The Irish standard., 1919-05-17
AMERICAN LEG1oN's REBUKE TO A DIS.
LOYAL. MAYOR

A forecast of the influence that the demobilized
service men to exercise upon political and other
public matters is in the action of the American
Legion at St. Louis in designating Minneapolis
which is to be held in November Everything
seemed to have been shaped to favor the lake city for
the great honor of being the, seat of the initial
camp" OF the Legion The committee in charge
of the matter had reported for Chicago. But when
the report was presented to the delegates some
one happened to think of Mayor Thompson, and
ultimately this thought served to upset the report
and bring about the substitution of Minneapolis for
the city with the disloyal mayor.
If Chicago were: chosen, it was asked, would its
mayor find the time or inclination to bid the boys
an official welcome, and would they care to listen
to speech of such a nature from man who had
give many evidences of unpatriotism during the
and who had publicly boasted that Chicago was the
sixth largest German city in the world It was
pointed out that the choosing of the lake city was
intended as honor to the 10000 men that the
state of Illinois had furnished to the national forces
rather than to the city ITSELF and that at the recent
election Mayor Thompson was the choice of only
minority of the electorate, the opposition being
split up among several loyal candidates. But
neither argument was sufficiently cogent to change
the determination of the body of delegates to keep
away from city with mayor of the Thompson
type The soldiers and sailors had time for these
nice distinctions. They knew that Thompson had
insuted them and was virtually guilty of treason
of the kind as that of Lndbergh, Lafollette,
the pro-Germans just as forcibly and promptly as
they did the European battle fronts at the real
Germans, and with the same effective results.
This is an indication of what is about to happen
to other and other communities because of
their un-Americanism in the crucial period of war.
With unity of action the several millions of soldiers
and sailors that will be enrolled in the American
Legion through their direct and indirect strength
can and probably will, during the next two three
decades, exercise controlling influence in public
affairs, as the Grand Army of the Republic did
for many years after the Civil War. It would be
political suicide for any party to disregard their
demands or Aout their ideals. They will therefore
constitute powerful check upon any party or
group of citizen that may feel tempted to deviate
from the line of straightforward and loyal Ameri-
canism. They have at their very first assemblage
demanded in no uncertain terms the summary depor-
tation of those who are preaching the doctrines of
Bolshevikism in America and thorough suppress
sion of their publications Having seen at close
range the results of Marxianism it does not take
them long to reach verdict thereon. And that
dict is that Marxianism must goat least as far as
America can exercise jurisdiction over it.
Minneapolis, notwithstanding her splendid war
record, stands greatly in need of the patriotic in
pulse that is sure to come with the national con-
vention of the service men,
Happily we are in position to greet them can
ddly and unreservedy in the spirit of loyal fellow
ship. There will be no embarrassment or timidity
to mar the cordiality of our welcome