For junior vice commander in chief: Chas. B. Colerick, of Nebraska; Chas. G. Juneau, of Wisconsin. For surgeon general: Leonard Ellis, of Arkansas; Wm. L. Sharp, of Missouri; Arthur J. Schneidenbach, of New York. For chaplain in chief: W. A. Myres, of Florida. Commander in chief HERRICK. Comrades, for your information, also, the names of the candidates will be printed under each caption and in alphabetical order. I make that announcement at this time so that there will be no misunderstanding as to the position of the candidate on the ballot. I want to announce that the resolutions committee is still in session at the rear of the stage and any resolutions desired should be presented immediately. They want to take final action on the resolution so they will not have to have a meeting to-morrow morning. Comrade JOHNSON (Alabama). I move that on this afternoon, so that we may open this meeting to-morrow morning in proper shape, that you see your prevost marshal and have him appoint enough sergeants at arms to cover each of these doors on this floor and only those that have credentials will be admitted Commander in Chief HERRICK (interposing). Comrade Johnson, that is out of order. That is a prerogative of the commander in chief to protect the ballot. Comrade Dow (Maine). I arise to ask the permission of the Chair as a personal privilege that I may be able to make an explanation. Commander in Chief HERRICK. Comrade Dow of Maine asks the floor as a personal privilege which can be only granted by unanimous consent. Is there objection? (There was no objection.) Comrade Dow (Maine). Commander in chief and comrades, I had supposed it was understood I was to second the nomination of Comrade Thompson for the office of commander in chief, but in a little mixup which I did not clearly understand, whether the seconds to the nominations were to be made immediately after the nomination was made or at some other time, I did not get the chance to second the nomination and for that reason I lost out, but at this time I wish to go on record of seconding the nomination of that comrade who has proven himself Commander in Chief HERRICK (interposing). Comrade Dow, you are out of order. VOICES FROM THE FLOOR. You are out of order; you are out of order. Commander in Chief HERRICK. Comrade, I am in doubt whether it is necessary to have a roll call for the selection of a convention city. Comrade DINEEN (New York). For your information, the regulations provide that such shall be the eleventh order of business on the third day of the convention. Commander in Chief HERRICK. I know it, but I would like to put it on the ballot. Comrade DINEEN (New York). I move you, then, that we by the unanimous consent of the encampment suspend that provision of the rules and regulations in order that you Comrade MOELLER (Minnesota). I second the motion. Commander in Chief HERRICK. You have heard the motion that we suspend that section of the rules and regulations which makes it necessary to select the next encampment city as the eleventh order of business on the third day of the convention. This is for the purpose of placing the name of the convention city on the ballot and this motion must be carried unanimously to be effective. Are there any remarks? (The question was called for.) Commander in Chief HERRICK. I will put the question- Commander in Chief HERRICK. Objection is made, and the motion will not be put. If Comrade BREEN (New Jersey). I rise to a point of privilege. he wants to object to this let him go on record. I call for the motion; I call for the question and ask for the vote. Commander in Chief HERRICK. I am going to speak, comrades. It is rather warm and possibly we are too anxious to get out of here. I do not believe, however, that we want to do any injustice to any encampment city that desires to present invitations to come to their city next year. I can understand why our comrade wishes to object. It is because those who understood that the matter would be the eleventh order of business on the third day probably are counting on that and are engaged elsewhere. Comrade BREEN (New Jersey). Well, they should be here. Commander in Chief HERRICK. They may be attending meetings of committees, resolutions committee, and such things and really, I do not think, since the matter is the eleventh order of business on the third day, that we should take it up now. Let us be fair and not run away with ourselves. [Applause.] Comrade MCKENNA (Oregon). But, Comrade Commander in Chief, we should Commander in Chief HERRICK (interposing). Sit down. (The adjutant general at this point made certain informal announcements.) Commander in Chief HERRICK. Comrades, at 7 o'clock to-night is the parade. I have been over that line of march and it is less than 112 miles. That may be be a lot, but I know it is hoped that every one in the organization will parade, and we owe it, I think, to the people of St. Petersburg, who have provided this entertainment for us, and I hope that you will get out and do your part. I will be right along. A VOICE. How about uniforms? Commander in Chief HERRICK. I personally intend to wear my uniform at the parade to-night. Comrades, it is now 12 o'clock. We have completed the nominations, and it is up to you, comrades, what you want to do. I would make this suggestion: We have not touched on the resolutions and there are some resolutions that I suppose we can dispose of here if we want to now, and it may make it possible for us to get through with a single session each day. I don't want to ask you to come back to-morrow afternoon nor to come back on Friday. I would like to take up resolutions for three-quarters of an hour and get some of them out of the way if that can be done. Comrade DINEEN (New York). Is the committee on enactments ready to report? Commander in Chief HERRICK. I do not believe so, but the resolutions committee has a certain report ready. Comrade DINEEN (New York). In order to facilitate the matter and with a view to possibly cutting down our work, I want to bring a proposition before the encampment, but I am unable to do so unless I am accorded that privilege by unanimous consent, as it is provided that the rules shall not be suspended for anything but a definite purpose unless by two-thirds vote and a unanimous vote where the proposition involves the minority: The proposition I bring before you is a simplified method of voting for the officers of the organization at the encampment and to do away with the cumbersome ballot we have had for many years. I am bringing this before you in the form of an amendment, and in order to ascertain whether a majority of the delegates feel as I do I would like to offer a resolution. Commander in Chief HERRICK. Is it my understanding that you desire to offer a resolution that would become effective for this present session of the encampment? Comrade DINEEN (New York). Only for this encampment. As required by the regulations, we may suspend any provision for that session only; that is, if two-thirds of the members of the encampment desire. I bring it to your attention now. I submit the facts and the reasons why it comes within our regulations. We have had a long and a cumbersome process of balloting, and my proposal is one that will do away with that. This is offered only for this one session, and it can only be done if there is no objection. Commander in Chief HERRICK. I think you all understood what Comrade Dineen has in mind. His desire is to offer an amendment which will change the method of electing officers at the present encampment. There is no particular use in going into that matter and explaining the detail which I have not heard, by the way, unless you are in the mood to make it effective, and, under the circumstances, I will accept his motion and if it is carried I will take it up. Comrade LAVIN (Arizona). If he has anything to offer he ought to send it on to the committee. Commander in Chief HERRICK. This is not an enactment, it is a suspension. Comrade JOHNSON (Alabama). We tried to get through with your suggestion. We are trying now to get through with your suggestion, and we are trying to get to the point where we can hear some of these resolutions and dispose of them and try and get some business behind us if we can without coming back and spending a whole day. I think if we take up something new, it will take more time to explain a new thing than it will to do it in the old way. Let us go through this in the same manner as we have always done. [Applause.] Comrade DINEEN (New York). Comrade Commander in ChiefComrade JOHNSON (Alabama). I move his resolution be presented, like all other resolutions, to the committee. Comrade DINEEN (New York). For the sake of the information of my good friend, I would like to say a word. This is not a resolution. I am complying with the rules and regulations in this book [indicating]. I am just as anxious as my comrade to save time, and that is why I am making this suggestion now. I want to offer something here that will save time, but if there is opposition to it of course it can not go through. We spent 32 hours in one session trying to elect a candidate for office, and that is what we are trying to avoid now. Comrade MITNICK (Maryland). I must confess that I am a revolutionist. This thing should be accomplished if it is going to save time, and I am in favor of it. Commander in Chief HERRICK. I will have to rule your motion is not before the house. There is no question before the house. I will have to ask both of you gentlemen to sit down. Comrade DINEEN (New York). I have stated the definite object I have in mind and that is to change, for this session only, the method of voting for officers. VOICES. No, no, no. Comrade LAWLESS (Florida). I second the motion of the comrade from New York. Commander in Chief HERRICK. Some of you don't know what we are talking about, do you? You have the motion and then you have the proposition. You take it or you vote it down. (The question was called for.) (The vote was taken and the Chair was in doubt.) Comrade LAWLESS (Florida). I call for a standing vote. (A standing vote was taken.) À VOICE. I call for a roll call. Commander in Chief HERRICK. The Chair will rule and does now announce that the motion is carried. It was a simple proposition. If you had listened you would have understood what it was. Comrade DINEEN (New York). The proposition is this: Whereas the method of balloting now in use by the national and department encampments is of an antiquated and cumbersome type and has inevitably caused unnecessary delay in balloting for candidates for office and a still greater delay in canvassing and announcing the results of each election and at times causing deadlocks and recourse to repeated ballots of the present type with all of the cumbersome and antiquated clerical work attached thereto; and Whereas it is the concensus of opinion that steps should be taken to facilitate and simplify the method of voting, to the end that the time and patience of members of the encampment may be put to better purpose. Therefore be it Resolved, That the rules and regulations be amended as follows: Part 5, article 2, section 208. Strike out present paragraph A and substitute: All candidates for elective offices shall be nominated from the floor under the fifth order of business. Strike out entire section 209 and substitute a new section as follows: Section 209. Each member of the national encampment present thereat shall be entitled to one vote, but the vote of any delegate absent, and not represented by an alternate, may be cast by the delegates of his camp present. No individual, however, shall have more than one vote. The ayes and noes may be required and entered upon the record at the call of any five members representing five different camps. b. Voting shall be by roll call of departments as follows: Upon call of the chair, ballotting for officers in order of seniority shall begin and the adjutant general will call the departments in alphabetical order, followed by the camps in the department in numerical order. c. Upon the call of the camps the comrade selected by the individual camp delegation shall rise and announce the vote of his respective delegation for the candidate selected. 77342-2614 d. The vote shall be recorded on a blackboard in plain view of the delegates, so that errors may be detected and immediately rectified. e. At the conclusion of the roll call of departments and camps a roll call of ex-officio delegates, viz, national officers, past commanders in chief, department commanders, and past department commanders will be had and their vote recorded in a like manner. f. Upon the completion of the ballot the result will be announced immediately. g. At the conclusion of the second ballot, in the choice of candidate, where a majority vote has not been secured by the highest candidate, the lowest candidate will be eliminated and each succeeding ballot the low man will be eliminated, until a majority vote is secured by the leading man. The provisions of the above method of ballotting shall be adhered to in the conduct of all department encampments, as far as practicable, and shall be the established procedure governing the ballotting at all encampments, both national and department. I move the adoption of this which carries with it no other proposition or words of explanation other than the unit rule, but if there is a division on the part of State delegations, a roll call can be had by the particular department in order that the individual voters may Čomrade JOHNSON (Alabama). I move the resolution be referred to the resolutions committee in the proper order. Comrade MITNICK (Maryland). I second the motion. Commander in Chief HERRICK. The chair rules that this is not a regular resolution but a suspension of the rules and does not go to the committee. It must be carried unanimously in order to be effective. Comrade McCLEERY (Alabama). I call for the question. (The vote was taken.) Commander in Chief HERRICK. The motion is lost. Comrades, it is 12.25. Is it your pleasure to proceed for a short time to get some of these resolutions out of the way? The chairman of the resolutions committee, Past Commander in Chief John Lewis Smith is here. If there is no objection, he will present his report. Past Commander in Chief JOHN LEWIS SMITH. The resolutions committee sat last night-those of us who desired to do businessComrade MOELLER (Minnesota). Unless it finishes before 1.30 I move we adjourn. Comrade WEBB (Alabama). I second the motion. Commander in Chief HERRICK. I am obliged to put the motion for the adjournment. All those in favor will say "Aye," those opposed "No." The motion is lost. The chairman of the resolutions committee will proceed with his report. Past Commander in Chief JOHN LEWIS SMITH. Commander in Chief, the resolutions committee up to this time has passed on all resolutions submitted to it prior to 15 minutes ago and is ready to report on these resolutions. Commander in Chief HERRICK. I will be glad to entertain a motion that unless objection is made the Chair will consider all resolutions read by the chairman of the committee on resolutions at this time as approved by the encampment, and by it adopted. |