Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-05-15
GOOD GUNS Tor Ing.
Within . Year Four Regiments Of
Iowa National Guard Will
Have New Guns.
Appropriation Sufficient to Furnish
New Equipment smokeless
Powder to bs Used.
State Shoot at Cedar Rapids June
l1-Camps This Year Entirely
Regimental.

ll-Camps This Year entirely
Regimental.
Special to mes-Republican.
Des Moines, May 15.-Within year
all the four regiments Of the /,
Iowa National Guard will be armed
With first-class modern rifles and all
heir equipment will be Of the best kind
md nothing will be lacking. This year
the boys will have to get along with
the old antiquated Springfield rifles,
but the day of Improvement for the
National Guard is near at hand, says
Adjt. Gen. Byers. Congress has al
ready passed bill which provides thal
the equipment used by the volunteer
during the Spanish MARSHALL
be returned to them upon the applica-
ton of the state authorities where they
were organized. In Iowa the state
turned in to the national government
the equipment which it had in Its pos
session at the time the call for troops |
was made. This equipment had been
issued by the war department to the
Iowa National Guard at various times
during past years. 1t really belonged
to the government and when the troops
We're mustered out the government
took it back The bill which congress
has passed restores this property to the
National Guard. This will give the
Iowa regiments tirst-class equipment
without expense. The regular National
Guard appropriation will be available
for other necessary purposes.
Under the National Guard appropria-
tion bill. which has just passed the
house ard been favoraby reported in
the senate, the Iowa National Guard
will receive about 100000 per year from
1.-THE government for the purchase of
arms and equipment. The appropria-
\ ton has been increased from 100000 to
$1,000 900 for the support Of the Nation
al Guard in the various states. Inas-s
much as the Iowa regiments Will be
| we'll equipped, they will not need to
gspend any of this money for the pur-a
chase of equipage. 1t can all be used
4 for the purchase of arms. Adjt. Gen.
1 Byers thinks that it will be sufficient to
4 arm the four regiments with. modern
4 rifles next year
& Il
4 Gen. Byers s opposed TO the krag-
4 Jorgensen rifle for two reasons. First,
4 he prefers q simple, single shot breech-
Il Iioading rifle rather than magazine
8lrifle. and second, the kras-Jorgensen
lhas such a complicated mechanism that
lift is liable to get out of order, and no
lone but an expert can repair 1t. DE
says that experience has shown that
A troops will do better work with a sin
s gle-sho., breect-loading rifle than they
Xviii with repeaters. because they vii
ltake more care when they know
!. they have but one shot 70 mrs
III magazine fuI. at time. Maga-
81 zine rifles have proven 70 be very
/, wasteful of ammunition. The new IS
1 Icaliber. breech-leading Springfield, us
4 ling smokeless powder. Is the one pre-
4 ferred by Gen. Byers. and this gun i
4 quite likely tob be adopted by the low;
National Guard and by the resula
y army. 1t is being thoroughly tested 3.
) the ordnance department and is looke'
s 4 upon with much favor by militar,
J, men.
4
% The state shoot comes off at Ceda
q Rapids June IL. Adjt. Gen. Byers is j
q Cedar Rapids today making arrange
men;s for the camp and seeing that IN
range is in good shape. Four men WI
If go from each company in the four il' Y reg
It ments To this shoot to receive instrut
,-lstion from Col Thomas r. Cook, OF y
+. gona, the inspector general of sma
70 arms practice. They will spend four
$ five days in camp. practiclng ana rt
!. cei.ing instructions. They Will then re
turn to their companies ana ths soy,
n pany target practice upon which u
company's record is made UP VIII !
e done at home.
a The legislature reorganized the NIL
tary establishment of the state TO son
extent. bringing it into conformity WI
the regular army organization. The pi
gade organization is entirely do'
away with. The regimental organiz
tion is made to conform in every WI
A. TO the regular army. The regiment
or quartermast is given the rank OF
at captain, where he has heretofore be
he only first lieutenant. There are to
NJ six sergeants and six corporals IN ca
an company where before there We're u
,r- sergeants and four corporals, that
ch each company is to have a first So
he geant, quartermester sergeant. =. a