ROOSEVELT'S ARMY.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15896, 9 May 1917, Page 5

ROOSEVELT'S ARMY.

PLAN TO RAISE AMERICAN DIVISION. A message from Oyster Bay (where Colonel Roosevelt lives) in a New York paper of April 4th said:— Tanned and sunburned as a result of his devilfish hunting expedition olt the Florida coast, and in exceeding j good humour over the turn national affairs have taken, Colonel Roosevelt ( spent several hours this morning perfecting his plants for raising a volunteer division to carry tho Stars and Snipes to the trenches in France. ■ '•'J'he President's message was ex-' c client, excellent, excellent, but there ; is nothing left to do now but send troops to the front as quickly as pos-; sible," he said. ! Of his own plans Colonel Roosevelt '■ would say nothing, but it is known hero that they are so far perfected : that only official sanction from the, Administration in Washington stands in the way of the practically immediate mobilisation of liis proposed command. PLANS FOR ARMY COMPLETED. It can be said on authority of the Colonel's friends that- his plans for raising a division have been under way for a nvuch longer period than, the public has any idea of and have I reached a correspondingly advanced! state of completion. ; A friend of Colonel Roosevc-lt. returned wills him from the devilfish ; expedition off Florida, said that tho Colonel would go to the field with '[the ! greatest lighting body ever organised ( anywhere in the world." : . All along the lino of their return; ' from Florida. Spanish-American War ( veterans, former army men, oven Ger- ( mari-Anverieans among others, greeted . the Colonel railroad stations an<i j insisted that lie -'ike their names ar, . members of hi.- - division. ! , "We are. rewsv to fight for human i rights under yo',;r leadership," were < words heard agpin and- again as the Colonel's train sped north. ( Of the Coionei f« condition his friend ; said: "In spite of his years. Colonel j Roosevelt is to-di", ir ivy opinion, thy- I sically the superior <:!' a htrgj major!!:;-' ! of young men. from 2"> :';0. In tho j division he will ''.are r,t iho frer.';. bo will carry with hi'r. a body of »•<■?. '• who may be dependc! upon to •■jet < suits. * .

"If the Colons! rJlowed rai«« division, it wiil bo fnnnd that mwrh careful, systematic wor!: rf orrarisation already ban b<vT a<:r: o rr. pi is pc d. Many officers ar./i thousands of neo liavo beet: selected whoso former experience would permit tVn: to »»o brought to a very high state of efficiency in an incredibly short time/' AVASHINGTON, Ann) 6. Although officers of the General Staff of the army have declare: Colonel Roosevelt's scheme to raia? volunteer division to be sent to the French front to be impracticable, there i s a belief here that' President Wilson will nevertheless avail himself of Colonel Roosevelt's offer beforo very long. Ifc is a fact that tho President has been deeply impressed with the Colonel's example of non-partisanship at this time.

j Tho principal difficulty seems to be I that there is no provision now fp r the raising of a volunteer force. Regular army officers arc against the plan befcause it, is felt that men will not come in quick enough under such a system and it may take a practical demonstration by the Colonel's followers to convince them otherwise, so far as his own division is concerned. It is reported that 38,000 men hare already applied for service in the division. They come from all parts of the I country—men from the Rockies with whom the Colonel has hunted grizzlies; men from the mining camps of Colerado and Montapa and men from the plains of Texas. Tho division will consist of a brigade each of infantry, cavalry and artillerv, a battalion of engineers, a transport train and an aeroplane section. Among the men who hare accepted offers made by the Colonel to serve under him are a former Secretary cf "War. a retired United States RearAdmiral. and many officers from the active and retired Jist of tha army,

subject to the approval of the War Department. The Colonel is quoted as follows: — '•'I will lead my boys right, to the battlefield. I don't intend to send them against the Prussians without experience. 1 intend to get permission from tho French authorities to train them in a position where tlicy will be able to hear the rumble of the guns, the cries of the wonnded, tho shrieks of the dying, but not necessarily under tire.

"In that way I'll stiffen them for war. If there are any yellow ones among tts I want to find it oat before 1 waste time training them. "When they hare obtained this experience they will be able to give a genuine American account of themselves."