The Ordway new era., 1920-04-02

The Grand Army of the Republic,
founded following the Civil war.
reached its peak in 1900. when the
roster showed half million members.
With 4,SOOOO0 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-
tion. particularly in the year preced-
ing the election of Gen. John A. LO-
gan as commander In chief. General
Logan succeeded in steadying the boat.
The dlsaffection 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 handful
Of veterans at Decatur and established
the first post. Only one charter MEM
ber Of the Grand Army still is living.
Capt. R. A. Smith Of Lake City. la.
Major Stephenson. In council with
some Of his comrades. drafted secret
ritual. II was wordy, oratorical af-
fair and was revised in later years.
The ritual was SO pretentIous that 1t
was hard to find printers who could
10
finally rounded up Isaac Coltrln 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 hailowed landmark in Deca-
| tur. The Grand Army at first wns n
| sort of vigilance committee that sought
out persons given to dislnyal ut
terances. and soon had them marked
for punishment II they did not de
sist The men of the Grand Army de-
manded hundred per cent American
ism. Just ns the American Legion
makes It plain that only one flag. Old
! Glory, will he tolerated In this land of
| Army has stood for this same prin-
| ciple of patriotism, but death has been
removing its comrades Mt rapid rate
and the ranks have diminished until
now only few more than 100000 re-
main.
The American Legion was born in
! France. and 1t was fitting to have 1t
so. for IN Flanders fields repose thou
sands of American soldiers who died
| that the principles OF American free
dom might live. On February Is. 1919.
twenty American officers, who had
been assembled in Paris to discuss con-
ditions In the American expeditionnry
forces, met at the Tnter-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 mennt bigger.
stronger America.
| The twenty men who met In confer
ence February Is. 1919, in Paris agreed
| nj that time to call caucus Of men
representing every branch Of war serv-
ice and the caucus assembled in Pnris
March Is. continuing for two days.
The men who gathered AT that event
full meeting did mapy Important things.
including the seIeetion of home for
the new patriotic Organization. They
called It the American Legion, and
under that name II will go down In
the patriotic history Of the United
States.
The caucus also named a committee
of fifteen to work in the United States
and to plan for a national meeting
within year. This committee came
home and caucus was arranged for
at st. Louis, May 8.
The st. Louis meeting was revela-
tion. There several hundred men who
had served their country at home and
abroad met and, forgetting both creed
and politics. worked to inject the prin-
ciples of AmerIcanism In one great
movement. the American Legion. At
this meeting a joint executive COM
mittee was formed by men of "a states
with units In the Legion. This COM
mittee formulated n basis for perma-
nent organization and agreed that a
constitutional convention of the Le-
gion would be held in Minneapolis in
November. An organization commit
tee of five was appointed to complete