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Show THE BULLETIN Plans for Ihe 1939 American Legion Convention In Chicago's Famed Coliseum Bring to Light a New Chapter in Nation's Presidential History Interior of the Chicago Coliseum, where the American Legion 1939 national convention will open September 25. The view was taken durinr the Republican national convention of 1912 when a plan to stampede the delegates with the appearance of Theodore Roosevelt, who was later named as the National Progressive candidate, was abandoned. The plan to smuggle "Teddy" to the speakers' platform is told here for the first time. of 1893 were under way, a movement was started to purchase and move it to the work of preparing for the 1939 national convention Libbyonprison the lake as a Civil war city American Legion, which meets for the first time museum. Prominent in this Coliseum, scene of the nomination of three movement was the Chicago hisPresidents of the United States, has brought to light a new torian and collector, C. F. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON (Released by Wiitcrn Newspaper Union.) THE Gun-the- r. chapter in American presidential history. It is the story of a plan to smuggle "Teddy" Roosevelt into the regular Repub lican convention back m 1912, which, if it had succeeded, of events in this country might well have changed the course 1 25 the last years. during The story was told for the declared Phil Collins, to whom Mr. Hall was relating the incfirst time recently by Charles ident "I remember what hapR. Hall, veteran manager of pened at that convention a womthe Coliseum, while he and an delegate mentioned Roosevelt's name and it started a demPhilip W. Collins, executive onstration which lasted for two vice president of the Legion hours before it could be convention corporation, were stopped." making arrangements for the "There's not a doubt about it," big gathering of thousands of agreed Mr. Hall. "I've often was nevLegionnaires from all parts wondered why the plan of the country in that historic er carried through. All I know is that George Porter and his convention hall on September friends dropped the matter. I 25. The incident has addi- never asked him why and he nevtional interest because of the er volunteered the information. I wish they had gone fact that a prominent figure . . . But was ahead. I ready for my part at the 1939 session will be in it." "Teddy's" son, Col. Theodore As the Coliseum manRoosevelt, who helped organ- ager fingered an in his tie, he continued: ize the Legion just 20 years scarf-pi- n if "Maybe they had gone ahead I ago. Bearing his credentials wouldn't have You had this as a delegate he will walk, un- see, it was given to mepin. by 'Tedhampered, into the very hall dy', himself. But that was six which his father was kept weeks later when the 'Bull Moos- from entering by the use of barbed wire! But, let Charles R. Hall, who was one of the 1912 "plotters," tell the story himself: ed "The Democratic party at Baltimore already had nominated Wood row Wilson and Thomas R. Marshall when the regular Republican convention opened in the Coliseum on June 18. Although the logical thing for the Republicans to do was to renominate William Howard Taft, who was just completing his term as President, there was an undercurrent of dissatisfaction with the record which Taft had made in the White House. And there was repeated talk of 'Teddy' Roosevelt still a So magic name for the sessions dragged along while the delegates debated in their minds whether or not to renominate Taft. "While the convention marked time, I was approached by the late George W. Porter, a Chicago capitalist, who was a strong Roosevelt supporter. " 'Roosevelt is in Chicago,' he whispered to me. 'Could you get him into the convention unseen? "My answer was: 'Of course I I'll put him on the front of the platform, right beside the chairman of the convention.' " 'What'll you charge?' Porter wanted to know. '"Hell's Bells!' I answered, 'You don't think I'd charge for giving those convention delegates the thrill of seeing Teddy, do you?' "But the very next day I found out that news of our 'plot' had leaked out. The sergeant-at-arm- s of the convention ordered me to stretch rolls of barbed wire along the footlights in front of the speaker's platform. I guess they thought we were going to have 'Teddy planted on the floor of the convention, start a demonstration and then rush him up the center aisle and on to the platform. "They didn't know that their have wire wouldn't barbed stopped 'T. R.' if we had gone through with our plan. I was going to admit him through a secret outer door, rush him into a tunnel entrance a few feet away and then through the tunnel and up a short flight of steps. When he hit the top step, he would have been behind their barbed wire, directly facing every delegate in the building. "If he had done that, it would have stampeded the delegates," vote-gettin- The work of moving the prison from Richmond to Chicago began in December, 1888. Each board, beam, timber, and block of stone was numbered and lettered and the task of transporting these and the 800,000 bricks in the main structure required the use of 132 n cars by the Ches apeake & Ohio railway. The prison was rebuilt on the site of the present Coliseum and as a war museum on September 21, 1889 (just 50 years and four days before the opening of this year's Legion convention!) Ap propriately enough, its first meet ing was a G. A. R. reunion Meanwhile a massive battlement, which was designed to provide a flashy "front for the museum, was built along the Wabash ave nue side of the transplanted prison from stone that was quarried within the Chicago city limits of that time. Thousands of visitors, before and during the 1893 World's fair, were attracted to the museum and its historical relics. However, this old prison museum was torn down in 1900 to make way for the present Coliseum but the This year the American Legion "comes of age" in more respects than one. Not only is it anthe organization's twenty-firs- t nual convention, but, according to National Commander Stephen F. Chadwick, the 1939 assembly of the veterans will have a more serious tone than ever before. It will be provided by "American first convention Democracy." keynote in legion history. More over, convention program plans cull for large-scal- e participation by the wives, sons and daughters of the Legionnaires who will ac company them to Chicago. The history of the American Legion goes back to the year 1919 and to Paris. France. That story is told by Col. Theodore Roosevelt, one of its founders, thus: "No one man can claim to be the founder of the American Le gion. I got the idea from a wounded sergeant in a hospital. He said we should form an organization of veterans of the war, adding, 'we have stuck together in the bad tunes; let s stick together in the good ones.' "After that, I talked with num bers of people, many of whom had been thinking on these lines. The problem was to get the or ganization under way. The Armistice had been declared. I asked some regular army friends at G. II. Q. if soldiers from each of the American divisions then in France could be ordered to Paris to discuss the idea. They told me they could not do that directly, but that they could order such a group of men to meet in Paris and discuss the morale of the American troops. "We held the meeting on morale. Afterwards, at a dinner, we discussed plans for a veterans' organization. All agreed on certain principles. The first was that no difference should be made ed Charles R. Hall, veteran manager of the Coliseum, looks over the official badges of some of the national nominating conventions held In that bail ding. He is wearing a scarfpin presented to him by Theodore Roosevelt after the National Progressive convention in 1912. ers' met in the Coliseum and stone wall which was its "front" nominated Roosevelt and Sen. Hi- still faces on Wabash avenue. ram Johnson of California as Relics in the museum became their candidates on the Progresscattered, some of them being sive party ticket given to the Chicago Historical In addition to contributing this society where they are still preto item American political history, the veteran manager of the Coliseum is also an authority on another story which links this building with another historic structure. That was the famous Libby prison in Richmond, Va., of Civil war days which was moved to Chicago, piece by piece, 50 years ago, and rebuilt on the present site of the Coliseum. During the Civil war Libby was known as the "Palace Prison of the Confederacy" where 40,000 Union soldiers, most of them offThe main icers, were confined. prison was originally a tobacco warehouse, made of bricks which were brought to this country from England. While plans for the Chicago World's fair d" 13-in- ch served. "Bricks of the prison were distributed to G. A. R. posts through- out the country and some of them were sold for a dollar apiece," Mr. Hall recalls. "But even in recent years, when we excavated to provide a pool for the diving horse of a circus or for other purposes, some of those old bricks from Libby prison came to light. The floors and other features of the Coliseum have been altered dozens of times to meet the needs of special events. But one distinctive feature remains unchanged. Our outside walls, with their turrets and observation posts, today are exactly as they were when they surrounded the transplanted historic Libby prison." S.-Argent- ina .!, & yW MNH v-. ' HEADED SOUTH. Pictured South American Republic here is a shipment of im&enzcr Orders Vehicles Valued automobiles awaiting shipment Recent trade for Argentina. at $3,000,000. news intlicates that the South American republic is prepared to purchase V. S. cars valuetl at more than three million dollars. Society. Prepared by Nntlnnal Grnemphtr WNU Service. Washington. D. C Recently restricted trade relations between the United States and Argentina have taken another turn, according to dispatches from Buenos Aires, indicating that Uncle Sam is about to sell more pleasure cars and trucks to the South American country. Under a new agreement with the Argentine government, U. S. auto and truck concerns are reported to have signed up for more than $3,000,000 worth of Argentine treasury notes in return for permission to export cars and trucks to Argentina in an equivalent amount. Argentina Is usually one of Uncle tion and most important port of South America, Buenos Aires has some 60 banking Institutions, Includof the ing foreign branch-bank- s United States. Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, and the Netherlands. With its wide avenues. parks, and swimming pools. Its packing plants, smart shops, tall buildings, slums and show places, it has been variously called the "Chicago," "Los Angeles." and "Paris" of South America. Sam's best customers in the automotive field. In the first three months of this year, however, a sharply curtailed quota on United States cars, together with other trade restrictions, resulted in a drop of nearly 50 per cent In all U. S. exports to the Argentine. Trade Balance Upset. In the first quarter of 1938. the 20-to- g. Trade Revived With New Automobile Shipments U. COL. THEODORE ROOSEVELT between those who had served overseas and those who had not as the desire to serve was what counted. The second, that the Legion was to be a democratic in which there organization, should be no question of rank, and privates would get a full chance to tell the generals what they thought of them. Third and last, the organization should concern itself with policies, not with partisan politics. Next an organ ization committee was appointed. Eric Fisher Wood was named secretary, Bennett Clark, today senator from Missouri, vice chairman, and I, chairman. "We decided to hold two meet ings, one in Paris and the other practically simultaneously in the United States. Bennett Clark, Eric Wood and a number of others took the responsibility for the Paris caucus. I had been ordered home, and agreed to arrange the caucus at home. "The Paris meeting went off in splendid shape. Everyone was interested and enthusiastic. All units were represented, and privates as well as generals were delegates. Incidentally, there was no trouble in getting delegates to go. Paris was a lodestone. This group adopted the name, American Legion. The name had been used by my father before the war, when he formed a group of Americans who had experience which qualified them to serve in the army in case of need. "Meanwhile, I returned to this country, and with some other veterans, arranged for a caucus. We rented an office in New York city and got in touch with men in every state, asking them to organize the soldiers and sailors in their community, elect delegates and come to St. Louis on May 8, 1919. "The first order of business was the election of a permanent chairman. We selected Col. Henry D. Lindsley of Texas, a Southern Democrat, thereby giving the lie to those who said it was to be a Republican organization. Next, we confirmed the actions taken by the Paris caucus, such as the selection of the name, American Legion, and adopted a declaration of faith and a temporary constitution. We provided an organization to carry on until the fall, when the first real convention was called in Minneapolis. There representatives of both Paris and St. Louis meetings would be, and the American Legion could take final form. "At Minneapolis on November 10 our convention assembled. We elected as commander Franklin K. D'Olier, of New Jersey, adopted a permanent constitution, and the Legion came into being." ce NewHungary Strives for World Power United States sold Argentina a bill of goods amounting to more than Prepared by Natlcmnl Genernphle Society, wnu service. warning ion, u. $24,000,000: but in the correspondballot in secret first Hungary's U. S. 1039 of exports ing period amounted to less than 12ty million nearly 20 years resulting in a dollars. Imports of Argentine prod- strong government majority as well ucts to the United States, on the as Increased Nazi representation in other hand, went up from about 124 parliament calls attention to a namillion dollars for the first quarter tion which has seen three opposing of 1938 to something over S18.000.000 forms of government in little more than two decades. this year. These figures show a reversal of Revolution Immediately after the the previous trade situation between World war changed Hungary from a the United States and Argentina. monarchy into a republic. This was For in 1938 Argentina bought from followed soon after, in 1919, by the the United States more than twice establishment of a Soviet state, as much as she sold here a con- which gave way, in 1920, before dition attributed then to heavy Ar- counter-revolutio- n which brought gentine purchases of machinery and back the status of monarchy. vehicles. In the absence of a king, HunIn addition to automobiles, trucks, gary since then has been ruled by a and farm Implements, Argentina regent An admiral without a fleet normally takes from Uncle Sam important shipments of American motion picture films, steel, chemicals, office equipment, and building materials. In return she sells chiefly linseed, wool, casein, hides, corn, quebracho logs, and preserved meats. Competitors in World Markets. A constant and Important feature of economic relations between the United States and Argentina is the fact that they both raise for ex port many of the same products for example, wheat and corn, beef and mutton, hides and wooL The United States itself provided much of Argentina's tools and fa cilities for the large-scal- e production that was to make her in time a serious competitor in world mar kets. From the industrial plants of the north came plows, seeders, har vesters and tractors, together with forests of windmills that now rise from one end of the Argentine plains to the other, pumping up water for the herds, for small towns, for plantation crops, gardens, and shrubbery. American packing companies moved down to fatten cattle on their own ranches. Seed wheat from Kansas was even exported, to be turned later Into still more com petition in the world grain markets. Foreign Capital Bailt Railroads. Foreign capital, also exported to Argentina, brought the railways, over which the products of the vast. flat and fertile fields are now raced to port and thence to market over seas. With millions of yards of imported estates of wire, the great feudal-lik- e the Argentine pampas were fenced In. Settlers came, mostly Italians, Spaniards, Englishmen and Irish men, with a sprinkling of Poles, Germans, Syrians, and others. Prize bulls and blooded stock replaced the wild herds that once roamed these Texaslike plains that stretch for more than a million square miles east of the southern Andes. A live stock census gave Argentina in 1937 a cattle population of 33,000,000 head; some 44,000,000 sheep. Packing plants, grain elevators, and huge refrigeration systems came into being. Today Argentina has the world's largest refrigerating plant She exports more beef than any other country, most of it going to Great Britain. She supplies over of the world's linseed and more than half of its corn. In wheat export, she ranks after Canada; in shipments of lamb and mutton, aft-New Zealand and Australia. The commercial heart of the na life-givin- g two-thir- r RECENT. Nicholas Ilorthy, admiral without a fleet, runs a kingdom without a king. Sine 1920 Hungary has been ruled by this type of government. this regent Nicholas Horthy, runs a country without a seacoast and a kingdom without a king. He also is the head of a nation which is without a large section of its previous territory and popula- tion. Rebellious at the terms of peace which, lopping off both mountain borders and fertile plains, cut ker d of her former to roughly area and population, Hungary has since refused to accept the boundaries as final. Hungarian flags in mourning for the fly at half-malost territories; window designs, street car posters, restaurant signs, and children's games show maps of former Hungary compared with her present reduced state. School exercises keep the question continually before the young. There have even been stamps, postcards and buttons issued with the Hungarian national slogan, "Will we remain as we are?" answered by the words, "No, one-thir- st No, Never!" With an economy balanced before the World war between timber, mineral, stock, and farm production, Hungary after her reduction became almost entirely agricultural. |