, 1877-12-16
THE RIFLE.

CONCERNING l. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
The Spirit Of tie 1Im-s, which usually arrives
here Monday, came to hand-at least au advance
copy did-last evening. In it series OF inter-
views with Chicago rillcnaeli, whose opinions seem
10 ''lcad the van, :" upon t.e subject OF National
Rifle Association. The Spirit publishes letters
from NIL parts Ut the United Stntcs nut does not
to place III much dependence upon the rest as
it does the views of the gentlemen of this
city who orc Interested III this sport, And
it must be allowed that the ideas al-
vanccd by Chicago ri1cmen arc strictly to the
p0iut. They do not favor the existing y. 4. A.,
and are mostly of the opinion which was advanced
Ill THE TRIBUNE some weeks ago. Bat the PRES
cnt question i3 the calling OF 4 National Conrc1t-
tion, the how. aud the when. and where. As to
the irit, it seems proper that the present n. K.
a. ,ase won laUrcls Tor the country, and n4ve fos-
tered the practcc Of rile shooting they ure the
proper parties to issue call for such convention,
and state tho number Of delegates to be allowed
from each club State. As 10 the when, the pres
ent winter would seem to be the proper
season, 50 that Congress conld lake some
such organization would originate as to the
where, come central point suc1 US lndtunap polls.
CINCINNATI. Or even Chicago, would be the proper
place. The Western and Southern men scem 10
feel interested in Chicago and from the tone of the
Spirit Chicago seems to BE- the favuritc place.
However that may be an after consideration: first
is the idea of forming an ASSOCIATION which snail
BE- national in every scnse- The principal opinions
which the Spirit publishes nre from Capt. j. ".
kelly, u J. a., ordnance OiEcIr OF Lcnt- Gen.
\ and T. col .o:a s5asst Dosss aaav l. etis;
rlcnlcn are interested, with those OF Lou
issaua, Wisconsin, aad California, and the idcas
advanced Dy gentlemen from alt these points tend
towards tho samc principle Of d truly National
American KiAe Association.
The letter Of Capt Reilly has many good points
in it. Referring To tho practice in the regular
army, he says: I'VE in s the aFmy , move slowly in
outside Influences ii target practice is to be other
than Q routine drill. 1t was said Of It's,
though 1t was not entirely true, that we did not
use the breech-ioadcr till everybody clsu had
the same pattern and tho same obsolete method
of marking that our ancestors used fifty yca1s aso.
I, however, believe that have the hest military
arm in the world in our latest Sp1lngActls and
probably tue poorest shots, and this from defcc-
tive and poorlY-encourageds system of target~prac-
tice."
From the letter Of Maj. Gen. A. c. Ducat is
taken the following: II think we'll OF tie cstab-
lsl,nent OF ride associations aud yacht clubs and
such organizations will tend to make soldiers
and sailors Of our young men in this country.
When it has been demonstrated we have so much
internal danger, and when in the event OF war OF
any magnitude our regular army and navy form
force gathers aad looks largely tor instruction and
example, it is cleutiy the duty OF every able bodied
man to be as much soldier or sailor as circum-
stances will permit, and it Is the duty
Of those III power to create largely those circum~
Stances and for those who cannot participate to do
al in their power foster aud encourage such or
ganizations and the citizen soldiery.''
The interview wta Mr. II. ~. S. Cleveland, an
well worth reading. Col. Swain, OF the First
Regiment, also dscloses some good ideas. On tho
whole the Spirit has taken the right STEP au will
receive the hearty approval Of the whole country.