The Washington times., 1917-05-09
T.R. FAVORS ARMY
OF 100000 MEN
Delay in Sending Force In
Vites allies Scorn."
WOULD MAKE IT MIXED FORCE
Suggests Mingling Of Regulars
With Volunteer Regiments.

NEW YORK, May 9.-Brooklynites,
or such of the population OF the
borough as were able to pack them
selves into Kismet Temple last night
at the meeting of the Kings coun-
ty Republican committee, left no
doubt as to where they stand on the
Roosevelt expedition question. They
cheered the Colonel for five minutes
when he arrived and they cheered
every time he referred to the pro-
posed expedition.
County Chairman Alfred Z. Van
Vass introduced Colonel Roosevelt
81 have no desire to make embarrass-
ing. suggestions" he said turning to-
ward the Colonel, but II we are to
mobilize all our resources, why not
mobilize our greatest resource7
Colonel Roosevelt said in part:
During this war we recognize no
distinction of party. OF section, OF
creed, or of national origin. We are
all Americans and nothing else. 1
speak to you as one American to his
fellow Americans. Our whole duty IL
to serve the country as a whole, and
to pay heed only to the way In which
we can best render such service
TwO-fOId Duty In Crisis.
two-fold duty; first, Immediately to
meet with every fundamentally
available the immediate needs Of the
war at the moment; second, perma-
nently to shape our policy not mere
ly in military but in social and In
dustrial matters SO as to place TINS
republic on a permanent foundation
of Justice and strength.
"The FIRST need should be met not
only by Immediately introducing the
principle of obligatory universal mil
itary training and service, a begin
ming toward which has been made BY
the bill recently enacted, but also by
the immediate use of organizations
Of volunteers who would not be in
cluded in the draft, who should at
the earliest moment be sent to the
theater of war in France, or IL neces-
sary to England, for intensive train
ing.
sThe ideal way would be to include
in each brigade one regular regiment
and two regiments of volunteers OF
the type used in the Philippines TN
der the act of March 2, 1890. But in
any event, at the. very earliest mo-
ment, we should send at least a d.
vision for intensive training in
France, with the purpose to put IT on
the firing line, as II could be put IL
we strained every effort TO do so with
in ninety days. Then let this division
be kept to its full strength and other
divisions as rapidly as possible be put
beside II at the front.
Would Awaken Allies Seorn-
Amy attempt to keep our men here
and train them for a year before send
ing them over would mean that we
would rightly awaken the scOrn of
our allies for the delay, and that the
men trained here and not at the thea
ter OF war would be imperfectly
trained from the standpoint OF mod
ern warfare.
1--WE can raise numbers of regi-
ments such as those which put down
the insurrection in the Philippines,
and in three or four months a reKi-
ment of this nature can be so trained
that It can be employed usefully in
the fighting. In addition great use
can be made OF the national guard.
These are details. The prime need
at present is TO use every method so
as to send a lighting force, by prefer
ence a mixed fore OF regulars and
Immediately to the front
and to keep II cons antly growing In
strength, month by month, while here
at home we prepare an army which
should be at least 3,OOO,O0O s-ronE, an
army which can be made growingly
effective IL the war lasts one, two, or
three years"