Evening star., 1893-12-09
Ready to Resume Rifle Practice on
Indoor Ranges.
DETERMINED TO Do BETTER
TIE Schedule Of Company Matches
For the Coming Week.
NEWS FROM NEW YORK.

inere was gratifying response to the in
vitations issued by the inspector general Of
rifle practice to officers of the District Ma
tional Guard to meet on Saturday evening
last at the Washington Light Infantry Corps
Armory. or course there were many alb
sentees. but those who were present rel re-
sented nearly. If not quite. all the cem-
mands in the brigade. Every one of the
officers who crowded ir 10 the room of COM
pany {, first battalion, was interested in the
object Of the meeting. and this interest was
made evident as long as the assembly held
together. For about half an hour Maj. Har-
ries argued for an access of enthusiasm in
the vital matter of rife practice. Then Col
Clay, VINO commands the second regiment,
gave some excellent advice, calling especial
attention TO the fact that drill IN rhc man
ual ana foot movements was useful only to
make easy and speedy the movement OF
soldiers to the point where their presence
was needed; that the real work of the SCI
der did not comnence until each man was
called upon to use his rifle as a weapon.
General discussion followed the close Of
Col. Clay's remarks AMI some of the conc lu-
sions reached will Doubt ess lie of consilera-
bic value during the current AMI succeed
ing seasons.
Applying the Ak I'm New York.
Guard elsewhere frequently suffers-has not
as yet made its appearance in the local or
ganization. Except ON election nights. WASH
ington is a non-partisan sort Of city and
; that political considera lions do not I.re"ail
in the ID. G. y. -. is grounl .or cnngratu tula-
tion. I:ut il New York things are some
what different. There the eighth and sixty
ninth regiments have each been reduced to
/ the style and $iza Of battalions, four ,nin-
Y lEfsp n tot.n .i...l slxA
privates and non commissioned utii..n. le-
/ Ing discharged and the commissioned on
GERS rendered sup arnuncrIry. y New Yo~k
correspondent, comm n linz on the changes
said:
Politics has great deal to do with the
Generalization. The remedies supplied by
| the military laws of the state were not used
when their need was first seen because the
! people they would reach had pulls that
Kept them in the place they were not fit to
hold. The usual consequences of a prefer
ence of political influence to practical worth
and personal efficiency followed. Now the
most radical sort of cure has to te taken in
order TO save the regiment from disband-
4 ment."
| Adjt Gen Porter's AK has also been oper-
! atcd outside OF New York city, for yester-
/ day the thirty-ffth separate company of
( Osdensburg and the forty-fifth separate
company of Cortland were disbanded both
companies having been below the minimum
strength and very faulty in all the other es-
/ sentials.
Shooting Has Commenced.
Work in the rife galleries for the season
of 1874 has fairly commenced, but there has
been less shooting than was expected Next
week there should be a considerable increase
| in the number of those practicing, for each
evening has been set apart for the respsc-
| tive battalions to conduct. within them
selves. company team matches The sched-
ule provides that the first battalion shall
ho it's fn,nr
the scores required-ten shots, in two scores
of five, at 200 yards--in it's own gallery on
the evening prescribed by Maj. Ross. Other
battalions will be represented in the brigade
gallery as follows: Monday. second bat
talon; Tuesday, third battalion; Wednes-
day. fourth battalion; Thursday, fifth bat
talon; Friday, sixth battalion; Saturday
engineer corps; Monday December is first
seperate battalion; Tuesday, December 49,
hrst and second separate companies and
light battery A. The scores made in these
matches will be reported by the battalion
inspectors to their regimental inspectors
and the latter will forward them to brigade
headquarters.
a Change in the System.
Several rifle practice reports have not vet
been resolved at brigade headquarters Sew
eral that have been received will soon be on
their way back to the company commanders
for correction and completion. The blanks
upon which the reports are made could not
be less complex than they are vet more
than two three captains have neglected
to attend to some OF the important features
deemed necessary to satisfactory report
All reports will be turned over to the regi-
mental inspectors and will be subject to
their action until the condition of each
Laper is perfectly satisfactory. When that
int has been reached, Capt. Cash and
Cap. Bell, each for his regiment will make
an annual report as to the qualifications
achieved, and also as to why certain por-
tons OF their regiments are weaker than
others in such an important matter as rifle
practice At the close of the current season
II is expected that the report system-ex-,
tended to the regimental inspectors for the
first time-will be further extended so as to
include the battalion inspectors, and in that
way much valuable information not now on
record may be secured and filed away for
reference.
How 1t is Worked In the EN- pfre State.
In no other brigade in all the National
Guard of the United States is qualification
as marksman SO difficult as it is here. so
comparison between the District of Column
bia National Guard and other subdivisions
OF the great reserve Is not possible
clear statement of the New York methods.
by which so-called "marksmen" are quail
ned by the hundred, will be at once interest
Ing and instructive. The narrative (which
appeared in the New York Times) has for
holds a commission in the empire state
SAID he: Did you ever stop to think what
taxes place at Creedmoor during the shoot
ing season of a regiment? To begin with,
each company is assigned SO many targets
Dy the chief of scorers, and each captain de-
tails two of his best shots to look out for
the shooting of his men at the targets so as
signed. Supposing a company gets four
targets, 1t requires a detail, then, of four
experts % to act as 'qualiiiers.' Ninety per
cent or the companies. however, have not a
sufhcient number of such gentlemen, and
this explains why the number of marksmen
varies IN different companies
Let me make this matter clear John
Smith Is called to the firing point and fs
handed a rifle. which has been sighted by
the 'qualifer,' and which is equipped with
various improvements not supplied by the
state, such as a better barrel and improved
front and rear sights. His own rifle the
rifle. that Is, which he brought to the range
ana with which. according to regulations ne
is supposed to do his shooting is taken away
from him. But John Smith is not kicking
at little thing like that; and. so long as no
objection Is made to the exchange by his
superiors. those in authority on the range.
he is content.
John Keeps PeEEinE Away.
HE loads fires the first shot of his string
OF five. and probably makes an outer at =
o'clock The qualifier promptly pats him
on the back, and Immediately manipulates
the wind gauge so as to bring him into the
bull.' If he takes q same Sipht Ei,t ~,