New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-17
AFTER mr. GREAr MITCH

AFTER IHE GREAT MITCH
The rihemen of the United States will never
be able to point with pride 10 the shooting
of their representatives in the late international
match After all excuses have been made,
after everything has been said in their favor
that the facts will warrant, it remains sadly
true that their work on the second day brought
no credit to themselves or their country.
Americans had resigned themselves to defeat,
accepting it rs IL foregOne conclusion when
the practice of the British marksmen at Creed
moor had proved their superiority to the home
team, but they were not prepared for snch
| rout as thnt of Friday Previous international
contests had been sharply disputed, and III most
| cases had been in doubt almost to the end. In
| S74 the Americans met the Irish team, ac-
| knowledged to be the hest shots OF Great Brit-
| ain, as in 1873 the Elcho Shield had fallen
| to Ireland, the rflemen OF England and Scot
| land having been badly beaten. 1t seemed
| lolg odds on the lriShmen i'll that match, for
| they were well-seasOned markSmen of eX-
tended and thorough experience, accustomed
to the hardest of such trials of skill, while battles
! at the ranges on an international scale were
previously unknown here. The champions 81
! this country labored to perfect themselves
| with ndomitable energy and enthusiasm, and
| they succeeded, but their victory was almost
the narowest possible, being won Ivy three
points only, Colonel Bodine, the captain of The
team which was slaughtered on Friday then
| having the honor to fire the winning shot. II
| the men whom he led in this last match
had been Of the stuff which earned him the title
| Of Old Reliable" and which made his shot at
| hill D,it isl
| team could ever have left them 40 points in
the rear. Again the Americans and lrishmcn
| met in June. 1 30, and this time the lrisbmen
were on their native heath. Yet American
superiority was even more marked at Dolly
| mount than at CreedmoOr, and the score for Erin
was 80 points behind that tor the United States.
In the same year a Canadian team came to
Long Island and shot well, but the Americans
shot better, winning 10y % points.
In $40 occurred the great Centennial match
| for the Palma, with teams from Ireland, Scot
| land Australia and Canada at the Long Island
ranges, bent on carrying Oft the trophy from the
| Americans. The Irish came nearest to TIL
| umph, but they fell short Of the American score
| by % points. Irish perseverance and rcsO-
luton were not yet exhausted, and in Sep
temher of the same year the marksmen from
the evergreen isle had another test of skill.
| They lost the match by II points only
! The British rillemen made up team i'll 1877
! representing Great Britain, and Sir Henry Hal
ford vas in command. With the finest marks
men of all three, England, Ireland and Scot
land, to choose from, Sir Henry and his cOmpan-
ions had a right to feel confident, but once more
! the h0nors and the prize remained Oh this side
OF the water And IN spite of the fact that they
were contcnding with all "all British team
instead of one selected from English, Scotch
or Irish rifemcn solely, the Americans scored
the most complete and brilliant Of their sue
cesses, their total being % points better than
the British.
Good shooting in all those matches! SO ex-
ccedmgly good on the American side that the
ambition to cross the Atlantic to try cOnclu-
sions at Creedmoor was naturally dulled ,d
five years passed before another international
match was arranged Without the spur of
CONF EDITION from abroad rifle shooting in the
United States fell away, but if at any time
there had been reasonable prospect of Il
| struggle for The Palma doubt all the old
spirit and zeal would have been revived. TO
get up Il match this year il was necessary to
! give the British lillepcn the opportunity to
| shoot under tho conditions most favorable TO
them and least favorable to the Americans
! Even under those circumstances the representa-
| tiyes Of the United States ought TO have come
out Of the contest with more credit than they
have canned. Everyone knows that the British
had far larger body of marksmen to pick
! from; hat many Of the most skilful American
! riflemen are not members Of the National Guard !;
! that the British team was made up of veter-
ans at the butts, men whose self-contrOl, cool
ness and skill had been confirmed repeatedly
by thc severest ordeas that Their practice had
been very much longer and more thorough than
tn. of the Americans; that the discipline of
their team better and their loyalty to their
captain, to their cause and to each other was
without flaw that in experience with the mill
tary rife there was hardly any comparison be-
| tween the rivals, and that the English ann was
more finely adapted to It's purpose than the
| American These things are to be taken into
account as explaining largely the manner in
which the match resulted. But not at all to
detIact from the honor due to the victorious
rilemen. No true American III the least be-
grudgcs them their triumph. 1t was fairly,
hoDoraby CALAMITY won, and they merit all
praise. They were genuine representatives. OF
the country from which they came, and they
have shown the wDrIhicst qualities developed
in these international competitions. They are
heartily welcome to the laurels which they so
well deserved and which they wear 80 grace
fully.
With all these things taken into &C count the