Chairman: "Mr. Root says this would be a very good place to put it in if it is the wish of the Convention."

Delegate Reth: "Then I move the insertion of section 4, to read as follows: 'Any man who is in good standing in a Post desiring transfer to another Post shall be entitled, with his certificate of membership, good standing defined and accepted by both Posts, to be considered transferred upon notice being sent to the State Department.' Motion passed.

Article VIII adopted.

999

Article IX adopted, striking out the word "all" before the word "the" in the third line of section 1.

Article X adopted.

Delegate Keville: "I move that the Constitution as read section. by section be adopted."

Delegate Richard P. Borden, Fall River: "I notice that there is a provision for a call to a Special Convention. It seems to me that the notice that is given is of too short duration, and I move that the Department Adjutant give the Post adjutant at least fifteen days' notice of all proposed conventions."

Motion passed.

Delegate: "I would like to inquire about a provision for Auxiliaries." Constitutional Committee Chairman Root: "The matter of Auxiliaries is fully taken care of in the National Constitution, Article 13, section 3."

Delegate John H. Sherburne, Brookline: "I desire to ask you a question. In Article IV, section 2, it says 'The vote of each Post shall be equal to the total number of delegates to which that Post is entitled.' I hope that this does not mean that hereafter in conventions one delegate can cast the vote of the entire delegation from a Post; for example, my Post has thirteen votes. I would like to have the question of a unit vote settled."

Chairman: "I should say that from reading the proposed Constitution it means that one delegate from a Post could vote the total representation from that Post."

Delegate Sherburne: "Then, Mr. Commander, I move that this Article be amended by striking out the last sentence and inserting the following: 'The vote of the Convention shall be taken by the majority of the delegates present and voting.' Your National Commander has reminded me of a situation in Paris about a year ago.

When the representatives of the New England delegation were sent to Paris they were the largest delegation there. We saw plastered around on the walls Base Section No. 1, Base Section No. 2, and the men in those sections had the equivalent vote of our entire delegation. Upon whatever number we determine upon as the representation of a Post, it is wise to insist upon that number of men being present, and not allow the vote to be taken by the number of men in the Post, and let one man come down and deliver it. What we want is the personal exchange of intelligence, or whatever it may be, at these meetings, and not a cut and dried meeting."

Chairman: "The question comes upon the motion made by Mr. Sherburne of Brookline."

Motion carried.

Delegate Borden: "A great many of the people in the various districts think that the required representation is too great, and I move the substitution of the words 'two hundred' for 'one hundred' in that clause of the Constitution."

Motion defeated.

Chairman: "The question now comes on the motion of Mr. Keville that the Constitution as adopted section by section be adopted as a whole."

Motion carried.

Delegate Lavelle: "As the Constitution is in a great degree the result of the admirable and splendid work of Mr. Stover, who presented a Constitution not adjustable to the Department at the present time, and as our own measure of gratitude for what he has done, I move that this Convention record its appreciation and tend to Mr. Stover its thanks for the work and effort he put in to make the Constitution, with the old and new committees, a success and I so move that you tender to Mr. Stover a rising vote of thanks."

Chairman Root: "I wish to heartily agree in all that Mr. Lavelle has said. It was a most admirable piece of work, but at the present time it is a little too elaborate, though we may yet come to it, and I wish to heartily second Mr. Lavelle's motion."

Delegate: "I move that this also include the new and old Constitution committees." [All rise in thanks.]

Delegate Frederick T. Doyle, Roxbury: "I move you that we proIceed to the election of a First Vice-Commander."

Delegate Wm. J. Keville, Belmont: "For fear that this situation

might become confused, and while expressing the appreciation of a number of my good friends for their support for the office of First Vice-Commander, I desire to state that I have not been nor am I now a candidate for this office."

Delegate Judson Hannigan: "At the State Convention, which chose the present officers, the eastern part of the State was particularly fortunate in that all the officers of the Department for 1920 came from Boston or its vicinity. It seems only fair to the outlying portions of the State that in filling this office we should choose a man who comes from an outlying portion, in order that we might all appreciate that Boston is a part of the Department and not the whole of the Department. I therefore nominate Paul J. Norton, a member of the Legion, a service man himself and the father of two service men."

Delegate Kenneth C. McDonald, Jr., Mattapan: "I nominate John C. Granfield, Company Clerk of the 104th Infantry. He is a young man, twenty-eight years of age, married, and an expert along mechanical lines. [Laughter.] Now that the laughter has subsided I wish to say further that in advocating his candidacy he is a man worthy of any man's vote in this Convention, and he lives in 'Spittsfield.' [Laughter.] After I see so many who so readily and so worthily appreciate that a slip of the tongue is no fault of the mind I will continue. This young man is employed by the General Electric Company as an expert on their appliances. I advocate his candidacy as a man worthy of being Senior Vice-Commander of the Department of Massachusetts of The American Legion."

Delegate Charles M. Boyle, Peabody: "I wish to place in nomination the name of William P. Connery of Lynn for the office of Third Vice-Commander."

Delegate Wm. H. Doyle, Malden: "In view of our appreciation of our present officers, I move you that the Second and Third ViceCommanders be made the First and Second Vice-Commanders."

Chairman: "The situation from a parlimentary point of view is a rather difficult one. The original motion was the nomination of Paul J. Norton for the office of First Vice-Commander, and then came the motion of Mr. Boyle of Peabody, nominating William P. Connery for the office of Third Vice-Commander. Now comes the motion of Mr. Doyle of Malden that the Second and Third Vice-Commanders be promoted to First and Second Vice-Commanders."

Delegate Jones, Swampscott: "I have been in the army two or

three times. Each time when I came out I thought I had left it behind. This time I thought I had left it behind, but I find it here right now. The second lieutenant is promoted to first lieutenant; the first lieutenant to captain; and the captain to major. What opportunity have we had to give these men a chance to prove their real worth? When they demonstrate their ability promote them, but until that time forget the army methods."

Delegate John H. Drew, Roxbury: "I fully agree with the previous speaker. At this time I want to nominate a man who was a buck private, and who won his spurs in the form of a D. S. C., Frederick P. Craven of Roxbury."

Delegate Judson Hannigan, Beverly: "We agreed that there would be no mention of rank at our conventions, yet on three occasions Iwithin the last five minutes there have been references to rank. I think that reference to status in the army is out of order."

Delegate James A. Waters, Newton: "I would like to ask you, Mr. Commander, how many vacancies for elective officers there are at the present time."

Chairman: "There are two elective offices vacant at the present time. The first is that of First Vice-Commander for the Department, and the second is that of an Executive Committeeman from the Worcester or Third District."

Delegate Leurs Berlyn, Salem: "I wish to place in nomination the name of Roland H. Choate of Beverly for this office of Vice-Commander."

Delegate John W. Reth, Roslindale: "I think it would be for the edification of the Convention if the members would tell us more than that their candidates are John Smith. We are all interested, and I believe we should know something more about our officers than their names."

Delegate Francis Coyne, Francis G. Kane Post 60, Dorchester: "I want to place in nomination the name of a man who served as a buck private. [Cries of "Cut it out."] I do not believe that the officers. of the Department of Massachusetts should be an officers' club, and I do think that some recognition should be given to other men than those who were officers in the army. Mr. Commander, I wish to place in nomination the name of a young man who served in the 5th Division, and one who has the executive ability to serve in this office. I wish to place in nomination the name of James I. Murphy of Dorchester."

Delegate Henry J. Ryan, Newton: "Is the question on the motion for advancing the present officers?"

Chairman: "The matter was the election of a First Vice-Commander. That was open to the Convention, and these nominations have been made. In fairness to all I suggest that the name of the Second Vice-Commander be promoted to First Vice-Commander, and that the Third Vice-Commander be promoted to Second Vice-Commander and that all candidates from now on be nominated for the office of Third Vice-Commander."

Delegate Ryan: "On the question of rank, I state now just as I did at Worcester, that what we should look for is the man, and we should elect our officers not on a war-time basis but on a peace basis. Let us forget whether or not they were buck privates or officers, and let us elect them because they are men capable of holding and executing the responsibilities of their office. I want to speak in opposition to the promotion of the different officers, and I do it principally because we are establishing a precedent of promotion only upon ability, and not because we had agreed to do so previously. I hope that this motion will be voted down, and I hope that the new Vice-Commander will come, not from any rank, but that he will be elected because of his ability to fill that office."

Delegate Wm. H. Doyle, Malden: "When I offered this motion I was thinking of the Constitution. They have got to move up the ladder."

Chairman: "I am perfectly willing to put the motion if you so desire. All those in favor of the Second Vice-Commander being made the First Vice-Commander will signify in the usual manner."

Motion carried.

Delegate Wm. H. Root, Haverhill: "I appreciate the desire of the Commander in throwing open the opportunity and allowing the election of a Vice-Commander, but I think that the Convention has had enough discussion on this point, and as a point of order, therefore, I suggest that your courtesy be withdrawn, and that the Constitution. be followed, and we allow the Executive Committee to use the authority given to them in Article VI, section (d), which reads: 'It shall have authority by a two-thirds vote of members present at any meeting to fill vacancies created in its composition by death or other eventuality among its members, provided that if the vacancy occur in the district membership of the committee it shall be filled by the