Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-03
sing it up by the roots and shipping it

ging it up by the roots and shipping 1t
home.
In compliance with General Spencer's De-
tftion, the Georgians may possibly leave
behind them the range when they depart
for the sunny south. but they certainly will
not leave behind them very many prizes
10 secure these they have planned de-
hberately. Moreover, they have q suffi-
Gent amount of cash available to make the
plan work all right. People who don't
know very much about rifle practice as it
is practiced at Sea Girt and as it used to
be practiced at Creedmoor, are probably not
conversant with the fact that well-filIed
pocket book is as essential to a marks
mans success as is a good rifle and con-
siderable ammunition. This would not be
so If the matches were all straight shoots
1t Is SO because in most of the competi-
tions the competitors may re-enter as often
as they want to or can.
This means that the man whose pocket
book is heavily loaded can keep on shoot
ing In one or several matches until he has
succeeded in piling up winning scores.
Against such competition as that the man
who is simply a first-cass shot, and who
has practically no pocket book, does not
stand airy sort of show. Temporarily
this re-entry business is a good thing for
the association which is responsible for
the meeting, because the greater the num-
Der of entries the larger the financial re-
turn is likely to be, but in the end the
proposition does not pay, for skillful shots
who are poor soon become weary of COM
peting with the superior financial resources
of those who may be just as good Shots
but who frequently are not.
Georgia's marksmen are unquestionably
Of good quality, and with this quality they
combine the possession of what the slangy
sometimes term "scads.' There is no use
trying to conceal the fact that this COM
bination is discouraging to the poor but
honest soldiers from the District of CO.
lumbia. Theory and practice agree upon
this point, for the District of Columbia
boys are not conspicuously in evidence in
the re-entry matches.
Working Out n Plan.
There is an impression abroad in camp
that the gentlemen from Georgia are work
ing in accordance with wel-defined pro-
gram. Members of the party who are
especially skilled at certain ranges seem
to have been assigned to look after certain
matches; these matches they propose to
win, even if the state is compelled to make
a rev bond issue. 1t is quite probable that
the District sharpshCoters would do pre-
cisely what the Georgians are doing if they
had the money But, as they have rot,
they are practically unanimous in their
condemnation of re-entry competitions.
Georgia's effort to make a great killing
at this meeting may perhaps be accounted
for by a half-conceaed intention not to
visit Sea Girt next year. No reason has
been vouchsafed for this conclusion, and
perhaps no one has any right to ask why
the conclusion has been reached, but it is
stated by several who really ought 10
know that the Georgans will not come
back next year.
An officer of high rank of the National
Guard of the state of New York is authori
ty for the statement that the empire state
will not in the future be represented at
the annual meetings at Sea Grit. DissatiS
faction with the silhouette targets is said to
form the basis of this intention. With
Georgia, New York, Massachusetts, Penn
sylvania and the District of Columbia not
represented. it is hardly likely that the
competitions next September and the years
that follow Jerseys range will be UNI
duly exciting.
Big Scores Expected.
In connection with the adoption of the
silhouette target, 1t may be said that an en-
tirely new standard will be established in
the Hilton trophy and other big matches
by this departure. 1t is predicted that the
team winning the Hilton match at this
meet will high as 1.125.
The District of Columbia holds the record
to date, 1t being world beater-1, 097. 1t
will be necessary to wait for several years
in order to form just reckoning between
the winning teams using the silhouette tar
get, as the high scores that are being made
on the latter cannot be compared with
those on the old bull s-eye oval targets
B. F. c.
and o.