Evening star., 1939-04-18
reported the treasury contained

reported the treasury contained
$279, ,40O16.
The registrar general. Mrs. Frank
Leon Mason, said the last national
number issued to a member was
3l4,7l8. That is the total of every
one who has ever been a member
OF the D. A r. The actual member
ship at the present time is approx
imately l43.0O0 in 1926 chapters.
Mrs. Leland Stanford Duxbury,
historian general, said that 68 town
markers had been placed during the
year. 27l historic spots located, and
l45 marked. and markers had been
placed on SOS graves of Revolution
ary soldiers and 40 graves of lay
members.
In reports of various national off,
GERS as well as in the president
generals report there was no men,
ton of the resignation of Mrs.
Roosevelt, which followed the Mar
ian Anderson controversy.
The only reference to Mrs. Roose-
velt on the congress floor was in
the report of the program chair
man, Mrs. G. w. S. Musgrave, who
said: Through the courtesy of Mrs.
Roosevelt the customary White
House reception will be held on
Friday afternoon"
With 4,500 delegates and alter
mates in attendance, the congress
opened with traditional pageantry
last night and heard Secretary OF
War Woodring, the guest speaker,
declare that final enactment OF
President Roosevelt's program for
the further strengthening of our
defenses will go far toward COM
plete assurance of peace and Sc
curity."
Beginning sentence after sentence
with Does it mean anything to
America that" Mrs. Robert last
night reviewed what the organ
ization is doing in its Junior
American Citizens Clubs, student
loan funds, good citizenship pill
grimages. naturalizati ton work, noun
tain schools and its publications ode
signed to promote appreciation and
understanding of the American way
of life"
She bade the delegates to de
termine the qualities of spirit that
achieved American independence
and then to live that spirit as your
own, making it applicable to the
problems of the day."
A vigorous defense of an adequate
military establishment for the pres
ervation of peace was the keynote
of Secretary Woodring's address.
Il have heard expressions of ap-
prehension," he said, that what
have termed the American military
renaissance may eventuate in a
militaristic United States - that
mere preparation leads to war. Such
fears can be dissipated only through
education-through knowledge that
today it is the strong, not the weak,
who may speak with authority for
peace"
He used Gen. Sheridan's expedi-
ton to the Mexican frontier as an
example of his theme, that the
moral backing of force" made
actual hostilities unnecessary.
Such military maneuvers," he
asserted, frequently demonstrate to
maximum degree the powerful in
fiuence of a peaceably inclined and
adequate military establishment
upon the preservation of peace"
Hits "Misguided Economy"
Praislng the National Defense Act
OF 1920 as "the most comprehensive,
adequate, yet withal economical leg
lslatlve measure ever adopted affect
ing the military system and policy
OF the United States" he commented
sharply on the sometimes well-in-
tentioned but always misguided
economy" by which, he said, the de-
tense forces were whitfield away"
He paid tribute to the INSPIRED
leadership of our far-seeing COM
mander in chief, Franklin D. Roose-
velt,' through whom, he said, there
has been reborn an Army that con-
stltutes a potent and effective ele-
ment in our national defense"
Enthusiastic applause greeted the
Secretary's declaration on strength
enlng the defenses of this country.
Sketching the world situation