Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-10-07
SESSION
CHEERS FRANCE
Name of Ally in War Brings Great
OutburSt.
LAW AND ORDER is KEYNOTE
Commander. D'OIier Reviews Work
Accomplished in Year at Annual
Meet in Cleveland - Notice
Served on Wild Radicals.

Cleveland, O., Sept. 2S.-The great
est single service American Legion
members have rendered their country
| is their ''virile stand for the main
| tenance Of law and ORDER" Franklin
| D'Olier, national commander Of the
American Legion told the second an
| opening session here.
1--WE quickly served notice in no I'M
certain terms upon those wild radicals
who would by force attempt to injure
| those very institutions we had risked
our lives to protect" Commander
D'Olier said.
eve stated plainly we were ready
for them and could meet their force
with far greater force sufficient to
stop them instantly.
During these present days of I'M
rest and reimbursement, the American
Legion and the stand Of the eN-service
man for law and order is the greatest
possible insurance policy our coun-
try could possibly have, and the only
insurance premium the eX-serVice man
expects in return is simply fair play
from that government with which he
has played so fair"
More than 1000 delegates were in
their seats in the HippOdrome theater
when Commander D'Olier called to or
der the convention which borders in inn
DOrtance the national sessions of the
big political parties.
The floor of the theater reSembled
one of the big political conventions,
state standards and pennants desig-
mating seats allotted to the various
delegations.
Ovation to France.
Commander D'Olier presented Rev.
Francis J. Kelley of Troy, n. Y, "the
fighting chaplain" who delivered the
invocation. Following the national
chaplain, Mayor William Il. Fitzgerald
welcomed the visitors and delegates
in behalf of the city.
An ovation to France was the fea-
ture of the opening session of the con-
vention.
I. r. McQuigg, department COM
mander of Ohia, started the demon
stration when, in his reply to the adj
dress of welcome by Mayor w. S.
Fitzgerald he referred to France as
one of the great friends of the Amer
can Legion The cheering began and
calls were made for Francis E. Drake,
commander of American Legion post
No. 1, Paris. When he appeared the
entire assembly stood and rendered
applause.
Reviews First Years Work.
| Commander D'Olier in his address
said in part:
"Today we are assembled together
in our second national convention,
where you are to receive reports as to
the results accomplished by the ma
tional organization during this first
wear of our existence, and based upon
these results, to determine the pol
icies of the Legion during the coming
wear and to elect national officers to
administer your organization and to
put into effect your decisions.
"Throughout the length and breadth
of this land the name American Legion
stands for the highest ideals and most
wonderful spirit Of unSelfish service
| shown by every man and woman in
the army, navy and marine corps dur
ing the world war.
"The rapid growth of the Legion
has been phenomenal.
UphoIds Law and Order
"The greatest single service we
have rendered our country was the
virile stand for the maintenance or
law and order.
''The first official act Of this admin
| istratiOn, after the close of the con-
yention, was to call a conference in
| Washington to consider the deplOrabie
condition Of the disabled men. AL
though the war has been over more
| than a year, government compensation
| to disabled men was SO inadequate
that many men were objects of private
charity.
cat this conference practically
every state in the Union was repre-
sented and work begun one Monday
morning ended in actual legislation
passing both the senate and the house
before the end of the same week.
GAS result of this legislation there
is now being distributed to disabled
men s1OO,OOO,OOO more each year. And
the reason this legislation was passed
was because the American Legion put
its requests before them so plainly
and so forcibly that congress knew
that our requests were just and had
the backing not only Of ex-service men
but the public as WE'LL"