Show AIM IS TO BE OF SERVICE Theodore Roosevelt Sums Up Principles pies ples of f Legion Before Cleveland Chamber of Commerce We are service men and service women wombs That Tha t Is our aim aim to to be of ot service to this country With those words Theodore Roo Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- evelt e- e velt son of the late President ex Roosevelt summed up his speech on the alms aims and principles of or the American Amerlean Amer Amer- lean ican Legion delivered before the Chamber of Commerce of Cleveland O. O Three things he declared were a agreed reed upon In lu organizing the Legion They were That the Legion should be a n purely service organization with absolutely no distinction of rank between general general gen gen- eral and private admiral and gob That the Legion must be nonpartisan nonpartisan non- non partisan artisan and must concern Itself with policies not politics That there must be no distinction drawn rawn rawn between branches of service l those who served overseas and those who waited at home The Time American Legion Is going tobe to tobe be the biggest stabilizing Influence In InA A America merica In these disturbed times he said He cited a n letter from his father father father fa fa- ther written in 1918 1018 In which the former fortner for for- flier mer president predicted that lint the danger daner danger dan dan- ger er In this country countr lay In the tendency to swing from extreme to extreme extreme- from radl radicalism to reaction and vice versa To show that the Legion does not care for politics Mr Roosevelt pointed out that the first national commander Colonel Lindsey was a Democrat while I I. I he said am suspected of being a Republican The United States army array he lie c continued continued con con- n- n was a n democratizing Inu Influence ence once contrary to the belief of or man many many lie Ile told of ninny many Instances In his regiment reid reid- regiment regi regi- ment to show the abolition of class distinction in the service |