Weekly journal-miner., 1922-07-05
By GEORGE w. NILSSON Member, National Speakers Bureau,
 the American Legion

IS this American Legion today, what is it's extent, what is its power-what does 1t stand for, what has it done? Only a small proportion of Ameri- cans still ask these questions, but among them are a few scrivce men.
 This American Legion is the cit izen soldiery Of America, organized for the good of America. In four years 1t has developed from ten tative idea into the greatest pa triotic institution in the republic It IS organized throughout all Amer ica and the possessions overseas and in the domains of our great allies in the world war and wherever over the world the fighting youth of America have wandered since the war It is made up of one million fighting Americans organized in over eleven thousand posts.
 These far-off climes know the legion. The legion is centered in America, its posts are organized in practically every community in America. Its national organization is coterminous with the organization of the republic. When the men came back from France or from the train ing camps they got together in their home towns to preserve their friendships and their memories of the service. This is how the Amer ican Legion was born.
 The legion was builded from be- low, not planned from above Its building was inevitable from the mo- ment the American army came into existence In America alone among the nations all national wars have been followed by the organization of great veterans societies. The reason is that all American wars have been popular wars and have been fought and won by free citizens. And these on returning home, having learned the glory of the service of America through long hardships and suffer ing, have organized to perpetuate the spirit of that service in civil life. Thus came about the Grand Army of the Republic, thus the United Confederate Veterans, thus the Vet erans of the Spanish war, and thus, as we'll the American Legion, the logical successor of all these.
 This legion has set a record wor- thy of the men who make 1t up, those men who bore the banner Of America in war. It is the one great all-American organization devoted sincerely and actively to the good of the republic. The legion claims its right above all other organiza- tions to speak for the republic, to act for the republic; for what other organization is better qualified, or qualified half so well? The legion IS the one great representative or ganization of the citizenry of Amer ica. It is made up of men who served America in war; and that war called all citizens alike. Thus 1t is committed to no class, no party, no private interests. Its membership has been built op on the broad com mon ground of American citizenship alone
 Furthermore, this membership is made up of men who came to know the splendor of the service of Amer ica through the long hardships and sufferings of war. When a man goes through danger and bitted toll for an ideal, that ideal will stay fixed in his mind as long as that man lives.
 Here are a few Of the things this legion has done and is doing and will do.
 Nobody in America will now deny the bitter and damnable neglect en- countered directly after the war by those men broken in the war and by their dependents and by the wives and children of those who died in this war for America. This IS not an accusation, it IS statement of fact. To the generous and careless American people, the war was over and new problems had arrived that called for their attention. Generous had been made for the care of the soldiers and there fore all must be we'll The nation forgot the problems of inefficiency of confusion and red tape in the working out of soldiers relief. This whole great problem was intrusted to a subsidiary department of. de partment of the Federal Veteran. All those agencies were centered in City. The individual in distress could not get in touch with the agency for his relief. So the broken soldier struggled on without hope and-oh! sharpest ingratitude! the families of men who died for