Evening star., 1925-08-23

serious consideration to the question
Of adequate national defense ana the
future of the defense test as an In
Stitution, as IL consequence OF reso-
1ations adopted by the local member
ship during the past week.
The matter will be brought before
The annual encampment of the Vet
Grams of Foreign Wars at Tulsa,
Okla, the last OF this month, when
resolutions prepared by the Depart
Tnent of the District of Columbia will
tte presented, it was announced. by
Edward S. Bettelheim.
II will next be brought up at the
annual convention of the Military
Order of the World War to be held
at New York in September, where II
will be pressed by a delegation headed
by AMI. Gen. Lloyd NJ. Brett. COM
mander of the District of Columbia
Commandery. And when the Ameri-
can Legion convention is held at
Omaha, Neb, in October, action will
be urged there by the delegation from
the District of Columbia Department
headed by Department Commander
Julius I. Peyser.
At the monthly luncheon meeting
of the District of Columbia Com
mandery of the Military Order of the
World War recently held at the La
fayette Hotel, a resolution relative TO
the defense test was adopted. 1t set
forth that on September 12, 1924 and
July f. 1925, there were conducted
nationally under the auspices of the
War Department, defense tests, TO
demonstrate the workability of the
plans for the common defense un-
der the provisions Of the national
defense act OF 1899: that the Mill
tary Order Of the World War, IS
cognizant of the existence of doubt
in the minds Of some as TO the future
of these necessary tests and recon-
mended that the national convention
of that order take necessary action
10 recommend TO the War Depart
ment that it establish a permanent
administrative policy for the holding
of d suitable day annually, in the
Fall of the year, of a defense test.
The delegation that will represent
the District Commandery at the an
Hual convention has as it's chairman
Maj. William l.. Simons and includes
as delegates, Lieut.. Col: w. III. Burt,
Col Walter o. Clephane. Lieut.. Col.
Fred +. Ryons, Capt. Godfrey NJ. S.
TAFT. Capt. A III. Dondero and Gen.
Brett.
Two resolutions dealing with the
question of national defense and the
defense test, proposed by Past De
partment Commander Paul J. Nc
Gahan, the national executive COM
rlittee member for the District of
Columbia Department, will be taken
10 the national convention at Omaha
in October. They were adopted by
The delegation representing the de-
partment at a dinner meeting given
in their honor at the Shoreham Hotel,
Wednesday night by Dept. Comdr.
Julius l. Peyser.
The resolution on the question of
adequate national defense set forth;
the American Legion in national
convention assembled has repeatedly
gone on record as favoring adequate
national defense and has Endorsed
the provisions of the national de
Tense act of 1920; the public press
has recently contained what bears
every semblance of being reliable in
formation of an intention to reduce
very materially the budget estimates
submitted by the War Department
and the Navy Department, the two
agencies OF the Government charged
with the maintenance of the ade-
quacy of the means for national de-
fense; and, that the National Con-
vention of the American Legion, at
Omaha, Neb., October to 9, be re-
quested to direct its convention COM
rnittee on military affairs. and its
convention committee on Naval
affairs. to give serious study to the
situation thus presented, with view
of bringing before the convention a
proper resolution on the subject.
American Legion.
Holding of a junior worlds series
for boys base ball teams throughout
the country under the auspices of the
American Legion will be proposed at
the national convention of the Legion
at Omaha from October 3 to 8 by the
National AmericaniSm Commission
Decision to this effect was reached
following a conference here between
members of the commission and Maj.
John l.. Griffith, commissioner of the
Western conference, who offered to
assist In working out the idea.
Plans for the championship will be
evolved by representatives of the Ma
tional Amateur Athletic Federation,
Of which Maj. Griffith is secretary, in
conjunction with the Americanisln
Commission. These plans, it is ex-
pected. will be presented to the con-
vention at Omaha for final decision.
Fhe present intention is to promote
the organization of base ball leagues
for boys of IA to II in all parts of
the country, according to Frank Clay
Cross, director of the Americanism
Commission. Championships would be
staged by districts, by states and
regions, leading up to the national
contest to be held each year at ma
tional conventions of the Legion. In
the junior world series. as it will be
called, the victor in the East, cham
pton of all states east of the MiSsis-
sippi river, will play the champion of
the West.
The junior world series is merely
one feature of a general plan for
Legion activity in sponsoring and
promoting a greater active participa-
ton on the part of the general public
in athletics. Legion posts and de-
partments are showing great interest
in this work, according to Mr.. Cross.
AT the recent South Dakota depart
ment convention d resolution was
adopted calling for Legion work in
the development of athletics. The
resolution was the result of sug-
gestion made by Maj. Griffith.
To prepare plans and rush a mem
bership drive the Department of the
District of Columbia post adjutants
met Friday night at department head
quarters. Plans were discussed for
putting this department 'over the
Top" at the 1925 national convention.
The peak of the work in raising
the national American Legion en-
dowrnent fund is expected to be
reached within a few days, and the
entire organization, together with the
numerous committees composed
largely of leading citizens not Le-
gionnaires, will continue the effort at
a high speed as possible in an at
tempt to complete the fund by Sep
tember 80.
President Coolidge's cabinet is