Evening star., 1923-07-30
REPORT ON LEGION
DRIVE DUE TONIGHT
Department Heads May Take
Action on Costello Post
Activities.

The question OF whether or not the
Fsfstrict of Columbia department Of
the American Legion will order the
Vincent B. Costello Post to perma-
ncntly discontinue soliciting for $780,
400. with which to erect clubhouse
on the Conduit road, possibly will be
decided a meeting of the executive
committee of the local department to-
night.
The posts methods havs been under
investigation for more than month,
and tonight the executive committee
will hear report. 1t has been
charged that the post went into the
project without having obtained for
mally the legiou's sanction 10 use its
name. and that it has employed pro
fessional promoters to collect the
fund on a commission basis, which is
contrary to the legion's methods.
FormaI Rules Broken.
While neither the departmental nor
national organizations of the legion
have impugned the motives oil the
costello Posts officers, 1t is sald
they have violated formal rules IN
campaign. Despite assurance that the
campaign had been discontlnued seE
eral weeks ago, officers or the Iostel
10 Post told a reporter for me star
only last week that they were sun
collecting funds. but that business
was moor. because of the summer
season One officer said the cam.
paigners would start out in earnest
some time in September.
John Lewis Smith. department com
mander. declared in formal state
ment that the legion would NOT heSl
tate tortake disciplinary action shoulo
actual irregularities be found to exist
when the executive committee hears
the Investigators report tonlght.. he
deplored untoward publicity the Ie-
cion has suffered. through no fauil
of it's own, recently. The statement
follows:
1T is particularly unfortunate that
public opinion is! from time to time
unfavora oily directed toward the ac'
tivitieS of American Legion posts
The latest instance is to he found il
the publicity that has been given tc
the campaign being conducted by tht
Vincent r. Costello Post TO raise {
fund of money for clubhouse ant
headquarters for the members or ina
valuable and virle unit of the legior
In the department of the District o.
Columbia.
Keep Good Name.
1T has been. and is, the purpose o
all responsible officers of American
Legion units throughout the countr!
10 keep the good name of the Amer
lean Legion on such a high plane tina
its purpose of contributing to tn
cause of Americanism and good citi
zenShip and community progress vii
enlist the whole hearted supper
and interest of every one.
From the very earliest days of tn
American Legion. by action of its ma
tional and departmental officers, an
in its regulations, every effort ha
been made to protect those of tn
general public which have the mean
to make such contributions. in an
gift that it may make to aid in tn
development of legion posts local.
of the department activities in eac
state, and the work of the legion ma
tionally.
In meetings of the national SeS.sSH
dates handed down from the nationa
conventions. and in department execu
tive committee meetings, within tn
limits of the powers conferred upe
those bodies by their respective con
stitutions, regulations have been lai
down to govern all Embarrassing cam