The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-09-17

weekly, 'The Nation" in July 1921, written by
Arthur Warner, the statement is made that:
"By the constitution of the United States three
branches of government established; the leg
slative the executive and the judicial. In the last
two years a fourth has been set up: the American
Legion"
TIC be sure the constitution provides for three
branches of government. But this does not
that they have any existence in actuality The
cutive power as administered by Cal Coolidge today
on behalf of great business is probably the mghtiest
possessed by any ruling potentate in the world
today The legislative branch of the government is
a sham 1t plays puppet role, best revealed in its
subservience to Coodge-Kellogg Wall Street policies
in Nicaragua and China The judiciary, also is the
lap dog of the money power If it remained shrouded
in any shred of judicial hypocricy, that torn
from it by the failure of Justices Oliver Wendell
Holmes and Louis D. Brandes, heralded pro-
gressves to interfere in the least with the legazed
murder of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
ARTHUR WARNER was, therefore, entirely wrong
~ when he referred to the American Legion as the
fourth branch of the American government. When
necessary the American Legion becomes the right
hand of the executive power of the government, and
in an extremity characterized by the rise to power
of fascist tyranny, it becomes the government it
self, with the so-called legislative and judiciary
powers crumpled iii the dust.
This is something for the whole working class to
consider with the American Legion spending a holi-
day holding convention in Paris not 20 the liking
Of the workers of France,
WARNER, in fact, contradcts himself when he out
" lines the nature of the American Legion fol-
lows:
"Organized ostensbly to continue the friendships
that developed in the fighting forces and to advance
the legitimate interests of former service men, the
Legion has grown away from that into super
government It gives orders to public officers and
is fearfuly consulted by them; it is accorded quasi
official standing thru the privilege of occupying
government buildings, as in New York City where
it enjoys commodious offices in the Hall of Records
or in Arkansas where the old State House at Little
Rock was turned over to it; it has received from
the War Department in advance of publication the
so-called Stacker lists ostensiby to rectify errors
but with possibilities of abuse that readily be
imagined; it has established a censorship of public
meetings and by actual threatened violence sup
presses freedom of speech; it is attempting to die
tate the instruction in public schools and pass
upon the qualifications of the teachers altho nom
inally non-poitca it has actually sponsored host
of bigoted and repressive laws and policies"
Then Warner, the liberal, joins the socialists in
talking about ''the return Of the community to
normal existence" and the rehabilitation of ''intol-
LEI
patriotism" AS if existence could be normal"
under capitalism; if there could be tolerance"
under the system that battles for the private owner
ship of property. The applause of the American
Legion, and of the ruling class generally at the
burning to death of Sacco and Vanzetti in the cleo
trio chair is the best proof of capitalist "ntoler
ance" in the so-called period of ''normalcy."
To be sure, the American Legion IN different
periods functions in different ways. In the period
immediately folloyyino VIII no