Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-01
LEGION IS NOT
PART MILITARY,
SAYS OFFICIAL
secretary of Black Hawk Post De-
MES RumOr That Members Tan
Be Called for Service.

B. H Kemper, secretary of the
Black Hawk post of the American
Legion, announced today that he
desires to brand, Gree and for all
as false, the rumors that are af1oat
relative to the legion being semi
military organization and that It's
members may be called upon in
case of public stress to give serv-
ices similar TO police or deputy
sheriff duties.
Today is the last of the contem-
plated 10 days membership cam
paign, but it was announced that on
account of the exceptional success
of the campaign it has been de-
cided to extend the time limit until
II O'Clock Saturday night. In view
Aof the extension of time allowed
Returned soldiers to join the Black
awk post in the big membership
hive, Mr. Kemper said that he de-
Yred to correct certain false i'm
pressions held by returned soldiers
and others as to the aims and pur-
poses of the legion.
In submitting a formal state
ment relative to the aims and pur-
poses of the legion and the rumors
afoat that tend to warp its honest
aims. Mr. Kemper said that his
statement means just what it says
and that there is no underlying
meaning in any of the sentences
and that the statement should
stand out clear in correcting all
false impressions.
The statement follows:
During the course of the mem
bership drive of Black Hawk post
of the American Legion which be-
gan Sept %, 1919, it has frequent
ly come to my attention that re-
burned soldiers and civilians as
well, have accepted rumors as to
the aims and purposes of the Amer
lean Legion as true, and that under
gthis belief many soldiers and civil
ians believe that soldiers who en-
roll as members of the legion viii
be called upon to perform semi
military duty, police duties or those
CT deputy sheriffs in case of pub
lie stress.
Rumors Are False.
"All rumors leading to such i'm
pressions are false, and 1 wish to
impress upon all returned soldiers
and every other citizen of this COM
munity that nothing could be
farther from the truth.
Various garbled statements have
appeared in the newspapers
throughout the country to the effect
that American Legion posts are
pressing their services upon the
constituted authorities in cases of
public stress.
"These statements, probably
more than any other medium, have
kindIed the scores of rumors now
afioat that tend toward branding
the legion as an organization whose
members are SUPPOSED to be at the
beck and call OF public disturb
Iances.
I'm explaining the aims and pur-
Aposes of the legion, I desire first
10 state that there is absolutely no
1ause in the constitution of the
p1egion that binds its members in
any degree whatsoever to present
themselves as volunteers to take
the places Of regular constituted
authorities Along this vein it is
Aufficient for me to state that the
members of the legion pledge them
selves to 100 per cent American
ism, the same Americanism for
which our forefathers fought and
under which we have enjoyed free |
dom.
mo false rumors were ever cir
culated relative to the G. A R. or |
Spanish-American war veterans. |
The American Legion is an organi- |
cation having the same high stand |
ards as the G. A r. and the Span |
ish-American War veerans' organi- |
cations are separate However, if |
is our desire that all three organi-
cations keep standing committees
that will confer together to for
ward any plan that will foster good
for the people of the United States.
Main Purposes.
''Some of the main aims of the
legion are to provide {, central
meeting place for the American sol
diers of the world war, thus pro-
Eiding them with the opportunities
meet their comrades. We also