New-York tribune., 1922-09-22
General Will Participate,
With Coontz and Neville,
in Convention of Aneri-
can Legion at Syracuse
Gold Star Mothers Attend
Roosevelt Assails Advocates
j of Abolition of Army and
Navy as SsSoft Hearted"
By Walter J. Fenton

.eeents and Major General Wendell
Neville are expected to arrive here to-
narrow morning to take part in the
largest reunion of former service men
~ this state ever held. The reunion is
seing held In conjunction with the an
anal convention of the American
Y.vcr. which opened here this morn
ing.
Following short sessions Of the
legion and its auxiliary, there will be a
Yvncheon to the distinguished guests
, pader the auspices of the Rotary Club.
| The afternoon will be devoted to a
rsrade of approximately $1,000 former
service men, most of them in the uni
ferns they wore while serving the
government during the World War.
General Pershing will lead Ghe parade
Or his arrival he viii be met by a
Sslegation Of Congressional honor
/ medal men and will be escorted to the
4 esnvention hall.
Il The Legion convention was called to
4 slder this morning in the state arnlory.
The auxiliary at the same time had it's
session in the Onondaga Hotel. The
Legion session in the morning was de-
voted to the organizing of committees
for the convention, the reading of
Commander William r. Deegan's re-
4 pert, covering his entire administra-
i ton, and addresses by Congressional
1 representative Ogden Mills, Major
i John L. Walrath, of Syracuse; John
Furey, a veteran of the Civil War;
Theodore Roosevelt, Assistant Secre-
Itsry Of the Navy; Thomas Cannon,
veteran Of the Spanish American War;
Charles Blakesee, former state COM
mander of the Legion, and the Rev.
father Kelly, former national chaplain
I Of the American Legion
Blind Veteran Speaks
1 IN the afternoon reports of various
q Standing committees were read and
B There were addresses by Assistant
4 Secretary of War Mayhew Wainwright,
u himself q veteran of the 9th Division,
.and George n. Calvert, blind veteran,
irepresenting the disabled American
lsar veterans organization.
Representative Mills, who is also
fast state commander of the New York
Department and who was among the
/ organizers OF the association in the
4 state, told the convention that the
I legion would have three periods. He
| said that the first, the period of organ
| ization. was now nearing completion,
! and pointed to the growth of the organ
4 ization and the tenacity with which it
/ has elung to its ideals; the second, the
I ! completion Of 4 hospital program
/ which would require in the future
.no.hing bat vigilance, and the third,
b p period Of actual peace-time activity
b wherein the Legion could do much
toward the betterment of citizenry and
4 tevote its entire time to the cause of
Ntter government.
n Urges National Defense
y Secretary Roosevelt struck hard at
81 the "soft-hearted and soft-headed" per-
B sens who urge the abolition of the
army and navy. The adoption of such
\ 10 policy would be disastrous, he de-
CARED, in urging the Legion to support
+ Il sound policy of national defense.
The country is in the backwash of
.agrea, war" declared Colonel Roose-
welt. LAS a result of afterthoughts
n horrors of war. there are many soft
hearted and soft-headed persons who
would abolish our army and navy. This
L soeld be a wonderful thing for all
4 isountries. We proved cur sentiment
/ when last year we agreed to cut down,
but under no conditions should we
abolish our army and navy without re-
gard to what the other countries are
1 doing.
I'VE Of the Legion are the best
judges Of this kind. We have seen war
and we will do anything to keep our
| = children from war The Legion is the
| group to which the country will listen
~ matters of this kind. | want the
! Legion to throw itself behind a strong
| poiicy OF national defense. We must
| project ourselves and we must have
SOUND policy of national defense to do
. that"
State Commander Deegan in his re-
port told of the fight conducted for
,he disabled veterans and devoted the
greater part of his report to a review
VI tne disqualification of disabled vet
ssans In this state. He told of the fight
.v1 tuoercular hospitals upstate and
1 He said: 'N'' = eu'
Deegan Flags Sawyer
4 First, the White Committee would
Neet site, then the National Tuber-
sulsr Association would object; next,
ss treasury Department would take
nshd, then the final adviser, Briga-
20 General Sawyer, would jam in his
- and the whole project of a hos
n "OUAd US up III LQe ar, only TO
ssit out again at the same point, fol-
wing the same route, with the same
E san' Appropriations had been made
1he government to build the neces-
siy hospitals, but it was a year and
nan after the money was available
ss.iofe the White Committee made it's
.st oona tde selection. And at this
rsaeht, lacking one month of four
s since the signing of the armis-
80 no actual work in the way of ex-
iss1,on for government owned build
has been started"
sGG:mmander Deegan then told of the
r;iuons atssthe local office of the
a1ea statesT Teterans' Bureau. He
/ ~. mat during the last fourteen
1 .;ss. s.as the bureau in New York had
/ inherent district managers, and
ae nrst time since he took office
vas looking forward with a conf
4 q, :: never before felt that the pres
4 an, sefict manager would straighten
81, short time the chaotic condi-
4 ~ the files in the local Office.
assistant Secretary of War VAIN
: sasa ' urged the Legion 10 stand for
s,pu noiicy of national defense, and
j jso,s that in future wars the Pres
NJ ess;.., would have the power to draft |
dl, san, labor and industries, as well |
al CO, Auxiliary Meets
Mss That's Magrane. president of the |
Va auxiliary in the state, presid- |
kf sae session of the auxiliary /