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Show I ' - ! ; ,", 0f 1 LJiU Sf Sttle Creek Sfe By K. 6. No doubt many of our readers perused Frank Roberts' "Chopping Block" in the Sunday Daily Herald Her-ald of February 17. Mr. Roberts took a healthy swing at the American Legion and its activities, past and present. Not willing to take it lieing down, the epistle below was recently to the "chopper" in retaliation for his below be-low the belt blows. Pleasant Grove, Utah February 20, 1957 Mr. Frank C. Roberts Editor "Chopping Block" Dally Herald Dear Friend Frank : ' Being a member of the "Fourth Estate" and a writer of a weekly newspaper column I know something some-thing of the tribulations and responsibilities re-sponsibilities of a columnist. To operate a "chopping block," one needs of necessity something to chop; which seldom is difficult to find in a democracy, since freedom free-dom of the press provides space for the chips to fall. A veteran of World! War I, I have been associated with the American Am-erican Legion on the Post, District, and Department level for many years. As such, I was interested in the anti-Legion axe blows delivered in your piece of February 17. Perhaps the Ameiican Legion ' does not "cut as wide a swath" as its leaders would assume. Few organizations or individuals do; but the width of the swath is largely large-ly determined by the length of the sickle bar. Surely an organization composed of 3,000,000 World War I, World War II and Korean Conflict veter- ans, has some degree of width and length, as well. A going concern since 1919, with a constantly growing membership, the American Legion will continue to be a force for good in American Ameri-can affairs, chips to the contrary. Most of the national and state legislation favorable to veterans has been initiated, fostered and' carried to enactment by the efforts ef-forts of the world's largest veterans' veter-ans' organization. Does this indicate in-dicate the Legion is a "cornerstone of reaction?" Last year more than 25,000 select sel-ect American boy3 and girls pai--ticipated in Legion-sponsored Boys and Girls States and Nation. Is this the ear-mark of a "money-guilded" "money-guilded" organization? More than 500,000 teen-age boys played American Legion Junior baseball last summer. Would you call this "going through the motions" mo-tions" in combating juvenile delinquency? delin-quency? Is it acting merely as the "keeper "keep-er wf patriotism" to fight Communism, Com-munism, rehabilitate veterans and their families, sponsor Back to God church services or encourage student, essays and orations on Americanism ? If so, the American Ameri-can Legion pleads guilty to the charge. Chop as you will, friend Frank; but there is plenty of wood available avail-able in which dry-rot has already set in. Finn, living timber is much harder to cut and the heavy chips fly not nearly so far. Sincerly, Karl Banks So long 'til Thursday. |
