The Cordova daily times., 1920-06-24
70 PATRIOTIC organization in the history of the world has
 had such remarkable growth

> the history of the world has
 had such remarkable growth
 as the American Legion, and It is going forward with a speed that indicates a membership of 100000 before the end of the present year. The Grand Army of the Republic, founded following the Civil war, reached it's peak in 1900 when the roster showed a half million members. With 4,8O0,OOO to draw from, it is pre- dicted that with the present campaign for 100 per cent Americanism, the roster of the American Legion will be above the 100000 mark by 1921.
 The Grand Army of the Republic has played an important part in the life of the republic. Once or twice politics threatened its total disrup- uon, particularly in the year preced- ing the election of Gen. John A. To- gan as commander in chief General Logan succeeded in steadying the boat. The dtsaffection grew out of reports that men with bad Civil war records were receiving preferment in appoint ment to political offices.
 To Maj. Benjamin F. Stephenson of Decatur, H., belongs the honor of founding the Grand Army of the Re- public. In 1866, the year following the close of the Civil war, Major Stephenson called together a handful of veterans at Decatur and established the first post. Only one charter mem- Der of the Grand Army still is living, Capt. R. A. Smith of Lake City, Ia.
 Major Stephenson, in council with some of his comrades, drafted a secret , ritual. It was wordy, oratorical af- fair and was revised in later years. The ritual was so pretentious that it was hard to find printers who could set the type, but Major Stephenson finally rounded up Isaac Coltrin and Joseph Prior, printers who served in the Union army and entitled to know the contents of the ritual when they Joined the Grand Army.
 Twelve men constituted the first post and the hall in which they met still is a hallowed landmark in Deca- tur. The Grand Army at first was 8 sort of vigilance committee that sought out persons given to dislOyal ut <terances, and soon had them marked for punishment if they did not de- sist. The men of the Grand Army de- manded a hundred per cent American ism, just as the American Legion makes it plain that only one flag, Old Glory, will be tolerated in this land of ours. On through the years the Grand Army has stood for this same prin- cfple of patriotism, but death has been removing its comrades at rapid rate and the ranks have diminished until now only few more than 100000 re- main.
 The American Legion was born in France, and it was fitting to have it so for Tn Flanders fields repose thou sands of American soldiers who died that the principles of American free dom might live. On February 15, 1919, twenty American officers, who had been assembled in Paris to discuss con- ditfons in the American expeditiOnary forces, met at the Inter-Allied club and , there talked of the formation of an after-war organization that would look to the well-being of the men of the service both on land and sea.
 The decision was made at this con- ference to start an after-the-War or ganization, while the men were yet in France. Thus they would go back to America with their minds and hearts centered on protecting the principles they had fought for. And they came home to find that the great army of men in American training camps were ready, too. They had not crossed the sea, but they were willing to go and were equally willing to participate in any movement that meant a bigger, stronger America.
 The twenty men who met in confer ence February 15, 1919, in Paris agreed at that time to call a caucus of men representing every branch of war serv- ice and the caucus assembled in Paris March 15. continuing for two days.