ediately
to offer my life because of the great principle. I said to those men
last night in that Executive Committee and I mean it to-day, I'd
gladly lay down my life to-day if laying down my life meant that this
Legion should live and fulfill my dreams of its service to the
country for these next fifty years. (Applause.) So do you think I want
anything to come up here that would disrupt this body? Never! Do you
think I want to make a fiery speech about something because it is my
personal conviction? No, I have a hundred personal convictions that I
would like to see operating in the United States and this convention,
but it isn't the time and I am not going to bring them up here. I
don't want to say anything that will keep all of us from pulling
together like a military army for the great things that this
convention in the future is going to stand for. So my final word is
this: That this day, we get right down to business and that we omit
everything that we can omit pertaining to the permanent policy of this
organization that we cannot all immediately agree upon.

"If there is going to be anything discussed here to-day that everybody
in this convention won't immediately agree upon and would hinder us
from sending out to the nation word that we stand together and that we
are going to pull together, that we caught a mighty vision and that we
have gained the great spirit, then, brethren, let's carry that thing
over until November when all the boys come home and then we will
discuss it there. There are many things to-day that we can discuss
that are important and fundamental and that are urgently needed in
our nation this hour. Let's take those things up and get down to
business on it to-day. Every Executive Member from each State pledged
the chairman last night that he was going to act as a sergeant-at-arms
in his delegation and hold the convention in order to-day. We are
going to do the right thing and we won't be 'busted' by anything or by
anybody, and when anything comes up that isn't the right thing for us
to do to make a great impression on America, and the world, we will
say hold that thing over until the baby is strong enough to do it
right.

"I beg you to do those things. Somebody said: 'What are the things we
can do to-day?' We mentioned them last night.

"Jack Sullivan has problems out there that we must meet this very day.
One of those is this Bolsheviki business. We are going to pass
resolutions this very d