The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-11-17
PROBLEM OF OUR COLONEL

George Harvey, in the North American Review for November
 @ NE day when our best beloved col ll( onel was striving vainly to enlist joined a small luncheon party, obviously somewhat out of temper. Some eyre gious ass had remarked sneeringly that major generals seldom got killed. To those present, none of whom needed to be told that braver man never lived, the gratuitous insult appeared only as jest but perhaps it was only natural that the colonel himself should nave felt out
 ragged. The simple truth is," he de- clared vehemently, that if I am per- mitted to go to France to fight for my country in any capacity, I haven't the slightest expectation of ever returning alive not the slightest. Almost to certainty 1 shalf be killed There was moment of rather tense silence. No- body doubted the sincerity of the colo ners conviction and nobody liked to con-
 template even the possibility of such happening. Presently MT. Root broke the spell Well, Theodore, the distin- guished statesman remarked dryly, 'if you could convince the administration of that, you probably would get your com mission forthwith" By George l guess you're right" was the quick and emphat- ic response. So at least the story runs We cannot, or rather do not, vouch for it. but clearly, whether true or not, re- gard for versimiiitude forbids that il should pass unrecorded.
 If we are not mistaken, Colonel Henry Watterson, speaking in his accustomei role of guide, philosopher and friend of the President, announced firmly in ad- vance that the colonels ambition could not be realized, because of the political individuality of creating military heroes who might aspire to higher things. That, however was not our view We felt, with the President, and so apparently felt the country that our military participation should be along precise and scientific lines, for which our colonels experience, creditable and honorable though It vas, had left much to be desired by way ct equipment Even so it seemed possible for a time that, in consideration of his great official prestige and personal pop ularity, he might obtain his hearts pa triotic desire. The stumbling bloek, We suspect, was his own trucu.ence. Tn stead of humbly seeking, he was disposed to demand-and that, of course, would never, never do. So primarily it was tn self was net still President that our col onel owed his disappointment Then there was the very danger to which ne referred namely, that both himself ana his motley assortment of eastern sports and western cowboys, might get shot up, to no particular purpose-and he al any rate could ill be spared. Undoubt- edly, therefore, the Presidents declsich was both right and prudent.
 Nevertheless, according to what the Hon. J. Ham, Lewis would call the eml- nent and able Springfield Republican. a new movement is afoot to achleVe the original purpose. It seems that conler- ences'' have already been held somewhere in AgaWam with view to recruiting n SDocldl England alone;" that the governors up there are favorable to the plan anu are working with Mir. Roosevelt and mill tary men to further it." and opposition in Washington is said to be dfmlnishing; and that men directly connected With the movement are optimistic of eventual success.'' Simultaneously our revered
 lapt mir Inn of the former and maybe future President in riding boots and spurs and the colo nei himself goes into training in mead ow patch in Connecticut adjacent to Sen ator Brandegees nutmeg factQry-to re- duce. Despite these favorable symp- toms, however, we are less sanguine of even eventual success than those more intimately concerned. Not only has there arisen no particular change in the situation since the colonel and the Secre- tary of War engaged in an epstolary competition but. as everybody knows, the most striking attribute of our pres- ent administration is unchangeability of mind.
 We doubt, too, whether our colonel is temperamentally capable of conforming to requisite requirements. Oniy a week before he sought seclusion in Connect- scut he was harping away on criminal unpreparedness,' or words toethat effect, and was pronouncing this "a very ex- elusive war as far as l am concerned, having been blackballed by the commit tee on admission" He derided the rela- f iv,p p1ip ap a6 Nv, dp Bulwer Lytton to the pen oyer the sword-although in truth clearer evi- dence of it's corectness could hardly De afforded than by his present experience