The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-24
CONVENTION OF RAINBOW DIVISION
Notes and SideIights of CIeve- land Convention By
 Local Delegate
By COL. WALTER E. BARE

It was great to shake hands with the old buddies once more when 1000
 Rainbow veterans assembled at Cleveland for the second annual con
 vontion of July 14, Is and 16.,
 The convention was opened at the
 Hotel Winton at 9:30 a. m., on the
 morning of July IA, and immediate
 ly upon, opening fire started on the
 relief question. Looking around the hall, we found that the Cleveland
 sub chapter had brought to the con-
 vention 200 wounded veterans from
 the various hospitals throughout the country. All attending favored the better treatment of ex-service men, which was the dominating feature throughout the entire convention
 President Harding sent greetings to the convention, advising that prog ress was being made toward making conditions better for the wounded
 and disabled, which message was re- ceived with loud cheers.
 The convention opened with Presi- dent Mat A. Finley presiding; tnvo-
 cation being given by Rev. Francis
 P. Duffie, former chaplain of the One Hundred and Sixty-fifth New York infantry. After the invocation, regular business began; the meeting adJourntng at 1880 o'clock until Fri day morning st 10.
 The afternoons were devoted to recreation which was made very en- Joyable by our host, the Clevelanc chapter, which furnished us all kinds Of fun and amusement, from baseball game between Cleveland and Chicago to dances, swimming parties and barquets held at various hotels.
 During the morning session of the T,- Dempsey. state commander of the American Legion of Ohio, Speaking for the legion, extended a welcome to the Forty-second Division Veterans to the city of Cleveland, and during his address touched on the points of most vital interest to the legion naires of today. He advocated better treatment for the wounded and dis abled soldiers and also made it very plain why every ex-service man should join the American Legion. At the conclusion of his speech, presi- dent Finley, for the convention as- sembled, indorsed MT. Dempseys re- marks, and urged that every Rain bow veteran, who had not already affiliated with the American Legion, do so at once.
 The convention went on record as favoring the publishing of the list of draft deserters, as expressed by several speakers that if there was one Rainbow veteran whose name appeared on the draft. deserters' list 1 he would rather it would be pub lished, so that he could establish his i service, than go on for years being | classed as deserter by the war de- partment, although personally being 1 of that fact.
 On Friday afternoon, July 14, all | the various units assembled for a parade, the various state sup chap ters forming in column platoons, and | 1t was here the buddies heard the | bark of the Square right!' in the par ade, which started at 2:15 D. m. | After marching through the princi- | pal streets of Cleveland, the veterans ! assembled around the reviewing | stand overlooking Lake Erie and lis tened to several interesting talks by | United States Senator Frank B. Will lis: also Col. B. W. Hough and others of the One Hundred and Sixty sixth Ohio infantry, and at the | of the speeches the two