proof of its presence and
of its pernicious activity and formidable
power Strikes multiply, with openly
revolutionary aims. Riots are organized
in our largest cities, under the cries of
Down with the Government! To hell
with the Constitution and lawsT" 1t will
do no good merely to rail at those who
through wicked neglect of duty have per-
mitted and even encouraged these condi-
tons to arise. We can expect nothing
| from them toward suppressing the evils
they have fostered. The people must act
for themselves If the national Govern
ment has failed US in this emergency, the
| individual States must act, with the DOW
ers which have been reserved to them.
Nothing could be more fitting or more
reassuring than for each State through its
Governor to organize at once State Con-
stabulary of commanding proportions.
Every returned soldier officer or private,
should at once enroll in the American
Legion and actively associate himself with
one of its posts, and these would provide
an abundant number of trained and COM
petent men to fill the ranks of the con-
stabulary In any emergency. The men
would respond to the call, be sure of that.
They did their full duty abroad, but they
have no mind to sit down at home and
see BOlsheVlst ruin come to the country
which they saved from the Hun.
Arms and munitions for the work, SO
far as needed, would not be lacking. There
is an abundance of them stored in arsenals
and warehouses all over the country,
which the citizens of the States have
paid for. If the Federal Government will
not itself utilize them, it could scarcely
refuse to let the various State Govern
ments have them.
There is no use in being mealey- mouth
ed or pussy-footed in the matter We
had enough of that few years ago, and
paid the penalty of being drawn into the
war unprepared. The cuckoo cry then
was, "He is keeping us out of war! We
have not been unmindful and we are not
unprepared! If million men were called
fer at daybreak, we should have them all
in battle array by sunsetp We know now
what Internal folly or worse than folly
that was.
1t would be worse folly today to shut
our eyes against the peril that is within
our gates, and to the imperative need of
immediate action against it. America is
not Bolshevist. But it may rest with the
American Legion to save it from being
Bolshevised.-Harvey's Weekly.