Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-05-25
LEGION REPLY
DEFENDS CAUSE
Not Making Any Apologies for
Carnival, Says Statement
!. Issued by Local Post Today
TELLS OF ATTITUDE HERE
Bring Up Work of Caring for
Former Men in Need of AS
sistance-- --Money Required
TELLS OF ATTITUDE HERE

The Perth Amboy Post As, Amer
ican Legion, feeling that an unjust
attack has been made upon them,
questioning their motives and their
loyalty to the United States, as well
as to the community have sent the
following letter to the Evening
News, explaining their stand in
reference to the carnival recently
held here:
The notoriety which has been so
generously showered upon tho
American Legion, as sponsor Of the
carnival recently in our midst,
might be accepted without pro-
test, had it sprung from our def
gnce of a great moral question, but
when born OF a desire to cater to
did greed on the other, we cannot
pass up the issue without stating a
few facts leading up to this sitau--
ton.
The American Legion Is one of
the young organizations of the COM
munity and has felt keenly its civic
obligations.
Without undue egotism, we had
expected the city to follow the lead
of other communities in providing a
home for her own sons who served
her so faithfully, but after a few de-
sultory public meetings. at which
suggestions ranged from a flag pole
| to a bronze tablet on the bridge,
this proposition died of inanition.
As an example of what has been
Zone for the American Legion in
pther cities, we cite Boston, Mass.
where suite of rooms in the State
House was turned over to the or
saniZation as headquarters.
In another community in the
State of New Jersey a union memo
rial service of the churches was
held. at which a special collection
was taken and given to the Ameri-
can Legion for use in its various ac-
tivities. In addition, these same
churches furnished and equipped a
clubroom for the use of the post.
In contrast, although two years
have passed since our post was
formed, its meetings are still held
in the Y. NJ. c. A. through the cour-
tesy of that association.
We soon discovered that many
ex-service men were in dire need of
assistance, through the failure of
broken down governmental agencies
and we felt the necessity of assist
ing them until such time as these
federal agencies should again func-
ton properly. This meant we must
have money for this and the main
tenance of our other activities and
we started out to raise the necessary
funds in the community.
In this we were sadly disappoint-
ed. The memories of some are short.
Only few months before as these
same boys in uniform marched away
into the distance, some never to re-
turn, the people were ready to lay
their all at their feet, but when
those who came back had again
taken their place in civil life, the
obligations were soon forgotten.
1T one of the affairs given under
the auspices of the Legion, it was
decided to solicit advertisements for
the program of this event. The ma
jority of the merchants who are now
whining because the American Le-
gion secured little piece of the
commercial pie, which they through
some divine right regarded as theirs,
were the very ones who refused
point blank to patronize our pro-
gram. and others who did subscribe,
required a year in which to pay their
bill.
At a subsequent event we were
obliged to entirely abandon our plans
for a program because of the tardy
endorsement of the Chamber OF
Commerce to whom we appealed for
support. With what consistency
can the Chamber of Commerce raise
Continued on page p