The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-09
Col. Roosevelt Appeals for Pa
triOtic Service and Devotion.
Discusses Military, Social ant
Industrial Phases of War.
ELIMINATE EXCESS PROFITS
But Keep Capital and Labor in
q Profitable Partnership.
If Permitted, Can Put Army In
France Within 80 Days.

New York. May 9.-An appeal Tor
patriotic service and devotion to the
nation in its hour of need, made last
night by Col Theodore Roosevelt, be
fore the Kings county Republican
committee, in Brooklyn. evoked great
enthusiasm. The meeting was attend
ed not only by the committeeman ana
party leaders CT the county, but by
MANY of the most prominent residents
of Brooklyn. A dinner, in honor OF
Colonel Roosevelt, given by united
States Senator William NJ. Calder, pre-
coded the meeting.
Having failed in time of peace TO
prepare for war" said Colonel Roose-
Welt, the United States and the en-
tente allies will pay for this act OF
folly before the war ends" Meanwhile,
he urged. Americans must pear tnen-
selves manfully in the conflict, and
pay with our blood" sending to the
front as rapidly as possible great
force of fighting men.
The former president discussed the
country's participation in the war, IN
its military, social and industrial
phases. He suggested Incorporation
of the unma: ried men of the national
guard of the states into regiments
filled out either by the draft or from
volunteers from the exempted classes
and the dispatch of these men to
France or England for a period of in
tensive training preparatory to taking
their places on the firing line.
Put Ban on Excess Profits.
Colonel Roosevelt emphasized ne
cessity for the practice of economy
and avoidance of waste, said there
should be no improper profit max
ing but that reasonable profits should
not be eliminated; discussed methods
of financing the war and asserted that
the great problems which confront the
nation could not be solved lin a spir-
it of class greed" with capital and
labor not in partnership.
America has a two-fold duty at
this time" Colonel Roosevelt said.
FIRST, to Immediately meet with ev-
cry instrument already available the
immediate needs of the war; and,
second, permanently to shape our pol
icy not merely in military, but in so
cial and industrial matters, so as to
place this republic on permanent
foundation of justice and strength
Reiteratng his approval of obliga-
tory military Training and service. the
Colonel again urged use of volunteers
not included in the draft, saying the
men could be placed at the front with
in ninety days.
ANY attempt to keep our men here
and train them for a year before
sending them over" he SAID, would
mean that we would rightly awaken
and that the men trained here and
not at the theater of war would be
imperfectly trained from the stand
point of modern warfare"
Discusses National Guard.
Expressing the highest admiration
for the national guard, the Colonel
said there probably never was a
worse blow struck against our mill
tary efficiency than the passage of the
Hay bill"
The only wise and patriotic course
to follow in connection with the ma
uonal guard" he declared lis to use
each national guard regiment as
basis and frame for a regiment of
United States volunteers. Under these
circumstances all the officers and en-
listed men who are fit to go or who
ought to be asked to go. would be
transferred into the new volunteer or
ganlzatton, making n skeleton or
framework organization which would
then be fitted out either by draft or
by volunteering as necessity might de-
mand. In this manner, we would
leave in the state those who ought
never to be asked to go out of the
state, or to perform other than the
ordinary state duty and we would use
the men who ought to go as a nucleus
on which to build a regiment fitted
to render the most efficient service in
war"
Meanwhile. he said, the flag should
go to the firing line at once, with men
including volunteers from the ex-
empted classes Tin order to make good
our position until the principle of uni
versal obligatory service begins to pro-
duce its full effect"
Back of the military preparation
and essential to it, Colonel Roosevelt
must be industrial and agri-
cultural preparation.