The National tribune., 1888-01-19

injury to general business, etc., and petitions,
which are being offered for signatures at the
hotels and other places of public resort.
UNION VETERANS UNION.
Last week the Union Veterans Union of this
city bad pleasant Campfire at their hall, with
speeches. songs bareback, beans, coffee and
pipes.
ARMY RIFLE-FIRING.
Seeing Col. Stanhope E. Blunt, Gen Sheri-
dams Aid-de-Camp the other day, reminded
me that if some of our old veterans of the war
barring not even the Berdan and Western
Sharpshooters-coulds stand at the rihe-ranges
that are at almost every fort now occupied by
troops, they would be somewhat astonished.
Years ago Gen. Sheridan sententiousy re-
marked that "guns were made to kill" and
little by little system of instruction in rifle
firing grew into the army, so that at this date
the soldier who cannot put q bullet into the
bull's-eye four times in five, at 200, 800 and
400 yards, is scoffed at by his comrades, as in
old times men were scoffed that never brought
chickens into camp if they struggled" The
arms of precision used now are as far supe-
riOr to the arms we used during the war-even
when we got the rified Springfield, as was the
Enfield we thought so much of over the
smoothbore, ounee-bullet musket of the Mexi-
can war.
| have before me as I write General Order
from Gen. SANKEY'S command the Department
of Texas detailing the general results of target
practice in that command during the target
year" of 1887 which tells me that 40 officers
and men qualified during the year as sharp
Shooters" and of these II made over 80 per
per cent. of the possible score These were at
| distances of 200, 800, 500, 500, 800 and 1000
yards. a thousand yards is almost two-thirds
of mile, and how many of us could expect in
the war days gone by to hit three-fo0t target
nine times out of 10 at that distance? And the
| troops are not allowed to use the old Berdan
! sharpsho0ter telescopes on the rifles, either.
! The report from Texas is instrueting, but it Is
! only one of the dozen reports that come from
! different departments, and all tell the same
| story. In another war these sharpshooters and
marksmen, distributed judiciously through
| such another army as we raised in 1872
would so instruct recruits in the use of arms OF
| precision that no force in the world could stand
! before them. There would be no more close
/ fighting over breastworks, for the defensive
/ line could, with breech-loading arms, annihi-
| late an attacking force long before the works
could be reached. 1t is noteworthy as promo
1 ton of safety against invading forces that Col
Blunt's Manual Of Rifle and Carbine Firing
! has been adopted for instruction Of the Ma
1 tional Guard in the various States, and there
will thus be large addition of trained marks
men ready for service, in addition to the little
! squad of our Regular Army. The old time Gus
| tom was to march the relieved guard detail out
and have each man fire at target hundred
yards away. Whether the bullets hit the tar
| get or not the Officer of the Day did not care
snap; he had performed the duty required
/ by Regulations, and marched his men back Il
| camp perfectly satisfied that the post command
| ant could not get him for neglect. The worlC
moves, if the Sun does not.