Those of you who have become low-spirited over your own particular view of the future; those of you who have talked about “the good old days”; or, the Spirit of ’76, take heart.  Take counsel of the Spirit of ’19, based on the deeds of ’17 and ’18, on the mistakes of ’14, ’15, and ’16. ’19 is all right!

Read the constitution of the American Legion to-night just before you go to bed.  Think of this second day’s session when the Bolsheviki-tainted organization was thrown out, when the second largest city in America was told to “clean house” and redecorate in red, white, and blue.  Then go to bed and know that all’s right with the United States.

A large number of the delegates attended, on the second evening, a dance and supper at Sunset Inn given in honor of the Legion by the ladies of St. Louis.  For most though, there was work in plenty to do.  Some of the committees hadn’t yet reported and there was an all important meeting of the executive committee in the Statler Hotel.

I said all important by design.  The caucus had taken up a great deal of time with the proceedings already recounted and it was the purpose of the executive committee on adjournment-eve to get down to brass tacks.  It certainly did that.  It was agreed to recommend to the caucus that the Legion should attempt to help get returning soldiers and sailors positions and that a legal department should be established which would aid men to get back pay and allotments, while still another department would look after their insurance and instruct them how to change it to policies of a permanent character.  Needless to say these conclusions were not arrived at without a great deal of helpful discussion.

Then too this executive meeting was all important because it let several persons who claimed to be dissatisfied, air their grievances, thereby clearing the atmosphere of considerable cloudiness.  For the most part these malcontents didn’t seem at first to distinguish between the caucus and the November convention.  They didn’t seem to catch at first hand the spirit of the A.E.F. caucus which positively refused to take action on large questions of policy until the Home Army could be consulted.  The principal leaders of the caucus in St. Louis determined upon the same course, as has been previously explained, and rightly so.  One thing one element wanted to do was to elect permanent officers.  “How could you do that when more than a million men entitled to a vote are still in France?” they were asked.  They couldn’t answer.  Another element wanted to go on record against universal military training while still others were for endorsing it.  Someone else wanted this city to be chosen as permanent headquarters while another wanted some other town selected.  There was some grumbling to the effect that the caucus had been too “rowdy.”  Then, too, everybody was more or less tired out and a darker view of things was natural.