--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Gardner, Hamilton collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 23 number: 7 published: 1920-05 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Gardner, Hamilton, "Purpose of the American Legion," *Improvement Era* 23, no. 7 (May 1920): 608–610.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2307unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera2307unse start_page: 608 end_page: 610 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1920-05) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera2307unse publication_year: 1920 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1920, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Purpose of the American Legion — Purpose of the American Legion By Hamilton Gardner, Department Commander The American Legion is, first of all, a concrete, tangible expression of the belief of service men, that when they re- ceived their discharges, they did not thereby finally end their service to the United States, but merely changed that service from a military to a civilian status. Whatever other knowledge was acquired by the service man in the war, three things were indelibly impressed upon his mind. First, he learned that American citizenship does not mean simply to acquire benefits from the government, but that it connotes also a co-equal obligation to support the government and respond to its needs. Second, he learned that results were obtained not by individual effort, but through the strength and power of organization. Third, he learned the nature of true comradeship; training and fighting and suffering with the man at his side, he soon learned to call him "buddy" — and no word in all his vocabulary was more revered by him. Having learned these things, and with his discharge safely in his pocket, the service man returned to civil life. And there he found everything was not as serene as it might be. On every side he observed evidences of social and industrial unrest. He noticed that "red" agitators were secretly, and in too many cases openly, preaching their un-American doctrines. And on occasions he saw the results of such teaching brought to light when whole cities were turned over to rioting and mob-rule such, for example, as Boston and Omaha. Realizing his obligation to his country, he was brought face to face with the question that if the objects of the war were worth fighting for in France they were worth a little effort right here at home. What more natural than that he should turn to an organization having as its basis the very comrade- ship which he had known in the war? So came about the Amer- ican Legion. As to membership qualifications, every man and woman is eligiblewho served in the army, navy or marine corps during the period from April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918, except those persons who received a dishonorable discharge or who evaded their military duty on the grounds of being conscientious objectors. Like the great country which it serves, The Legion PURPOSE OF THE AMERICAN LEGION 609 is a democratic organization. Its members are drawn from every walk and condition of life, and previous rank plays no part in its make-up. It is not a military body in any sense, but an or- ganization composed almost exclusively of civilians. Moreover, it is not a political organization; is affiliated with no political — party; puts forth no political platform; and it need hardly be — said is dominated by no political boss. On the other hand, the members of The Legion are urged, as individuals, to take an active part in public affairs —to stand behind the constituted authorities and to vote for clean patriotic men for office. And should a public position be sought by any man of whose patriotism and loyalty there is any question or doubt, the Legion man would be false to himself and untrue to the ideals of his organization, did he not use every legitimate effort to make certain that such an individual be retired from public life at once and forever. In short, the platform of The American Legion may be ex- pressed as follows: To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, to maintain law and order, and to foster and per- petuate a 100 per cent Americanism. Based on such ideals, what does the Legion hope to accom- plish? Its program is two fold: first, that which pertains to the service man himself; second, that having to do with the country as a whole. With respect to the service man, The Legion believes that itsgreatest obligation, and indeed the greatest obligation of the government and the people, is to the dependents of the men who made the supreme sacrifice and to those men who, by rea- son of wounds and disabilities suffered in service, are now handi- earning their livelihood. The Legion has not only capped in but sought to alleviate individual cases of distress of this kind, has sponsored and urged legislation seeking the same object. Only last December, the Congress, due in large measure at passed the so- least to the influence of The American Legion, called Sweet Bill with certain necessary amendments, which not compensa- only materially increases the amount of training and but practically doubles the tion obtainable by disabled men, number who are eligible for these benefits. discharged Our next obligation is to provide employment for who To end the Utah Department of service men need it. this bureau which The Legion has maintained a free employment many as fifty applicants. It has been has been visited daily by as men but we so- possible to place a large part of these deserving additional support of business men and employers. We licit the proposition that any man who, when submit it as a self-evident 610 IMPROVEMENT ERA his country needed him, was not found wanting, deserves, at the very least, a chance to earn a decent living. In addition to these two ways The Legion proposes to utilize every legitimate opportunity of assisting service men by adher- ing to the old war time maxim: "Let's stick together." As to what The American Legion hopes to accomplish for the country at large, it may be said, first of all, that it expressly disclaims any desire to appear as the self-appointed guardian of American patriotism, but wishes simply to work in friendly cooperation with the one hundred million other loyal citizens. The Legion pledges its whole-hearted support to any movement whose object is more thoroughly to Americanize our institutions. It believes that the very fountain heads of American ideals are the press, the schools and the home. It recognizes the danger of any foreign contamination of these important sources of pub- lic enlightenment, and will combat and seek to eliminate any at- tempt at their subversion. Eventually it hopes to see in this country one language, one form of government, and one alle- — giance and those the language, the government and the alle- giace set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Con- stitution of the United States. These constitute some of the principles which The Legion will fight for, but there are things which it will fight against. The service man is not to be blamed for feeling, and indeed for showing, no sympathy for the slacker, the profiteer, the dangerous foreigner, and the lawless radical. In our great State of Utah, exceedingly few native born slackers existed, but is not the service man right in treating these dishonorable few with the utmost contempt? The alien slacker relied upon his foreign citizenship to evade military service. Thousands of them turned in their first citizenship papers and stayed safely at home while your boyk fought to make that safety possible. Is not the service man cor- rect in demanding that such aliens be forever barred from ob- taining that citizenship which they scorned to defend? The profiteer took an inhuman advantage of the situation and fattened his gains from the sacrifices and suffering of war? Is not the service man justified in believing that such persons should be punished to the full extent of the law? Foreigners have come to this country to better their condi- tion and in many cases to escape political persecution. Certain classes of them, in the most ungrateful manner, have now turned against the country which sheltered them and are seeking to overthrow it. Do you not approve the conviction of the service man that such foreigners should be deported forthwith to their own native lands?