The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1921-11-16
American Legion

Kansas City,-Thirty-t years
old and the leader of millien fight
ing Americans. That's the record
of Hanford MacNider, of Mason City
Iowa, the new national commander
of the American Legion elected here
at the Legion's annual convention.
MacNider was elected by acclama-
ton. Following his election he was
carried to the platform by the Iowa
delegation, he said:
you know that the strength of
the legion Is in the men you repre-
sent in your posts at home, not in
the national headquarters. There is
where the legion is ;snd there is
where we shall try to reach. We
must build this legion of ours so big
so fine, so strong, keep it so clean
and straight and American that when
we ask for things for the ex-service
man, for the disabled man and for
those who are financially disabled,
our communities will say: If the le-
gion is for it we are for it, For that
service and with a pledge to you of
every economy and all measures
possible for constructive prgress,
stand at your command"
The vice commanders elected were
- NSisoh coShSoh; DuiiihS eoh, -,
George l.. Berry, of Tennessee; Ray
Mccormick, Colorado; Charles NJ
Kendrick, California. Rev. Z. A.
Blackman, of Kansas, was elected
national chaplain. Mrs. Lowell Ho-
bart, of Milford, Ohio, was elected
president of the Women's Auxiliary
of the Legion.
New Orleans, La, was selected as
the next meeting. That city has
ple ged 100000 for entertaining
the Legionairies there during the
1922 meeting next autumn.
The presence of the distinguished
military manders-Foch, JAG
ques, Diaz, Betty and Perish ng-
brought the gaze of the world on
the Legion's great meeting. Their
addresses in the convention started
the Legionairies enthusiasm on
RAPID ascent.
At the opening session the Legion
men honored their late commander,
Fro w. Galbraith jr., with mem
orial service John G. Emery. the
retiring commander, set off roar
of applause when he declared that
the people of the United States de-
manded an adjustment of the eco
nomic balance between the man who
went TO war and the man who did
not. ~
The Legion's growth financially
and numerically was shown by the
annualsreport real TO the convention
by National Adjutant Bolles. 1t was
reported that 1850 new posts had
been added during the year Mr..
Bolles outlined the Legion's cam
pa ign to assist unemployed ex-ser-
vice men.
Major General lie Jeune, COM
mander of the Marine Corps; General
Robert Mcbride, vice commander Of
the G. A. r. ari George l.. Berry,
official representative of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor were speak
ers on the opening day.
The reception for Foch when $4,000
men in navy blue and olive drab, sill
houetted by red fire, stood on the
steps of Kansas City's new 81, 800, 900
war memorial in Union Station plaza
waving their arms, was a dazzling
spectacle.
Another "high'' of the three-day
gathering was the annual Legion
parade with endless columns of
marching men. Legionaire cowboys
from the west Indian veterans in
native costume AMI many attractive
floats. With their former high COM
manders leading the parade, the Lee
g;onairies marched with old-time zip
of A. f. F. days. Governor Hyde of
Missouri and dozen governors
from middle-west states were in the
reviewing box and Vice President
Coolidge, who as President Harding's
representa- We had addressed the
convention, was an honor guest.
1.-THE convention has convinced
me that the American Legion is ar
established power in the United
States-a power for truth and equal
itv," declared Marshal Foch before
his departure from Kansas City.