Evening star., 1919-11-10
AMERICAN LEGION
CONVENTION OPENS
IN MINNEAPOLIS
1000 Delegates in Attend
ance-Marshal Foch
Sends Greetings.
From a STAFF Correspondent.

|
! MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, November
1o-.Henry D. Lindsey dropped the
gavel. and as chairman of the ma
! uonal executive committee announced
the opening of the first convention
of the American Legion at 10 O'Clock
this morning. The spacious audito-
RUM was completely filled with the
2-0eo delegates representing approx
imateiy 100000 veterans of the
world war. fromGvery state and ter
ritory in the United states.
1t is The largest gathering OF vet
Grams of the Army. Navy and Marine
Corps ever recorded. and. judging
from the vast amount Of work scned-
ulcd. promises to surpass the caucus
! held III 81. Louis iaSi May
Want Solid Organization.
Th- delegates at tais convention
are determined TO found Sold or
ganizaiion. foster 100 per cent Amer
ics nism and to preserve the memo
-ies and incidents of association IN
he world war and TO consecrate the
comradeship whicn has grown out of
that great conflict Unlike the ST.
Louis caucus. this convention finds
nearly every delegate and alternate
in 'civies" once more. Rank has
been eliminated entirely, and the
"doughboy." "go5" or '1eatherneck
is now rubbing elbows with major
generals and colonels and other high
ranking officers. And that's just the
way the members of the legion want
it.
Yesterday was American Legion
Sunday. and special sermons were
prea ched hv pastors on the anniVer-
sarv Of the cessation of lighting
year ago. who paid tribute to ire
brave Americans who died fighting
| that The world would be made safe
for democracy.
Will Parade en- Armistice Day.
Tomorrow armisrice day will be ap-
nropriately celebrated with mon
ster parade in which twenty thousand
veterans OF the civil, Spanish Ameri-
; eau and world war viii participate
All American Legion members at
tending the convention will be in line.
according to states. The District OF
Columbia delegation has been busy
every minute completing plans 1or
matters to be brought before the con-
vention.
An an-dav session was held yester-
day with f. Lester Jones. chairman,
presiding Final instructions we're
issued to the delegates serving on the
twenty committees in the conventions.
D. c. Party Delayed by Wreck.
Several of the Washington party en-
route to this city yesterday were de-
layed several hours by a train wreck
near Mansfield. Ohio. One wreck was
just being cleared away when the
tender of the train with the Wash
ingtonians aboard jumped the track
on a down grade rounding a curve.
while making up lost time. The dam
age was slight and no one was in
jured.
The party included Miss Alice B.
Harvey. Miss Maybelle l.. Musher.
Mrs. Walter Bruce Howe. Mrs. Rob
ert H Dunlap, Daniel ]. Donovan,
auditor for the District, and Julius 1.
Peyser. They joined the District dele
CATION last evening. H F.
Roosevelt Reiterates Refusal.
BY the Associated Press.
MINNEAPOLIS. Mimi. November
10-Gov. J. A. A. Brunquist Cyrus
Northrop, president emeritus of the
Z. Myers delivered brief speeches at
the opening session of the American
Legion convention today.
Discussion of candidates for national
Offices with at least a dozen prominent
ly mentioned for first national head of
the legion has brought an emphatic
refusal from at least one delegate.
when l say no. l mean no." de-
clared Theodore Roosevelt. one of the
delegates from New York, when his
candidacy was-mentioned. Others re-
ceiving support from their state dele
cations and others include Col. Milton
] Foreman of Chicago. Henry D.
Lindsey of Texas. Col. Benson w.
Hough of Ohio and Thomas S. Wolms-
ley of Louisiana.
With a mass of decisions affecting
organization to be settled. first con-
Sideration today was given to selection
of committees and a tentative program
prepared by an adyance committee of
state officers for submission to the first
session. With tomorrow devoted al
most entirely to celebration of armi-
stice day. Wednesday, sessions are ex-
pected to prove busy ones for the dele
gates. Mayor Myers of Minneapolis
has proclaimed city holiday tomor-
row. asking that all possible working
men and women be released to join
with the war veterans in observing the
first anniversary Of the cessation of