prise has been launched by a special committee which reports success up to date and the prospect of ultimate fulfillment. I refer to the Veterans' Mountain Camp.

"The Ladies' Auxiliaries of The American Legion are without question the most active and efficient agents for discovering conditions requiring relief to the veteran and his family and it is almost exclusively due to their patient, tireless and sympathetic efforts that relief throughout the State is being so generally afforded to the unfortunate. The American Legion should undertake that its welfare committee shall be able to organize for the employment and the education, as well as for the material assistance of the veteran soldier. I do not believe that The American Legion has any other excuse for its existence, after it has pledged itself to the support of the principles of free government, than the relief of needy comrades. I believe that the Welfare Committee in future years will be the most important committee in the Headquarters of the State Department. There are no funds available at Department Headquarters for the prosecution of any relief work. In that connection it has come to the attention of the Committee that here and there throughout the State, funds are being held which were collected by means of drives, subscriptions and other enterprises awaiting the decision of an individual or committee controlling such funds as to the proper agent for distribution. The public should be advised in all such cases that there is a Welfare Committee, Headquarters, State Department, The American Legion, which will always be composed of responsible people and which will be authorized to receive and most profitably disburse any funds committed to its care. This State Welfare Committee of The American Legion has felt that within the few months of its existence it could do no more than survey the existing situation and make recommendations for the future. It believes that welfare is a broad proposition and can be developed within The American Legion, Department of New York, to a point where it will assume the utmost importance.

"Your Committee recommends that arrangements be made through the State Welfare Committee to keep all county welfare committees advised of all legislation and existing laws which operate for the benefit of needy veterans; that monthly reports of welfare activities be made to the State Welfare Committee by the county chairman, with the idea that the best thought upon the matter of veteran relief may be broadcasted throughout the State; that the public be informed that the State Department of The American Legion is willing through its Welfare Committee to administer any funds which may be placed at its disposal for the relief of needy veterans or their families. And it is further recommended that the State Department of The American Legion

take such steps and make such surveys as will result in plans for the education, and the technical and commercial training of all veterans who are worthy of such assistance."

The Chairman: We will now hear the report of the Chairman of the Membership Committee, Joe Bondy of Syracuse.

Mr. Bondy (Applause): Mr. Chairman, I would like to have the Adjutant read my report and after it is read I will be very pleased to say one or two words.

The Secretary (Reading):

"I herewith submit my report as Chairman of the State Membership Committee:

"I acted as Chairman for two terms, and gave to the work (and other Legion work) practically all of my time. During the first term, expenses incurred for postage and telephones were paid for by the State Committee. My other expenses, a far greater sum, including railroad fares, traveling and hotel bills, I paid myself. During the second term I paid all of the expenses of the office, including postage, telephones, telegrams, railroad fares and hotel bills. I have a few recommendations to make.

"1. There has never been a sufficiently active Publicity Committee. This has been for several reasons. Primarily, lack of funds and lack of time on behalf of the members of the Publicity Committee. If these obstacles can be overcome and a Publicity Committee with some funds actively functioning, the work of the Membership Committee will be far easier and more effective.

"2. I must again call attention of The Legion to the fact that many men, high in the counsels of The Legion, failed to assist in membership work. Some would make appointments, filled by me after many hours and miles of travel, only to be broken. Others would fail to answer letters, or in any way assist in membership work. But in other places where I was given cooperation and assistance, The Legion grew and increased its membership.

"The falling away this year in membership was in the congested centers, where men are still jobless. In the smaller communities, The Legion men are 'fitting in' and finding themselves. There also seems to be a propaganda against The Legion in the large centers, which must be overcome by proper publicity and cooperation in membership work. I regret to say that in most congested centers there was little cooperation with my work.

"There should be an active membership committee composed of a supervising chairman and an active member in each county. There should be a corps of voluntary unpaid speakers in each county to spread the propaganda of The

Legion. That propaganda should not consist alone of showing how The Legion can be benefited. It is well to talk of adjusted compensation, for that only means an honest recognition for honest service; but we must go beyond that. We must seek ever changing laws to aid the helpless, the disabled and the sick, not forgetting that hundreds of thousands of seemingly well men have the germs of sickness, disease and death which they garnered in the service and we have no adequate law to give them relief. That is one duty of The Legion and every man-proper laws to care for the disabled where the disability can be shown to be of service origin. But beyond, and greater than all, The Legion represents the spirit of the men who were ready to give all for our country; and if you were ready to sacrifice your all, why not organize the spirit of the youth of America, rouse it and garner it in this organization to preserve, build up, carry on and protect the Constitutional rights that are sacred. Let us make our country what it should be the best and greatest land in all the world, where everyone may have an equal right, an equal opportunity. This is the sacred course The Legion must map out for itself; if it does, it will succeed; if it forgets American ideals, it must and should fail.

"I spent in the work, in excess of what I received, $3,182. I went to hundreds of gatherings in many places and am pleased to say that wherever I worked, with cooperation, the result was shown in increased members. It was a labor of love, and the thousands of boys whom I met, some of whom I was privileged to serve personally, and the friendship that I know the boys feel for me will repay me in part for the sacrifice in time and money that I made for them." (Applause.) The Chairman: You have heard the report of the Chairman on Membership; what is the Convention's pleasure?

Mr. Dixon (Onondaga): Mr. Chairman, I move the adoption of this report and I further move that the Convention extends its sincere thanks to Mr. Bondy for his work along the increasing of membership lines.

Motion seconded by Mr. Walters of New York.

Mr. Bondy (Applause): Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Convention: I have only got a few words to say and what I want to say is this: Don't ever let a little set-back discourage you from the work and from the things and from the ideals and from the rights that you know are yours. No matter how things that you are seeking a bonus bill or adjusted compensation bill - may fail now, the time must come when every American will recognize that you are not asking for something that they will pay you for patriotism but you are asking for something to make you even with the man who did not go and who sacrificed nothing. (Applause and cheers.)