Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-03-26
STEPS ARE TAKEN
TO PLACE nation
ON WAR FOOTING
Wilson Orders That Navy
BE Recruited to Full
Strength of $1,000.
TWO NEW DEPARTMENTS
ARE CREATED IN ARMY
Fourteen Units Of National Guard
Called Back Into Fed
cral Service.
OTHERS ORDERED RETAINED
Action by Congress Probably Will BE
Awaited Before Further War
like Preparations.
TWO NEW DEPARTMENTS
ARE CREATED IN ARMY
OTHERS ORDERED RETAINED
fBy Associated Prcss ]


Wilson took steps t>-day to place the
nation on Il war footing.
iiy executive order he directed that
the navy tc recruited without delay
TO its fun authorized war strength OF
$1,000 enlisted men. Taken in con
nsction with emergency naval con
atruction already ordered. this means
tina, the President mas exercised the
fun limit of his legal powers as com :
,nandcr- in chief to prepare the navy
for war.
For the army III. prcsidcn, directed
that two new military departments be
created in the Atlantic Coast region.
The order means that the task Of or
eanizing whatever army Congress may
authorize Will bc divided among six
departmental commanders instead OF
four in the interests OF specG and CT
fictcncy III mobilization.
The third step was TO assume, as a
national duty. tho task of protecting
American industries from domestic dis
orders in the event of hostilt,es For
this purpose eleven full infantry r.g:-
nents, two separate battalions and
one separate company OF National
Guards were called back into tn. Fed
eral service to act AS national police
In important districts. SuppcmentinH
these troops. regiment OF Pcnns:l-
wanna Guard ana two companies OF
Georgia infantry. en- route home from,
the border for mustcr-out, were or
dercd retained in the Federal service
ORDERS MADE: KNOWN
IN TERsE STATEMENTS
The Presidents orders were madH
known in terse official statements is
sued by both departments. No en-
PLANTATION accompanied them except tho
statement that reorganization OF tile
military dcpartm ents effective May l.
Was designed 10 facilitate deccntrali-
2ation OF command.
Following is the executive order
bringing the navy up TO war strength:
"By virtue OF tho authority vested ir
the President by the act Of Congress
approved August 2e. 1916. entitled An
act making appropriations for na"a1
service for the fiscal year ending june
90, 1917, and for other purpo ses,' IL is
hereby directed that the authorized
enlisted strength of the ravy be- in
creased to $1,000 men.
iSlgncd) "WOODROW WILSON"
The navy must enroll immediately
required sGcneth Secretary Daniels
supplemented i, to-nigh, with personal
kilograms TO newspaper editors AZ
over the country urging them to aid
the department in every way in their
power to obtain the r!en.
The War Department made the fol.
lowing announcements
Many States have deemed il ad.
visablc TO call out the National Guar6
for police purposes OF protection. As
the necessity for such steps arises from
issues which arc more national thar
local II has been deemed advisable by
the President TO cali into Federal SER
vice for the above mentioned purpose:
the following organizations of the Ma.
tional Guard:
Massachusetts, Second and Ninth
Regiments: Pennsylvania. First an6
Third Regiments; Maryland Fourth
Regiment; District of Columbia. Firs,
separate battalion: Virginia, Second
Regiment: Vermont. Company Il, First
Regiment: Connecticut, First Regi.
mcnt; New York Second and Seventy.
first Regiments: New Jersey. First anG
Fifth Regiments: Delaware. First Bat
TALON, First Regiment The following
organizations which are now in the
Federal service will not be mustered
out: Thirteenth Pennsylvania; a and
Companies Of the First Georgia."
ORDER UEoHGANIZING
ARMY DEPARTMENTS
The order reorganizins the service
ss issued to-day, read:
ITO facilitate the Capitalization OF
commands the United states is divided
into six military departments in place
Of the four now existing. The new
organizat tion becomes effective May |
1917. and comprises the following:
The Northeastern Departmcnt--Tt
embrace tho States Of Maine. New
Hampshire. Vermont. massachusetts
Rhode Island and Connecticut. head
quarters at Boston.
"rhc Eastern Departmcnt--To en-
brace the States of New York New
Jersey. Pennsylvania, Delaware. Mary.
land. Virginia, West Virginia. District
of Columbia. the Canal Zone and tho
Island Of Porto Rico. with the islands
and keys adjacent thereto, headquar-
tcrs at Governors Island. n. Y.
THE Southeastern Dcpartment---Tc
embrace the States of Tennessee. Nortl
Carolina. South Carolina. Georgia
FLORIDA. Alabama and Mississippi. to.
gether with the coast dcfenses Of New
Orleans and the coast defenses OF Gal.
weston, headquarters at Charleston
S. G..
'rhe Central Department--To en-.
brace the States of kentucky. Ohio
Michigan. Indiana, Illinois. Wisconsin
minnesota, North Dakota. South ia
kota. Iowa. Missouri. Kansas. Nebraska
Continued on Second Page.)