Evening star., 1925-10-06
PACTS. NOT ARMIES.
WILL BRING PEACE,
COOLIDGE ASSERTS

Continued from First PaReD
Of tho American Legion. whose wife
presidential train: Gov. McMullen Of
Nebraska, Mayor Dahlman OF Omaha
and score Of prominent citizens
and legion officials. Hundreds of for
mer service men jammed the train
shed md sta ton and as the President
pa ssed they broke into cheers.
From the station Mr.. and Mrs
Coolidge were taken to the home Of
Walter Head. Omaha banker. who a,
one time was president OF the Amer.
ican Bankers Association, for rest
before going to the convention audi
toriunn. Although they had been
aboard train nearly 40 hours, nett her
appeared fatigued. They smiled
thusiasm at being in the midst of
patriotic demonstration apparently
undminished by the nasty weather.
Trip First Of Its Kind.
In coming 10 Omah ha TO address the
legion Mr.. Coolidge travelled farther
from Washington than at any time
since entering the White House and
through sections of the country he
had not visited as Chief Executive
He is the first President to honor
the American Legion with his pres
ence at its annual convention. al
the Kansas City gathering several
wears ago.
In addition 70 delive ring his speech
the President before leaving late to-
day for Washington planned to at
tend luncheon at the Omaha Club,
rendered him by prominent citizens
and legion officials. and to review
the afternoon parade of American
Legion members. Arrangements had
been made for him to ride at the
head Of the procession as far as the
reviewing stand.
Five thousand men and women
packed into the Omaha Auditorium
listened TO speeches by Commission
er of Education John J. Tigert and
George l.. Berry. representing the
American Federation of Labor. as
thev awaited President Coolidge. ar
rival
A detachment from the 18th In
fantry at Fort Crook formed an ave
nue. into the hall for the President
and Mrs. Coolidge, who We're given an
ovation by the crowd standing out,
side in the rain as their automobile,
with top down, despite the weather.
approached the entrance.
The President entered the hall 10
minutes before he was scheduled to
speak With tn. band playing Hail
TO the Chief" he was greeted with
rounds of cheers. Mr.. and Mrs. Cool.
idge posed for pictures. then Conldr.
Drain began a speech of introduction.
There was another wild outburst IF
cheering and noise making as the
President began speaking.
Photographers begged Mrs. Cool
idge to come to the front of the plat
form and when she did she. too. was
given sn ovation equal TO that sc-
corded the President.
While the Legion outwardlv gave
all its attention to the President and
the parade. little groups of serious
men continued graphing with the
vention They were the committees
trying to bring order and fixed rou-
tine for presentation to the meeting
from the great mass Of suggestions
covering numerous subjects which
found ready sp~neors.
Should the four chief subjects for
conversation on all sides be advanced
to consideration by the convention.
the 1925 meeting probably would take
rank as the most important since the
legionnaires laid down their arms and
returned to civilian life.
None would confirm firm intention
to take any subject further than com,
mittees or subcommittee. hut lobby
and street arguments dealt chiefly
with whether the legion as body
should declare an attitude toward Col.
William Mitchell and his status
brought about by his attacks on con-
troll of Army and Navy flying: pro
hibition; whether the convention
should abandon one of its first prin-
ciples, abstention from organized par
ticipation in politics. and method of
selection Of the next national com
mander.
That Philadelphia. Pa. would get
the 1926 legion convention. to be held
at the same time as it's sesquicenten
gone conclusion. No other city was
making a hard fight. and the general
trend Of opinion was that the conven.
tion next year should so East,
The Mitchell matter seemed TO have
taken the most definite form. A sub
committee of FIVE Of the aeronautics
committee was appointed late yester-
day to thrash out the subject and re-
port to the whole committee.
Meanwhile the visiting legion
naires made merry. Omaha last
night knew no night. The sun set
but strings of incandescents bios
somed above downtown streets and
the former warriors. played like tru-
ant schoolboys.
At midnight the old Army game.
tossing dice, bloomed in all it's pris-
tine wartime glory. All through the
downtown section the boys fell on
their knees in little circles and
prayed to the goddess of chance. Two
games were in progress at the inter
section of Sixteenth and Farnam
streets, Omaha's central corner, and
looking in any direction from that
point other little groups were at 1t.
Every now and then an automobile
would come charging down the side.
walks. Particularly was that true If
some of the street groups playfully
had demanded that the street traffic
halt for the nonce
FINN M Coal SHORTAGE