The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-30
CITY ASKED TO AID.
OFFICERS WANT 1T TO DONATE
$3.50 FOR THE SHOOT.
PETITION HAS BEEN FILED.
OFFICERS ARE SUBSCRIBING LIB
ERALLY THEMSELVES.

Capt. w. B. stephens, Chairman o.:
the General Committee in Charge
of the shoot, Said Yesterday That
He Docs Not Question Its Success.
If Teams Come From Five States
He VIII Consider That 1t Has Been
Decided Success-InterHtate
shoot This Year lis to BE But the
First of Many Successful Rifle
Meetings Mt the savannah Range.
Capt .Coney for Jacksonville.
The Finance Committee of the In
terstate Rife Shoot to be held at Sa-
vannah Aug. $3.50, is busy with it's
plans for rasing the necessary funds.
The members OF the committee do not
question cuat they VIII he successful,
Iovided that the business man and
the people gen, rally come to their as
distance.
The officers of the military who are
taking the leading part in the arrange
ments for the shoot are themselves
setting the example in the matter of
subscriptions to the fund. They do
not go to business men to solicit their
subscriptions without having first sub
scribed themselves. Several of the Of
fieers have each given $25, while others
have contributed smaller amounts.
A petition to the City Council was
fled yesterday by Capt. w. B. Steph-
tee in charge of the sho6t, asking an
appropriation of $3.50. If Capt. Steph-
ems or other officers interested are
given a hearing by Council, it is not
doubted that a decision to help the
shoot will be reached.
A Bright Outlook.
Capt. Stephens said yesterday that
everything points to successful af-
fair. He is greatly encouraged and
believes that Savannah Will have a
shoot with which it may well be sat
isfed.
IF we get a state team from three
or four of the Southern states" said
Capt. Stephens, Il shall feel that the
shoot has been great success. 1t
must be remembered that we started
late in making the arrangements. If
we have state team from Florida,
from Alabama. from North Carolina,
from South Carolina and. of course,
from Georgia, 1 do not see that there
will be any reason for complaint.
1t is not only for the present that
we are working. Such a success as I
have indicated for this year would
mean greater successes for succeeding
years. All that the movement re-
cures is support now, in it's initial
year. If that is rendered as it should
be, there is no question about the
future. 1t is assured. and year after
year there can be a big rifle shoot at
savannah. The Avondale range will
become the Sea Girt of the South.
Will Boom rifle Practice.
with the states that 1 have indi-
Gated represented in the match for
state teams, 1t may be accepted as a.
fact that an impetus will be given rife
practice in those states that will show
its results in the increased attendance
upon the Savannah shoot next year.
Ranges will be built at various points
in the South, and the use of military
rifles will be INDUCED in for practice
to an extent that has never been
known.
From several states there have
come assurances of best wishes for
the success of the shoot, while others
have promised to send teams. Answers
showing interest in the event were as
much as we expected from some of
the more distant states, but it was
easy to see from the nature of the re-
plies that it will be but a matter of
a short time before those states also
enter teams in the annual interstate
shoots at Savannah"
Quite a considerable proportion of
the $1,250 required for the shoot has
been raised. The officers who have this
work in hand will not allow it to flag.
Capt. Walter e. Coney left at an
early hour this morning for Jackson
vile, where he hopes to interest the
two military companies in the Savan-
nah shoot. His friends do not doubt
that he will succeed in this and It may
be that he will secure teams from both
companies. His recent trip to Alabama
proved successful, as five teams were
promised. Capt. Coney will return to-
night.