The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-05-17

Whether Col. Roosevelt will take
his 10000 volunteers to France de
pends-depends on President Wilson
There is nothing bordering on treason
lese majestic, sacrilege nor blasphemy
to state that the fight against the
Roosevelt idea" was directed from
the White House. And, it is entirely
fair to believe that the fight was not
against the plan >as the person. From
the President, from every government
executive in authority, came the com
mand to kill off Roosevelt and his
army of patriotic daredevils who want
to carry the flag to the trenches. Not
only did they command, but they got
out lobbied. The one only thing which
brought about their defeat was-the
sentiment of the American poole. It
was aroused and overwhelming, con-
fined tc no party and no section. Texas
there are no Republicans there--was
for it with whoop. And so it was
everywhere and the House knew it,
and proceeded to reverse itself on that
issue. But, and here is point that
should not be overlooked, the admins
tration by its opposition to Roose'
welt deliberately injected partisan pol
itics into the war situation, for there
was nothing else to its opposition ex-
cept on political grounds. Every mem
Der of the House knows that. That the
injection of politics at this time should
come for the first time from the ad-
ministration which has been preach.
ing Non.partisan consideration and
action. is not such a surprising thing
in the minds Of the people here. The
administration as represented by It's
department heads and bureau chiefs,
and the lesser luninaries Of this reg.
ime, have never ceased to conduct
business along strictly partisan lines
since the war began. Ask any Repub.
lican member Of the Senate or the
House IL this is not absolutely the
truth. He will tell you that he bats
his official head against 1t not only
once a day but a dozen times. Every.
body, it would seem, is trying to put
down his partisan feelings and hold
them down during the war; that is
everybody except the forces Of this
administration.
If-remember-If President Wilson
lets Col. Roosevelt take $4,000 volun.
teers and be the first to go to France,
will there ever be need to send more
men over after them? VIII not the
war be over or its end in sight by
them? Will any troops drawn from the
wheel, trained and equipped under the
selection CONSUMPTION law ever get to
the foreign battlefields? Those are
questions being discussed here just
now. There is pretty strong opinion
that the Roosevelt expedition will be
the first and the last troops to 90, this
opinion being based on a belief that,
the psychology of contact between
American soldiers and the soldiers Of
the Allies, which Marshal Joffre ar
gued, will have served Its good purpose,
and that no men will be needed for the
war will be over or nearly so by the
time that the conscripted army, or
part of 1t, is ready to get into the war
game for sure and all. RooseVelt's
ability to raise an army Of 10000 isn't
doubted by any one here. Opinion Is
that he could raise a volunteer force
of two or three times as large If 1t was
necessary and he was given the chance.
| saw an authorized list Of Roosevelt
regiments yesterday. West Virginia
was down on the Colonel's list for one
regiment.