Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-07
Aid BY Illinois Legion
Cutoff, Girl ScoutsHif
.Un-American Charge
BY the Assoeiased Press

CHICAGO, Aug. THE Illi-
nois American Legion has sew
cred its support Of the Girl
Scouts Of America, charging that
"un-American influences" exist
in the girl organizations litera-
ture.s
Convention delegates took the
formal action in a roaring voice
vote last night after 90 minutes
of lively debate in which OPP
ponents assailed the resolution
as silly
"A spokesman for the Girl
Scouts denied the Legion's
charges and termed the action
"regrettable."
Charges by Legion.
The Legion resolution charged:
/. That the Girl Scout 1853
handbook "gives the United
Nations and one-world citizen
ship precedence over American
citizenship"
2. That the writings of UNI
named alleged prof. Communist
authors ''have been highly rec
commended in an official Girl
Scouts magazine as authentic
historic material"
Lawrence j. Fenlon, former
Illinois Legion commander who
has two daughters in the Girl
Scouts. led the opposition, de-
claring at one point:
How Screwy can we get?"
He commended the resolution
smeared individual Girl Scouts
as subversive. He said the Le-
gion's action would bar the use
Of his home for troop meetings.
Aimed at Only a Few.
But supporters of the resolu-
ton asserted it was aimed at
"only a few people in the move
ment."
The vote to blast the Girl
Scouts came after Edgar c.
Bundy of Wheaton, a member
Of the Legion's Anti Subversive
Commission, took the rostrum
and asserted that a reproduction
of the Bill of Rights appearing
in the 1947 handbook had been
deleted from the 1858 book.
The resolution states that the
Legion's Illinois Department
withdraws "all support" until
such a time as "the responsible
directors Of. the Girl Scouts OF
the u. S. A. give irrefutable
proof to the American public
that they have taken definite
measures to eliminate these un-
American influences from the
Girl Scouts handbook and pub
locations"
Some 1000 delegates took part
in the voice vote.
Florence Otto of Chicago,
Great Lakes regional director OF
the Girl Scouts, said the allega-
tons in the resolution simply
are not true"
Girl Scouts Statement.
Chicago spokesman for the
Girl Scouts issued a statement
saying that changes were made
in the handbook several months
ago clearing up in general
points which have subjected us
to misunderstanding" and that
the new handbook would be
available this fall.
The statement quoted Mrs
Roy F. Layton, national presi-
dent. as saying such changes are
being made. She also was quoted
as denying that the Girl Scouts
had removed references" to the
Constitution. Bill of Rights and
Declaration of Independence
She was quoted as saying the
facsimile Of the Bill of Rights
was being reinserted in the
United Nations section and was
being rewritten to eliminate
editorial comment"
The Illinois department
Child Welfare Commission, head
ed by Jess Bowman, reported to
the convention that $13,678.62
had been spent by posts on spon-
sorship of Boy and Girl Scout
troops, adding that "it is rather
hard to figure the total activity
for the entire department in
junior baseball, little league
baseball, Boy and Girl Scout
troops and school medal awards
because breakdownS were not