Rochester (N.Y.) Times, May 23, 1919.—­At its first convention held recently in St. Louis, the American Legion unanimously voted down a proposal to seek increased bonus money for the soldiers.

At that same meeting, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., refused to accept official leadership of the organization because he desired to allow no ground for any charge that he wished to utilize it to further his political career.

    Such action by the Legion and by one of its most prominent
    members warrant its organizers in working to enroll all the men
    who served during the great war.

If this path is followed the American Legion will be a force for good in the country’s affairs as well as a bond of fellowship among those who were members of the largest army ever raised by this republic.

Manchester (N.  H). Union, May 27, 1919.—...  In spite of all that has been written and said it appears there still remains some mistaken idea and prejudices concerning this organization.  The purposes of the American Legion are: 

    1.  To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of
    America.

    2.  To maintain law and order.

    3.  To foster and perpetuate a one hundred per cent.  Americanism.

    4.  To preserve the memories and incidents of our association in
    the Great War.

    5.  To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the
    community, state and nation.

    6.  To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses.

    7.  To make right the master of might.

    8.  To promote peace and good will on earth.

    9.  To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of
    justice, freedom and democracy.

    10.  To consecrate and sanctify comradeship by devotion to mutual
    helpfulness.

    This is the program and platform of the wonderful organization
    whose potential membership is the four million and more men who
    wore their country’s uniform in the war.

It is big enough and broad enough to admit every man and woman who joined the colors.  If, as has been intimated, there are some few ex-service men who think they see in this tremendous movement something personal and partisan, they should take the blinders off, forget their unworthy fears, and come out into the open with their comrades, determined, as every man is who has already joined, that the American Legion will never be made the vehicle of personal ambition nor the creature of partisan purpose; but will be conserved to foster and promote only those high purposes which are so nobly defined in the language which is quoted above, taken bodily from the constitution of the Legion.

PITTSBURGH, Gazette-Times, May