Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-03-31
TIE AMERICAN LEGION

III AMERICAN LEGION
J EDITOR EVENING NEWS:
Your editorial of several days age
on c~arnivals on top of which YOU
/ paper gave a story wherein the
American Legion was specifically
mentioned as endeavoring to hold an
affair in his city, cannot be passed
by without having the citizens OF oul
city gain n little light from the Other
side; so permit us, therefore, the use
expressing what the majority oi
service men of this city think on this
topic.
Several weeks ago a representative
of the kraus Greater Shows waited
upon the chairman of our entertain
ment committee and laid before MN
a proposition which appealed might
lily to the post as an opportunity TO
/ secure some money by which to carry
| on our various activities. When You
take into consideration the fact thai
our dues are only SO per year, you
may appreciate the condition OF the
treasury at all times.
After thoroughly investigating TINS
| company and the character of their
| shows, permission was sought from
the mayor TO allow them to exhibit
in Perth Amboy. This permission, as
Is now already well known, was de-
MED by the nay with the plea
| that DuDilC ODlllOH III ING CitJ "N
! against carnivalS, etc, due mostly 10
the undesirable following which Is
usually attracted by affairs of TINS
sort. From his statement in the col
umns Of your paper the average pup
lie is justified in implying that the
An srican Legion would SANCTION
questionable entertainment. We can
not allow this statement to go by
unchallenged and also wish TO make
| public utterance Of the resentment
! which the ex-service men feel at
such a statement coming from inc
| mayor We feel that at all times we
| have taken the stand in the uphold-
ing Of law and order, ana we .ilIA
that this is sufficiently borne out by
the fact that after protests had peen
| made against a Sunday performance
of movies for the benefit of the local
post, we cancelled the show rather
han go on record as eYading II not
actually breaking the law. rms, re-
CARELESS of the fact that both before
and since reputable organizations OF
the city have given such perform
ances on Sunday. evidently with inc
full sanction and permission of the
authorities.
VIII you please permit US to say as
exservice men that it has always Deen
more or less of a mystery as to where
all the opposition to these shows,
etc. arises. for were we to judge
from the crowds which always attend
these affairs it would seem that most
of the people are in OF and not
against them? AS to there ching
any Objectionable features connected
with the carnival l would like to say
thai it consists entirely OF amman
shows. riding devices II the like,
and a committee of the local post
would have had direct supervision OF
the shows censor them every DAY
and order them stopped should they
not conform with the guaranteed
statements as to the character or the
same.
1t might be interesting to note
that Bayonne, N. j., which was men
toned in you'd editorial as being OPP
posed to carnivals has already grant
ed permission for these same people
to show in that city. They nave
been playing under the auspices or
the American Legion throughout the
South and we have heard othin put
the very best reports from tnas
source. Who will say that the cities
Of New Jersey and of h United
States wherein the carnival Is per-
mitted to show are not as clean. poLh
morally and otherwise as Perth am
boy?
We do not like to complain or the
treatment we w received or Is thls
letter llIeIutu DIS SuIIis L. ="
in the hope that some OF the people
who object to our raising money IN
the various ways we have tried can
suggest some way out of our diHlcul-
ties We have been in existence Tor
over a year and are still dependent
on the kindness of the y. M. I. A
for q meeting place. the
helm Of some such organization we
would have had to discontinue our
meetings long g
We heard considerable talk short
" after we returned home or a me
mortal of some sort for the boys inc
American Legion suggested a COM
munity house n appointed q coh-
mittee to act with others inter-
ested. Outside of II meeting heia
several months ago and very poorly
attended at that, we nave hearu
hi Here's hoping 1t has not
been forgotten entirely.
Do not get the impression thai the
only time we butt into public print Is
| when we are asking for n Inc
remembrance of the recent American
cation meeting and memorial to
Those killed In the war held on WASH
ineton's birthday at an expense TO
1.-The legion of over $500 and or no
cost TO those attending except their
Time. and which brought out an at
tendance of around ESQ people Is still
too fresh in our minus 70 pe ~ 1850
forgotten. There are only two ways
| we know OF by which we a judge
Ithe sentiment OF the people towards
| he ~ex-service men and they are TO
| Give them something for nothing or
give them something and charge them
| for II. We have tried both ana ran
| ed, in spite of p~rotestations from the
people that they are willing to heip.
Just a word about the much dis,
cussed bonus proposition. we az
| know that the word "bonus' Is useu
| merely for the want of a better name
III we should use the words adjust
ed compensation" you would immeoi-
| ately see all the men who are now
| opposed to the bonus jump at the
p~roposition. They all want 1t and
| what service man does not need IL
| particularly the wounded and crlp-
| pied men?
Due to the lavish expenditure OF
| American lives the war undoubtedly
was shortened many months. just
figure out the expense there wouio
have beer TO the taxpayers or the
country had it lasted even q Few
weeks longer. Surely no n can
honestly object to an "adjustmeht or
compensation'' as between those VINO
wore the O., D. and those who "did
their bit in the ship yard or num-
ton plant.
Respectfully yours.
RONALD KLECkNER
Commander Post No. AS (rerth AM
- -.,snn.. I ARinn