The sun., 1919-09-28
100000 ENROLL AS
MEMBERS OF LEGION
Organization Confident OF
Reaching Million Mark by
November.
J. S. HAS 5000 POSTS
"Let's Stick Together Motto
. Accounts for Growth Of
sA Body of Veterans.

- Six hundred and nfty thousand OF the
most active members that ever Joined
any organization. the soldiers. sailors
and marines of the United States. had
allied themselves up to September 20
with the American Legion, the national
Organization of Americas veterans.
Thousands, of course, are Joining daily,
.snd II seems certain that by November
al least a million men will be members
of the organization, which is only six
months old.
Although all who served are eligible
whether they served abroad or at home
the Legion itself was organized abroad.
IA thousand enlisted men and officers
.from all units of the American Expe-
.'ditionary Force came to Prais as dele
.sates to start the big organization which
-will play large part in American life
thereafter. Five thousand local posts lin
every part of the country are chartered.
: So rapid has been the growth of the
LEGION that it has far outstripped other
ssafter-the-war organizations, several of
(which have been voluntarily absorbed in
,crder to consolidate strength and effort
.iin one great association, which has for
its motto, Lets Stick Together" Con-
sgress has placed its stamp Of approval
ION the American Legion by passing its
.act of Incorporation, a bill which Presi-
.dent Wilson signed in his private car at
Handbook. California, during his recent
tour of the Pacific Coast
Civil War Veterans Help.
= The Legions record for enrolment
.already exceeding that made by the big
national organizations that came into
being following the civil war, has so
Impressed them that they have given
their whole-hearted Endorsement to the
-smovement The Grand Army of the
-sRepublic, the United Confederate Vet
-erans. the Spanish War Veterans and
numerous other organizations. represent
sing the rank and file of American man
shood which has stood squarely behind
sthe country during its periods of ma
stional crisis, have all given their hearty
cooperation. Further approval of the
ssaims and ideals of the Legion has been
sisiven by President Wilson, General
March, Secretary of War Baker, Secre-
..tary of the Navy Daniels Vice-Admiral
ssSims. Major-General Barnett Of the Ma
.irines, ex-President Taft, Lord North
..cliffe, Governors of States and others.
n Gen. Pershing confirmed the indorse-
s,ment he had cabled early in July when
he gave a personal message to $4,000
VETERANS in Madison Square Garden,
New York city, at the first public meet
ling arranged in his honor after his re-
turn from France.
2. During September and continuing into
sOctober there has been a countrywide
membership drive to enroll 100000
members in the American Legion prior
ITO the first national convention, which
Z. is to be held in Minneapolis on Novem-
ber 10, IL (American Legion Day in
a the United States) and IL. The pre-
sliminary steps taken at the Paris and
: St Louis meetings and temporary poll
- cies later adopted during its period of
national organization all lead up to the
three convention days, when the
= American Legion will witness its first
real birth. On November IL, which is
& day of double significance for Legion
: members in that 1t is to be celebrated
%as American Legion Day throughout the
acountry, and in that 1t Is the first an
eniversary of the signing of the armis-
s tice with Germany, Marshal Foch, the
= supreme commander of the Allied forces,
y is expected to address the convention.
: He will come, provided the military sit
( nation in Europe permits of his absence
= from France, to deliver a personal mes
: sage to the American veterans from
: their comrades in the Allied nations.
= New York leads all the State branches
= in American Legion enrolments with
: approximately $4,000 members in 47e
= local posts. At present the score in
( this national membership drive stands
as follows: Arizona-17 posts with
1880 members Arkansas-69 posts
with 1900 members California - lilo
sposts with 10000 members; Connecti-
:, cut-44 posts with 1000 members
: Idaho-46 posts with 1000 members
= ~lD!nois-292 posts with 1900 mem
2 bsrs; Indiana-111 posts with 10000
: rlembers; Iowa-l94 posts with 15,2OC
7 members; Kansas-S7 posts with 6,20u
Z members Michigan-17S posts with 12,-
00c members Minnesota-21S posts
3 with $4,000 members: MissourH143
. posts with 10000 members Oregon
n posts with 1000 members; Pennsyl.
= rania-330 poss with 10000 members
Texas-140 posts with 10000 members
: end Washington-SS posts with 1000
= II embsrs. Alaska, not to be outdone
: has sent in an application for a char.
: ter for the formation OF a local pos
among the veterans in Anchorage. The
veterans in Hawaii and the Philippines
are also organizing to join the legion
How Legion Got Name.
(. The name, "The American Legion,
= was selected at the Paris Meeting. Marcel
is to II, and the action of the delegates
: from the A. e. F. was confirmed anC
4 indorsed by a similar meeting held II
ST. Louis May to 10, when the legoT
was recognized by the troops who served
. in the United States and a national con
= stitution in conformity with the Pari!
declaration of principles was adopted
From its inception The American lie
= gion has been and is to-day non
. partisan, non-poutical organization. Il
! is composed for the most part of mer
and women who were civilians befor,
the war and who are now again civil
! ians. It knows no distinction OF ranl
. or service; II is neither military nor mill
taristic. 1t claims among its members
however, a large number of veterans o
: the great war. who have elected to re
main In the regular service. Member
Z ship is open to any soldier, sailor o.
marine who received ar honorable dis
: charge from service between April 6
. 1917, and November II, 1918, and Il
= those veterans who have remained II
service .-....-... ..
q The preamble to the constitution
: adopted at st. Louis contains the pur
: poso for which this great organization
has come into being. II reads:
For God and Country we associat
ourselves together for the following pur
poses:
ITO uphold and defend the Const.tu
tion Of the United States of America
49,