Arizona republican., 1917-04-16
Four Months Is Time Enough 10
 Wait, Says '. X.
Republican A. p. Leased Wirel

WASHINGTON, April 15.-Colonel Roosevelt, in letters to Senator Cham berlain and Representative Dent. chair men of the congressional committees, detailed his plans for raising and ac- companying a volunteer expedition to join the allies on the western European battle front. He heartily approved the administrations compulsory service program for providing war army, but insisted that volunteers could be put on the firing line in four months and that the American flag should be there at the earliest possible moment
 When here last week Colonel Roose- welt saw the military committee chair man. after his conference with Presi- dent Wilson, and they asked him to submit his views in writing.
 'I most earnestly and heartily sup port the administration bill for pro- Viding an army raised on the principle of universal obligatory military train ing and service" said his letter.
 But. of course, a great system of this kind. a system entirely new in this country, cannot be immediately inaug
  least a year or over, must elapse before the army thus raised could be available for use in Europe.
 Meanwhile let us use volunteer forces in connection with a portion of the regular army in order at the eaTli- est possible moment within a few months, to put our flag on the firing line We owe this to humanity. We owe it to the small nations who have suffered such dreadful wrongs from Germany. Most of all we owe it to ourselves. to our national honor and self-respect. For the sake of our own souls, for the sake of the memories of the great Americans of the past. We must show that we do not intend to make this merely dollar war. Let us pay with our bodies our souls de- sire Let us without one hours un- necessary delay put the American flag on the battle front in this great world war for democracy and civilization and for the reign of justice and fair deal ing among the nations of mankind"
 The colonel said he did not seek to have the volunteer system interfere with or substitute for the obligatory plan. but that except in certain excepted cases the volunteers should be com posed of men who would not be taker under obligatory service. He proposed an amendment to the act of March Z 1899. providing for the raising of 3500C volunteers, so as to authorize the presi- dent to raise a force of not more than 100, 900 tor 200 900 to 500 000 later), fo1 three years or the duration of the war
 Under this act" the letter con- tinued T should ask leave to raise for immediate service overseas witt the first expeditiOnary force, an in fantry division of three three regiment brigades and one divisional brigade O cavalry, together with an artillery bri- gade, a regiment of engineers, a motor cycle machine gun regiment, an aero squadron. a signal corps, the supply service, etc I should request the wa department for the detail of say tWC officers for every thousand men. believe that acting under the direction and with the aid of the war department l could raise the division and have i ready to begin shipment to France il two or three months: my idea would be to have the intensive training in gal work, bomb throwing, bayonet fight ing and trench work given in France they would then be sent into tn trenches when they were thorough. prepared
 Colonel Roosevelt referred to his ser vice in Cuba and concluded
 The regiment with which I frs served as lieutenant colonel and Whic 1 afterward commanded. was raised equipped. mounted, dismOunted, kep two weeks on a transport and Fl: through two victorious aggressiv fights in which it lost a third of tn officers and a fifth of the men, withi sixty days. all told"