Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-10-27
MAGAZINE RIFLES.

MAGAZINE RIFLES.
The question recently treated in these
columns Of supplying the army with re-
peating or magazine rifles, is beginning
to attract attention in the eastern States,
and will doubtless assume such proper
tons as may yet demand the attention
OF Congress and the War Department.
The conservative New York Times in
commenting on the present outlook for
war in Europe has the following:
The war clouds are gathering again in
Europe. The situation becomes perilous,
less from any insurmountable difficulty in
the Bulgarian problem than from the sus-
picion that Russia wants war, while France,
under the guidance of Boulanger, is perhaps
turning her mind toward it. During the
year Germany, Austria and France have
taken an important step in providing their
troops with magazine arms, and now all
three countries are buslly converting their
rifles into repeaters. The French war au-
thorities seem also to have a new machine
gun: and talk of secret high explosive
with which shells are to be filled. The Rus
SLAMS are believed to be experimenting with
an explosive to supersede ordinary gun
powder. ne pOSSeSSlOu OI lInDrOVeu uo-
structive weapons is an incentive to hurry
ing forward war wherever it is thought to
he sooner or later inevitable.
We differ with the Times in the last
sentence OF its article, believing that the
possession OF improved destructive
weapons tends to make war an act only of
the last alternative, for II nation will
think several times before engaging in
war wherein they know they will meet
their equals, and perhaps superiors.
The history OF the wars among the
Powers OF Europe all prove that such
wars have been waged only when the
aggressor felt he was the superior force,
he nee, it follows that ii each feels the
other is better prepared, arbitration will
ensue, and bloodshed avoided. In the
case OF the United States, as time rolls
on and finds the presumptuous republics
to the southwark OF them, fully armed
with the latest improved arms on
land and sea, and with IL thor
ough knowledge OF their uses, It
is absolutely necessary to meet
their shows OF bravado-common with
them-by an armament which they know
is equal, ii not superior, to theirs, and in
that manner only can they be kept in
check. When one considers the enor-
nous cost OF building and equipping Il
navy, and arming and transporting an
army OF sufficient force to subdue one OF
the South American republics, and the
class power by both would obviate the
necessity OF doing either, the wonder
comes that those in authority do not
attend to the better arming OF the land
and naval forces OF the country. The
only naval engagement worthy the name
| in the late war was that between the
Kearsage and Alabama, and that would
have been reversed ii the Alabama s
ammunition had been good, for she sent
shell into the rudder post OF the Kear-
sarge in the early stages OF the encounter,
which, had it exploded, would have sunk
/ her instantly. One iron-clad frigate OF
any OF the foreign naves could vanquish
| all the navy the country owns, and in the
same manner, one battalion of veteran
troops with magazine guns could drive
three OF our crack battalions with single
breech-loaders. An uprising in any part
OF the country, being OF sufficient inn
| portance to demand Government atten-
| ton, would find the rebels armed with
magazine guns, while the troops would be
! forced against them with the old arm.
Any sensible man can foresee the
result, There is Il prejudice in certain
military circles against taking away the
time-honored musket and bayonet as it
would detract from the appearance OF a
force under arms, and il is OF record that
a minority report Of II commission OF OF
| ficers to test magazine guns, among
other things objected to them because
they were not bright, but the real soldier
under fire never loved Il bright gun
barrel and the enormous advantage,
gained in several ways, should decide
the authorities to move in the matter,
and make our small standing army in
fact what it is in name only; the best
equipped in the world.