New Britain herald., 1926-08-26
SERVICE KEYNOTE
 OF JACKSON'S TALK Retiring Commander of AIneri- can Legion Urges Active Policy LAUDS EDDY-GLOVER POST

Today.
 Service Is the keynote of the an-
 nual report delivered by Depart
 ment Commander Harry c. Jackson
 of this city who is retiring from of
 flee at the department convention
 of the American Legion in New
 Haven today. He urged the various
 posts and the department as a
 whole to care for disabled veterans
 and their wives and children, to | look after the youth of the com
 munity, and to back other welfare
 work. He asked them to aid in | getting out the vote and to partic- pate in campaigns against bill-
 boards and for the development of
 state forests. Eddy-Glover post of this city was particularly commend
 ed for its successful membership
 campaign.
 The report was as follows:
 "Officers and fellow members Of
 the American Legion, Department l SulllltCllCul.-
 ''As in the past it has been the
 custom for the department com
 mander to make a report to the
 delegates of the annual convention.
 hereby submit, in form, state ment of legion policies and activities for your consideration. While this report, in general, covers the activi- ties of the department since the last convention, it more particularly deals with those events which have taken place since January 1st 1926, the date of my inauguration to office. I sincerely hope that you will follow me closely in order that you may gather the details of our policies in entirety, so that these doctrines may be developed to their fullest possibilities. These policies with which we are concerned are clear mandates, handed down to us from the deliberations of our na- tional conventions which are the pledges of our own delegates from this department, and by our charter and constitution, we are pledged 10 a program of service to the com- munity, state and nation.
 Organization
 Tt is my belief that in order to provide a foundation, upon which the legion may build structure to render service. it is necessary to have an efficient organization. Therefore. 1t has ben my endeavor to perfect the organization of this department, districts and posts. At present we have, in the department, seven districts and 103 posts. The construction of such an organization consists of department officers and committee chairmen, district offic- i CTS and committee chairmen, and post officers and committee chair men.
 "The problem which confronted | me, when I took office, was. how | were we to perfect this organiza- tion, in order to increase our | membership so that we might | render greater service. My concep- tion of the function of the de- partment, through its officers and committee chairmen, is to transmit, to the national headquarters from the districts and posts, the ideas of the Legionnaires in this depart ment, and also, to promugate the | policies and decisions of our nation- al headquarters to the districts and posts, in turn.
 Tn order 10 have this machinery operate smoothly, it seems neces- sary to subdivide our program of service among committee chairmen, representing the department, dis tricts, and posts, thereby, distribut- ing the opportunity to serve among a larger membership.
 The plan is to appoint a de- partment chairman, who will have, for his executive body, a commit tee of the district chairmen. they in turn contracting, in their respective the post chairmen of their committee. The post chairmen's duty is to organize, in the post, a which shall carry on the plan of the department committee n developing that specific activity.
 My plan has been to interest as many of our members in the pro- gram of the Legion as possible, pro- iiding for the attendance of de- oartment committee chairmen at l he sessions of the department exec ltive committee. Said chairman be- { ng required to present a plan for 1 he years activities. How should I his plan of activity be developed? ( t should be developed by the de- f ,artment charmen, in conference S with his district chairman, who in \ urn have been in contact with the c 'ost chairmen. This plan should t over the method of developing a c 'articular activity, providing for a V eport card blank form, to be filled I ut by the post chairman. monthly, l his to be forwarded to the district d hartman, who would rate the post a nd report to the district at it's a egular meeting, eventually reach- lg the department executive con- , littee, completing necessary statis- cs for the department.
 Tt Is necessary. in perfecting this rganization, that we have the lost careful selection of the per- onnel to become state officers and . ommittee chairmen. They should e members of our Legion who have leas and deep interest in the de- I elopment of our department, dis jets, and posts. because no plan an function without these mem- [ CTS accepting full responsibility of | leir office. I shall simply out ne, in this report, our program, | ccording to the above plan of or |
 (TaN | ..