The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-09
Wheels of War Department Move ClOck-Like as the Maneuvers Begin  OLD WAR SCENES
 ARE RE-ENACTED Feeling Increases That Movement Is Something of More Importance
 Than Ordinary Army
 "Maneuvers"

1can frontier today drew their first long
 breath in 36 hours and sat back in tn cir chairs In the war and navy depart nents to watch the thing work, v
 From all directions trains are carrying soldiers, horses. field guns and ammuni- tion toward the places of rendezvous. Official Washington still insists for pub iication that the sole purpose of this sudden and unexpected display of the military resources of the nation is to engage in field maneuvers and prac- flee of officers and men in land and naval activities under service condi- tions: In private they make little at tempt to conceal the relation of the ''manevuers" to conditions actual and potential over the Mexican border line.
 The conundrum over which they are puzzling tonight Is the question of the real attitude of the Mexican government toward this unprecedented display of war resources at it's doorstep. Not a word of auth oritative character is ob- tainable on that subject. It is general belief. however. that the Diaz govern- ment was not in the least taken by surprise In the matter.
 Believe Diaz Understands
 Cordiality of the relations between the Taft and the Diaz administrations as expressed when the two Presidents met on the international border last year have not diminished by any hap pening since, so far as Is known here, and 1t Is taken for granted that the un- precedented mobilization of troops with in few steps of the Mexican soil never would have been effected without suitable interchange between the two governments to preclude the possibility of misunderstanding.
 Those who hold this view think it sufficient to ask what would happen if one great power in Europe should sud : denly mass quarter of It's entire mili- tary force within striking distance of 1 the imaginary line separating 1t from nrother. unless a perfect understanding existed in advance as 10 the purpose of the movement. There would be war overnight" these people say. And, as- euming the validity of their argument, they build upon 1t the belief that tn presence of this great naval and mill tary force almost under the shadow of the Mexican flag Is not only not dis tasteful but Is actually welcomed by the Diaz government.
 Was Scenes Enacted
 Old washinstonians compared today the conditions prevailing at the war and navy departments with the turmoil and excite snent which characterized the early days of the Spanish-American war. Thirty-six hours after the determination was reached to mobilize whole army division 1n Texas the officials were sitting tram ' Qully at their desks watching with quiet interest the workings of the magnificent machinery that had been so carefully built up to respond to just such an emer- Oency as the present. The Secretary of War was busy winding up some mpor- Gant matters of civil administration pre- i paratory to leaving Washington for sev- erai days. Nothing of a military nature interfered with his designs and he was able to proceed late in the day for Att f Ianta.
 z Major General Wood. the chief of staff, came into town from his Fort Myer home early in the day and was soon busted with the reports from his aides and from the other members of the general staff. showing what progress was being made to carry out the plans for mobilization of the troops. These appeared to have been laid with perfection and with the excep- tion of dispatching orders to certain com 4 ranies to take the places of others whose 1 withdrawal to Texas had left some of the \ military posts without proper caretakers, 4 there was little to be done.
 Major General Garter. who is to com Hand the army division in Texas, was 9 looking after some personal correspond once and making sure that his favorite 4 charger would be suitably cared for on 4 the long railroad trip to Texas.
 Moves Like Clock Works
 Nowhere was the superiority of the A new state of affairs over those that ex- isted in tho war department before the days of the Spanish war made more man ifest than In the quartermaster's depart ment. General Aleshire, with his depu- ties, was engaged in .herculean task. He was moving body of soldiers across the country more numerous than the en- tire force which was gathered at Tampa, \ Tla.. to form the American army of oo- cupation in 1s9S yet there actually was t no evidence to the casual observer that there was in progress anything more than mere routine business of the quartermas- ter's department.
 Movements of troops were moving with absolute accuracy and up to the close of business today not one telegram had been received bysthe quartermaster general to
 complain that anything was missing es- Sential to the comfort of the troops or Che animals on the road.
 There were good reasons for this be-
 cause, as the records of the quarter
 masters department show, &very detail 4 of the movement had been worked out z long in advance. Lying on the deck 7 of the quartermaster general and in the hands of his aides were typewrit- ten statements showing the exact method of routing troops and supplies from every part of the United States Co San Antonio. Every particle of i'm
 formation that might be needed by the department was included. The trunk lines of railroads-the small feeding lines, the water routes, the number of sleeping cars and flat cars and box cars and other vehicles available were carefully cataloged, as was an exact y record of the number of men and ani mals and the tons of supplies that
 could be handled by each carrier.
 Thorough Preparation
 It was not asserted that all of this
 data had been prepared since the order
 had been given to mobilize the troops
 in Texas, but 1t was pointed out that
 the same information existed as to every other point in the United States
 where 1t was possible there might be l. need to concentrate great body of troops All that was part of the great york which the general staff has been
 boing for the last 10 years assisted to
 She utmost by the staff departments N Particular credit attaches to that | tf1t H't I|l t44 .