The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1921-07-30
The Legion and the Schools.


worth word by itself because it is
,ne of the recent and insidious
by which the organization is
,rying to gain its ends. At a meeting
N New York City on May of this
year, the late F. W. Galbraith, ma
tional commander, was quoted by the
New York "Times" as saying: "We
are going to survey every school
teacher and every school in the I'M
tied States, and we will get the
teachers records. If we find them dis
loyal, we will tell you, and you can
kick them out"
In New York the delegates to the
State convention last autumn adopted
a resolution advocating the compul-
sorry teaching of American history
and civil government in public and
private schools, with Legion COM
mittee to examine textbooks ito de-
termine whether they are loyal" In
Oklahoma law has been obtained
providing that the American flag
shall be displayed in every schoolroom
and that proper reverence for it shall
be taught by prescribed 'ceremonials'.
North Dakota has passed law MAX
ing citizenship a prerequisite to en-
ployment as a teacher in the public
schools, while Nebraska has forbid
den the teaching of foreign language
in her grade schools.
The Itch for Office.
By it's constitution the Legion seeks
to prevent use Of the organization as
a means of gaining public office, yet
the number of men who have en-
ployed it as stepping-stone to polit-
ical jobs is impressive. The constitu-
tion says: "No candidate for, or in
cumbent of, salaried elective public
office shall hold office in the Amer
lean Legion or in any department or
post thereof" This is good except for
the joker, which is the failure to ex-
tend the prohibition to appointive Of
flee.
According to statement by the
National Legislative Committee last
autumn at least thirteen men elected
to Congress at the November polls
were members of the American
Legion. SO many good berths nave
gone to Legion men in the Harding
Administration that it would be pos
sible to organize a flourishing Fed
eral Job Holders Post. To mention
only few influential Legionaries in
important positions, there is, as Sec
retary of the Navy, Edwin Denby
who was one of the organizers of the
Legion overseas, and as Assistant
Secretary there is Theodore Roosevelt
king pin of the Legion's sponsors. J
M. Wainwright is Assistant Secretary
of War; Thomas w. Miller, for yeal
chairman of the National Legislative
Committee, and q member of the Ma.
tional Executive Committee, was re
Gently made Alien Property Custodian
while Edward Clifford, chairman Of
the Legion's Finance Committee al
the last convention, is Assistant Sec
retary of the Treasury, in charge o.
the consolidated soldier relief work.
The Legion in the State of New
York has been described as an ad
junct to the Republican Party. Be thil
as it may, Charles G. Blakeslee, Stat,
commander, and W. R. Pooley, mem
ber of the State Executive Commit
tee, have recently been appointed t,
comfortable berths with the Publi
Service Commission.
! Publicity, Official and Officious.
| Coming into existence, as it did
when propaganda had been raised t
the nth degree, it is natural that tn
American Legion should have centere,
much Of its attention upon publicity
It's chief means has been the officia
organ, the American Legion Weekly
the first number of which was date
July 4, 1919. Bellicose, blatant, an
believing, the Weekly undoubtedl
played a principal part at tina
formative period in turning the Legio
from legitimate fellowship Of forme
service men into heresy-huntinr
business-controlled "strong arm
squad. The Weekly began to see re
in the second number, and talked moth
ing but vermilion for the next 81
months. That second number led Of
with an article on Bolshevism by tn
now forgotten but then resplender
Ole Hanson.
Along with, and doubtless GROWN
out Of the pursuit of the "red,' bt
} gan the hornding of the alien, |
which the Weekly led the pack. Cor
sidering that America is the in
migrant, that our accumulated IL
dustrial prosperity and our preser
! standard Of living is the direct ere,