Life — May 10, 1917 — page 23: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LIBERTY ENLIGHTENING GERMANY dangerous. But under all the cireum- stances, and especially the impossibility of getting proper army legislation out of the lately deceased Congress, it be- comes less incredible, and not so much dangerous as an expedient to avert or lessen danger. The Colonel must have argued: “ We must have an army right off. If Congress won't do anything, let us do what we can on the side.” If, with that idea, he listed one hun- dred and eighty thousand men, it was an extraordinary performance. Such a man as that could run a circus. And ought to. But in war- times a competent circus man, though difficult to handle, is still an asset. To organize a caravan and get it moving takes military qualities, and Hey, Rube! is a war cry. HE Colonel's army is too big to go to Europe right away. And be- sides, we have other troops and other generals. But we want soldiers; a lot of them; and want them immediately, and want to send as many as is prac- 859 ticable to Europe by the soonest boats that can find room for them. When you're at war, and somebody offers ou one hundred and cighty thousand selected citizens of soldierly inclina tions and some training, you don’t want to shoo such a person off your prem- ises. The thing to do is overcome all apparent difficulties, like a tank go- ing through German wire, and get those citizens on the job. This is a war of a large appetite. The adminis- tration is under contract to help feed , and it is to be hoped that it will promptly invite the Colonel to a show- down. He is acquainted with govern- ment, and is doubtless aware that the only soldiers that a government can employ are those that it can control. It cannot accept the assistance of a private army with a management inde- pendent of itself, but it can accept the constituent soldiers and officers of that army and incorporate them into its forces. If the Colonel has really got a good paper army, take it, Mr. Pre dentt take it, gentlemen of the Con- gresst. Take it promptly and with both hands, and command and use it with the utmost expedition consistent with other war duties that may be even more pressing! There is room in France for just as many American soidiers as can be ferried over. For American soldiers to want to go there is not a fault, but a great and timely virtue. Gather such men in, and train and send them as you can, The Allies seem to want a small force sent over as soon as possil Let us hope it will go. The plan to start off with a shipment of nine regi- ments of engineers seems excellent. And then a force of fighting men as soon as possible, and if the Colonel's army can spare him, let us hope he will go with it. If he is such a re- markable recruiter, it is conceivable that he would be of more use here, but ance is in a condition more con- ial to his temperament than these ates, and we hope he will get to ‘ance, particularly if France wants him, After all, it is a mighty big war, and there is room in it even for the Colonel, and glory for everyone ac- cording to his appetite, and for mere. plain, faithful men, a moving call to a momentous duty. comichoo! ks.com