The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-09-23
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2s. 1919
THE AMERICAN LEGION.


The failure of the soldiers of Abb
beviIle County to respond to the call
for the organization of post Of the
American Legion was a disappolnt-
ment. Only six soldiers attended
the meeting September 10, at which
time the post was to have been or
ganized. But after all the lack of
enthusiasm was not entirely. unex-
pected.
There are 500 white service men
in this county. The woeful lack OF
interest was discouraging to the few
who sought to organize the post. But
these men should not feel too keenly
about the matter.\ The same apathy
for the American Legion is being
shown all over the country. Only in
the larger cities where the soldier
population runs into the thousands
and where it is easy to get the men
together is any success being met
with.
It was several years after the Civ
il War before the Confederate Vet
erans or the G. A. RS organized. 1t
is only natural that soldiers should
fail to enthuse over anything per-
tanning to the war so soon after be-
ing discharged. At present they are
too filled with thankfulness to be out
of the, service and joy that the war
is over to be ready to join any or
ganization that savors of army, life.
There was much that was dis
agreeable in army life, especially to
the private. The officer did not
have everything soft by any means.
But his position was paradisial COM
pared to the placeNin the army filled
by the private. To him fell all the
disagreeable tasks and "details" and
few of the privileges.
And there remained throughout
the war a trace Of social inequality
between officer and enlisted man that
still rankles. Be it said to the cred
it Of the women of this country that
they did not foster this tradition
that was a heritage of old regular
army days. The fledgling officers
themselves were to blame; and they
put it acress, for the most part, in a
mighty crude manner. =
And let it be said, your average
soldier will have to be thoroughly
convinced that there will be no dis
tinctions of rank drawn in the Amer
lean Legion or he will have none of
it. .rr
The time is coming of course when
there will be a post Of the American
Legion in this country. But such an
organization will hardly be formed
for at least year. By that time the
disagreeable impressions of army
life will have been dissipated and in
its stead will have developed tradi-
tions engendered of those big things
that are more spiritual than other
wise and which tend to draw and
hold men together.
It was that spirit of brotherhood
and cameraderie and the sense of
having fought for a righteous cause
which welded the Confederate Vet
erans into a strong organization
which grew and fourished and be-
came such a power in Southern po-
litical life.
It is inevitable that the American
Legion Will DeCoIue 1ac1oA III poAA-
tics. Several years will elapse be-
fore it's influence is felt. If the Le-
gion holds to the spirit of the prin-
ciples upon which it was founded, it
will serve this country well. If it al
lows those principles to become dis
torted and permits itself to become a
mere tool in the hands Of politicians,
it can become menace. But we
believe that it will stick to those
principles outlined as follows:
"The Legion itself is spontane-