The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-05
THE SOLDIERS AT SEA eIRT.
WHAT THE NEWSPAPERS AND PEG
PIE SAY OF GEORGIA.


seem a Little SOre-A Graceful Tri-
butte From AtIanta-What the
president of the National rifle
association Thinks of the savan-
nah Marksmen.
From the Washington Star.
Georgia naturally walked away with the
bie interstate military match shoot yes
,srdav by generous margin, the competi-
tors being New York and New Jersey. The
scores we're: Georgia, 1.1O7; New York
~ and New Jersey, 1922. The winning
score was the highest ever made in this
match but in this connection it must not
he overlooked that the new and easy" sill
bouette target, was used yesterday. At
the 2o0-yards range five Georgians scored
'possioles."
severa. protests have been filed to-day
against the entry of Capt. w. 7. Cam of
Georgia in the match for inspectors of
rifle practice. Capt. Cam has been COM
netting all the week in the team and other
matches as a company officer. Just be-
fore coming to Sea Girt he was commits
stoned inspector general of rifle practice
of Georgia, with the rank of colonel. After
connecting as a company officer he took
oath to-day before Gen. Spencer of New
Jersey as inspector general of rife prac-
tice of Georgia, in order to be eligible for
entry in the match for inspectors of rifle
nractice The point is taken that New
Jersey officer has no authority to admin
i.ter an oath TO a Georgia officer.
1t is rumored that the Georgia authori-
lies have secured the loan of lawn now
er This was done in response TO earnest
and piteous appeals from Gen. Spencer,
who begged that the Georgians would
merely take the grass off the surface of
the Sea Grit range instead of digging it
W BY the roots and shipping it home
In compliance with Gen. Spencer's petit
lion. the Georgians may possibly leave be-
hind them the range when they depart for
the sunny south but they certainly will
not leave behind them very many prizes
To secure these they have planned de-
iiberately. Moreover, they have a sufi-
sant 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 Grit and as it used to
be practiced at Creedmoor. are probably
not conversant with the fact that a we'll
filed pocketbook is as essential to
marksman's success as good rifle and
considerable ammunition. This would not
he so if The matches were all straight
shoots 1t is so because in most of the
competitions the competitors may re-enter
as often as they want to or can
This means that the man whose pocket
81 on oh
ing in one or several matches until he has
succeeded in pling up winning scores
Against such competition as that the man
who is simply a first-class shot, and who
has practically no pocketbook, does not
stand any sort of a show. Temporarily
this re-entry business is a good thing Tor
Inc association, which is responsible Ior
lne meeting because the greater the num-
her of entries the larger the financial re-
turn is likely to be, but in the end the
proposition does not pay, for sknlful shots
who are poor soon become weary of com
peting with the superior financial re-
sources of those who may be just as good
shots but who frequently are not.
Georgias marksmen are unqueshonaby
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
binaUon is discouraging to the poor but
honest soldiers from the District of Co
lumba. Theory and practice agree upon
this point, for the District of Columbia
boys are not conspcuously in evidence IN
The re-entry matches.
There is an impression abroad in camp
that the gentlemen from Georgia are
working in accordance with a well-de-
fined programme 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 COM
PEELED to make a new bond issue. It is
quite probable that the District sharp
shooters would do precisely what the
Georgians are doing If they had the
money. But, as they have not, they are
practically unanimous in their condemna-
ton Of re-entry competition.
Georgia's effort to make a great kill
ing at this meeting may perhaps be ac-
counted for by a half-eoncealed 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
1t is stated by several who really ought
10 know that the Georgians will not come
back next year.
An officer of high rank of the National
Guard of the State of New York is au-
lhorlty for the statement that the Empire
state will not in the future be represent
% at the annual meetings at Sea Grit.
gets Is said to form the basis of this in
tenton. With Georgia, New York Mas
aachusetts, Pennsylvania and the District
OIL Columbia not represented, it is hardly
lkely that the competitions next Septem-
Der and the years that follow on Jersey 5
range will be uuduly exciting.
IN connection with the adoption of the
Silhouette target, it may be said that an
entirely new standard will be established
IN the Hilton trophy and other big
matches by this departure. It is predict
e1 that the team winning the Hilton
L125
The District of Columbia holds the record
10 GATE, it being a orld-bea ter-10 97. Il
VIII be necessary to wait for several years
~ order to form a just reckoning between
lAe winning teams using the silhouette
Arget, as the high scores that are being
made on the latter cannot be compared
win those on the old-bulrs-eye oval tar
gets.
now that the team captains and others
VI tne Sea Girt contingent are cnga ged in
discussing the probabilities of an Ameri-