"Your service to the community, your service as a great body, is just commencing. The community is looking to you with confidence, with the belief that The American Legion will be a leader here in the city of Boston, and the people sent, as the new member of the city council, a man who is a member of your order, and who has served with you; and I am proud to welcome to share the responsibilities for the affairs of our city of Boston here, Mr. Brickley. [Much applause.]

"We want, in our city, to get the benefits of good government; we want to raise to a higher plane the ideals of our government, and to strive for a more democratic future for our State and for our city." [Much applause.]

Chairman: "And what shall I say of the next speaker? Shall I attempt to introduce him to you, with whom he has so happily served? Shall I attempt to describe the admirable qualities which you know he has? Far be it from me to attempt to introduce to the Convention of The American Legion our next speaker. We love him, not for the enemies he has made, but for the friends and friendships which are his. We look to him as a type of American soldier whom we hope to serve under in the future if war comes again. I present to you a citizen, now of New England, a friend of every citizen soldier in the United States, the Commander of the Northeastern Department, the former commander of the 26th Division, a human and able commander, Major-General Clarence R. Edwards." [Cheers and prolonged applause.]

Major-General Edwards: "Colonel Logan, and Fellow Yanks: You good people make me feel just as humble as I felt when I had 40,000 men in critical battle line, and I was responsible for their lives and their well-being. You also make me realize that I and mine have received the great things of life, and I heartily thank you for your confidence and for your loyalty and for your endorsement. If there is any earthly compensation, you gave it to me and mine. When I heard that Constitution read in this Faneuil Hall, I could think that a new Magna Charta had been given the people in a critical time in their lives. It has been my privilege to speak to your Convention before, and I am glad to have this opportunity again of saying that you did at Worcester, and you have done at Minneapolis, more than I have dared to believe you could do in unselfish constructive patriotism. You have put aside those petty things; you have done so much better than the great heroes of the Civil War in its inception that I again

say to you that I tremble for the power that you are going to exercise in the future. Let the same spirit guide you as it has so far, and what I have said every day, and most every night, since my return, that you are the hope of the country, will be true. Think what it would be if our entire Senate and Congress were composed of men who have had your experience. You men who have served know that the army should be the noblest profession in the world. It is one of self-sacrifice. I give you this thought to use it as an agency to create constructive citizenship. The things that menace us now do not scare me. To regular fellows like us, to regular fellows like your comrades, these forces that menace us are nothing in the world but a police matter. [Cheers.] 'Carry on' and turn them over to the police, and if the police want our bare-handed support they will get it from the curbstone of our knuckles. God pity the gang that attempts to oppose you. [Cheers.] I am not apprehensive about the safety of the country which these five million people have served. The future is what we must look after. The critical thing now pending in Washington is a sound system of defence. And what can we do to make others profit by your experience, because no man regrets his service? Therefore all that I say to you is that you 'carry on' even half as well as you have done and the country is safe, and our ideals will be sacredly kept. I thank you, Colonel Logan. I thank your Convention." [Three cheers and a tiger.]

Commander Logan:

ADDRESS OF DEPARTMENT COMMANDER EDWARD L. LOGAN. We have reached a point in the history of the Department of Massachusetts, The American Legion where it is necessary that the power and influence of all members of the organization be enrolled to carry forward the work.

The deliberations of the first National Convention in Minneapolis have placed a responsibility, a burden and a duty upon the members to such an extent that I believed that a conference should be called so that everybody would understand the circumstances.

The matter to which I refer related to the finances of the organization, and is of such importance that, after consultation with the Executive Committee, it was our opinion that we should gather the Massachusetts Department together again for the purpose of impressing upon all the Posts, through its chosen representatives, not only the desirability but the necessity of immediate concurrent action and cooperation.

Having determined that the Convention should be held, it was further decided by the Executive Committee that other matters of great importance to the organization should be presented to the Convention for its consideration, for the Constitution

under which we had been operating required certain changes to meet the new Constitution and Resolutions adopted at the Minneapolis Convention, and a large number of questions, among other matters, the membership and the transfer of members within the Department, had arisen which necessitated action.

The time which has elapsed since we were gathered together in Worcester at that wonderful Convention has been one of great advancement, not only to the organization in Massachusetts, but of great development to the organization in the country. The delegates selected at that Convention, and charged with the responsibility of representing Massachusetts, all went to Minneapolis for the first National Convention. It was a Convention which might be described as truly deliberative. The work of the Convention was performed very largely through committees. The Convention itself deliberated upon the matters which had been presented, and substantially accepted the reports of the various committees, about twenty in number, and made up of one member from each of the various States and Territories. The Convention, on the whole, was a wonderful body, composed of men of all branches of the service, of all ages and of all ranks, representative of substantially every hamlet in the United States. It recorded in its final judgment a policy sound, generous, considerate and patriotic, and selected as its representatives men to whom can be safely intrusted the great responsibility which comes not only from its large membership but from its great purposes.

Upon the arrival of the Massachusetts delegates at Minneapolis it was deemed by them a wise procedure to select a representative of this Department as its candidate for National Commander. It was an honor and involved a responsibility to be seriously mentioned in connection with which any one might well be proud. What would have been the result of this candidacy if the nomination had gone to a ballot is a matter which can now be wisely left to the realms of speculation.

The action, however, of the Convention, first, in naming the city of Indianapolis as the Headquarters of the National organization; second, the absolute necessity which would have involved upon him who received the honor to devote his entire time to the work of The American Legion; and third, the further tremendous burden which had been placed upon Massachusetts by the vote of the Convention, making a subscription to "The American Legion Weekly" obligatory upon the entire membership of this Department, and requiring us to turn in almost at once to the National Headquarters the sum of $78,000, made it advisable, for what he considered the best interest of Massachusetts and the Legion itself, to say nothing of his own personal interest, for their candidate to decline the proffered honor of their nomination.

INCREASED Membership.

The prospects and necessity for increased membership in Massachusetts are great. Those who started the original State organization here, and under whose wise and energetic management the foundation of the Department of Massachusetts, The American Legion was laid, did wonderful work in enrolling in Massachusetts a greater number of members than any other State in the Union. We would certainly fail in our duty if we did not express the sincere appreciation which we feel for the work which they so well accomplished. We will be cruelly lax in our interest, as well as the obligations which devolve upon us by reason of our official positions, if

we fail largely to increase the membership of The American Legion in Massachusetts; not only that Massachusetts may maintain its position as the first among the States of the Union in point of membership and in power in the National Organization, but for the additional reason that by increasing our membership the privileges of the Legion and the benefits which it may secure to all who participated in the war may be more speedily secured.

Since the Convention in Worcester, in October, the membership of this State has increased over 22,000. The Executive Committee and I am sure, the commanders of the different Posts do not regard this as a satisfactory showing. The season of the year, with its recurring holidays, the establishment of a new fiscal year and the additional financial burdens which were imposed by the National Organization, have militated somewhat against as rapid a growth of the organization in Massachusetts as we had hoped. The situation, I am sure, is now clarified. New officers have been chosen in all the different Posts. The result of the resolution placing an obligatory subscription for the magazine upon all the members is clearly understood, and we are beginning the New Year with hopes and promise of a substantially greater increase in membership by the time the next State Convention shall have met than has been known in the history of the organization.

The responsibility of securing this membership does not rest primarily upon either the State Commander or the State organization; neither is it, after all, the sole function of the officers of the different Posts. It rests primarily upon the interest, enthusiasm and activity of each member of this organization; and to each Legionaire I urge the duty of enrolling at once those of his comrades whom he knows to join The American Legion.

Let me call this to your attention, that if each member of the organization would now get one other "buddy," two-thirds of Massachusetts' contribution to the war would be enrolled in The American Legion. And further, if each member of the organization would only secure two additional "buddies," the total contribution of Massachusetts to the war would be enrolled in our organization.

WAR RISK INSURANCE.

The legislation enacted by our government while the war was in progress, establishing a War Risk Insurance Bureau, was a new project on the part of the government. It required the formation of a new organization to handle a problem difficult in itself, but tremendously enhanced by reason of the circumstances, the times and the places in which the work of the agents of the War Risk Insurance Bureau had to be conducted. It was further handicapped by the difficulty of making clearly understood the purposes as well as the limitations of the original legislation. When the war was finished there can be no doubt that the War Risk Insurance Bureau had done very successful work. It was not by any means, however, as satisfactory in its accomplishments as it was intended that the benefits of this legislation should be. This is neither the time nor the place to discuss the difficulties under which this Bureau operated or the complaints registered against it by those who had participated in the war. Experience has shown us that there were many changes which should be made in the law, not only for the carrying out of the purposes of the legislation, but to make more complete and effective the results which the early legislation had desired to attain.

With this subject our State Convention, and later our National Convention, attempted to deal, and as a result of their deliberations and of the action which was taken in the various State conventions, a conference of State commanders was called by Mr. R. G. Cholmeley-Jones, the head of the War Risk Insurance Bureau, which met in Washington on the fifteenth day of December, 1919. It was a meeting which lasted over three days. The attention of the members during substantially all of that time was keenly devoted to the consideration of the subject for which we had been called together; and as a result of the unanimous opinion of State Commanders, certain important and far-reaching changes were made in the War Risk Insurance legislation which are bound to be of tremendous help to all those who served in the war and who desire the benefits of this legislation. I cannot speak too strongly of the excellent results which this gathering accomplished nor will I trespass upon the time of the Convention in detail to express them.

We are fortunate to-day in having with us, Mr. R. G. Cholmeley-Jones, Director of the Bureau of War Risk Insurance, and I am sure that this gracious, able, kindly and devoted comrade will be very glad to tell you at greater length later in the day of the changes which have been made and the benefits to follow in the Sweet Bill which has just been enacted.

VOCATIONAL TRAINING.

Tremendous burdens which were placed upon the newly organized Federal Board for Vocational Training have impeded very largely the progress of its work, and all of us are familiar with the adverse criticisms which have been directed at this Board of Vocational Training. The liberalization of the law and practice governing the vocational training likewise had the consideration of this conference of State commanders, and many changes of great benefit to our wounded were recommended.

A great change was likewise made in the personnel of the Board, and we are now happy to state that at the head of this Board is Dr. Uel W. Lamkin, a man thoroughly familiar with the conduct of the Board and entirely sympathetic with its purposes. It was our great pleasure to have heard his fascinating discussion of the work which the Board was doing and the wider scope which it was planning to engage in; and we are extremely fortunate in having the honor of his presence at the Convention to-day, and the pleasure of listening to him in a discussion of the present and future plans of the Board of Vocational Training.

COMMITTEES.

With the approval of the Executive Committee, I have appointed additional committees to assist and advise the Executive Committee in carrying out the work of the Legion in the State. First, a committee was appointed on the Constitution and By-Laws. This committee has prepared a draft of the Constitution which will make the instrument governing the Massachusetts Department in accordance with that governing the National Organization. It has drafted a set of By-Laws by which the business of the State organization shall be governed, and it has likewise prepared, with the suggestion which appears in the National Constitution, a proposed draft of a Constitution and By-Laws for the different Posts of the Legion in this State. It was not the intention of the Executive Committee that the proposed draft of a