New Britain herald., 1917-04-12
COLONEL PUTS .. K.
 ON WILSON POLICY
Believes President Should Have
 Undivided Support Of Country

New York, April 12.-Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, upon his return to New York from Washington, D. C., late yesterday afternoon, after his conference with President Wilson, gave out a statement indorsing with "all my heart and soup the adminis- tration's plan for obligatory military training and service, and explaining just what he hoped to accomplish by the organization of an army division of his own to be a part of an army corps for quick service at the front in France. The Colonel asserted that he wanted to help, not hinder, the pres ident, and that he was ready to get out and work as hard as he could for the policy set forth by MT. Wilson in his message to congress calling for 9 declaration of war upon Germany a policy which he said he believed was vital to the future welfare of the country.
 President Wilson and Secretary Ba- ker were silent yesterday in regard to the Colonel's proposal. It was said, however, that the members of the ad- visory committee of the council of na- tionai defense had received the de- tails of the proposal with favor and the hopes of Colonel Roosevelt's friends were high. Here is what Col onel Roosevelt had to say about his visit to Washington when asked for a statement by newspaper men.
 'I went to Washington in the first place to reiterate my admiration for the presidents message, asking a dec laration of war and to say that I would do everything in my power to aid in making that declaration good by getting the most efficient and ag- gressive action by the United States in this war.
 Army Measure Vital.
 "I most earnestly and heartily back the legislation pressed by the admin istration for raising. an army. in ac- cordance with the principle of oblig- tory universal training and service. This is not only a measure that we need now, but is of vital importance as inaugurating a permanent national policy. All far sighted patriots should stand behind the administration in it's effort to obtain this legislation.
 ''The further action for Which I hope is as supplement to it and not as substitute for the legislation.
 q earnestly hope that in addition to this legislation--that is as an ad dition to the act-there will be passed legislation on the lines of Section 12 of the army act of March ,, 1899. This was passed after the close of the Spanish war by the Mckinley admin istration to provide the force used In establishing order in the Philippines. It provided for 35, ,000 volunteers to be organized into twenty-seven infantry and three cavalry regiments. It was provided that this volunteer force should serve while the war lasted or for period Of two years and four months.
 "rhe army to be raised on the plan of obligatory service, as recommended by the president, will in all probability not be available for use for at least a year. My proposal is to supplement this by legislation which will permit the raising of whatever number of volunteers is now necessary. whether 50.OOO or 100000 or any other num- Der. Then I should ask to be allowed to raise 10000 of these volunteers for the division.' I would be entirely