The Washington herald., 1917-05-19
PERSHING OFF AT ONCE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

Federal building at Oshkosh or a pos,.
onice at Prides Crossing.
The President then called the executiye
clerk OF the White House, Rudolph Fors-
ter, and authorized a statement declar-
ing his reasons for rejecting Col Roose-
yens oner OF four volunteer divisions.
He also signed the proclamation setting
registration day
1t was Immediately announced that the
President had signed the bill, and the
newspapers were advised that Import
ant information" would be given out at
the War Department a little later. The
information, which burst like a bomb
shell in the Capital, was contained in
the following statement:
THE President has directed an expe-
ditionary force of approximately one d.
vision or regular troops, under command
OF Gen. John ]. Pershing, to proceed to
France at as early a date IS practicable.
Gen. Pershing and stan will precede the
troops abroad.
1T IL requested that no details or
speculation with regard to the mobiliza-
ton of this command, dates of departure,
composition. or other items, be carried
by the press, other than the official bulle-
tins given out by the War Department
relating thereto"
About $4,000 Men.
A regular army division numbers ap
proximately 5000 men. The War Depart
ment has been driving for days to get
this force ready, although declaring its
preparations were for the future rather
than the present When the force leaves
for Europe the first American soldiers
will be armed with Enfield rifles, the En-
glish arm, rechambered to take Spring
field ammunition, and their artillery, IL
any, will be OF the French pattern. II
is extremely doubtful II any field guns
will be carried by the Americans. They
will depend on the French for artillery
protection.
The expedition is largely sentimental
and for the effect 1t will have on the
morale OF the people of France and OF
the American people It will be concrete
evidence that the United States is in the
war. It will enable the French, bled
white by their sacrifices. to see with their
own eyes that the American republic
with all its man power and its money
power is fighting side by side with them
and not taking merely a financial part
in the war.
1t is expected to bring home to America
the fact that the war is a very real, very
present thing, a thing which will reach
into their homes and steal fathers and
sons from their firesides. not an abstract
and distant battle being waged across
the seas. 1t is expected TO arouse the
nation to hghting pitch. TO bring the men
from the Offices and stores and farms
to the colors.
But it is even more than that II Is
the beGinning Of a great movement OF
which the end cannot be forecast The
q, 900 being sent to France now will be
swelled by other thousands and hun
dreds of thousands as soon as they can
be made ready. and within a year Amer
lea will be represented on the battle line
by probably a million men. Other mil
lions will be poured across the ocean
as they are demanded. according to the
length of the war.
Gen. Pershing came to Washington from
his headquarters at San Antonio a week
ago. At the time the War Department
declared he was here on routine mat
tens The leader of the first force to go
overseas is a veteran of the Philippine
campaigns. and was the man in COM
mand in the field when American troops
occupied Northern Mexico a year ago.