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Show (Copy for This Department Supplied by tb American Leirion Npws Service.) 30,000 LEGION MEN WILL GO TO FRANCE The American Legion convention in France next year will be the most representative national convention ever held by the Legion, according to Bowman Elder, chairman of the France convention travel committee of the Legion. Le-gion. "It is significant that the convention is to be held on the tenth anniversary of the entry of the United States into the World war," Mr. Elder said. One of the principal objects in holding the convention abroad Is to enable the former doughboys to visit the American Ameri-can battlefields in France and to enable en-able them to pay homage to the thousands thou-sands of their former comrades who now lie buried in the soil of France. "It will be a great pilgrimage, behind be-hind which there lies a high and sacred patriotic purpose, the resolve to rededicate the American Legion and its memebrship to the ideals of j freedom and democracy, the same ! ideals for which those who are today j buried in France died and which inspired in-spired the organization of the Legion 1 ten years before." Mr. Elder explained that though 30,000 veterans would be taken to France on the Legion pilgrimage, making mak-ing the crossing in 24 luxurious ocean liners, this would probably be less than the number of those who actually actu-ally wanted to go. In order to give everyone an equal chance, definite quotas were to be assigned to each state, based on membership of the Legion in any particular state during the' year 1926. "The Legion is further particularly j anxious to 'make it possible for the men of moderate means who could probably never afford to go to France as a regular tourist to join the Legion expedition," Mr. Elder declared. He explained that on behalf of these men a campaign had been inaugurated by ( the France convention travel committee commit-tee to obtain the co-operation of employers em-ployers in granting extra vacation time in 1927. It will require at least four weeks to make the trip to France and back. "Many Legionnaires who want to go. to France feel that it is futile to save their money unless they can obtain the necessary extra vacation time," Mr. Elder declared. "W7e are therefore there-fore trying to assist them by bringing their problem to the attention of employers em-ployers in all parts of the country. "Wherever this has been done, we have received the heartiest co-operation. A number of large corporations have already issued bulletins in which they promise their employees who are ex-service men an opportunity to obtain ob-tain at least four weeks vacation in 1927. Employers' associations in all sections have given it the stamp of their approval." The cost of the trip will be within the reach of almost all veterans, Mr. Elder pointed out. The lowest inclusive inclu-sive rate which will provide transportation transpor-tation both ways on the Atlantic, hotel ho-tel in Paris and trips to American cemeteries and American battlefields will be approximately $1715. The entire en-tire trip, including all expenses can be easily made for as little as $300, he declared. |