The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-03-17
To TRAIN MARKSMEN
OFFICERS OF INTERSTATE MILL
TARY RIFLE ASSOCIATION ASK.
LAWT0NS TO USE THE RANGE
MOVEMENT TO INTEREST ALL CIT
liens IN RIFLE PRACTICE.

| Not Thought That the Light Rifles
VIII Do as Effective work, bat
VIII Give Cadets Splendid Prac-
tice-Object Is to Prepare Them
for Marksmen So That When
They Enlist in other Companies
They Will be Experienced-More
correspondence About OIympian
Games.
The officers of the Interstate Mill
tary Rife Association have inaugural
ed a movement looking to the use of
the Avondale range, not alone by those
military organizations which have used
I il in the past, but also by the Lawton
! Cadets and by all citizens. 1t is their
! aim by encouraging the general use
! of the range, and Offering inducements
| enjoyed in no other city, to make of
Savannah a city which will far out
strip all others in rifle and pistol
| shooting.
| They have decided to offer the use
of the range to the members of the
Lawton Cadets, and have made inquiry
| into the Feasibility of using the light
rifles now used by that organization
on the range. This, it is feared, will
not be as effective as the As calibre,
ordinary charge, now used by the mill
! tary. The recOil to the light rifle is
| more pronounced than with the regu-
lation. The test has not been thor
! oughly made, however, and while those
who are familiar with the two rihes
! say that the light rifle will not pro-
| duce the results which may be attain
! ed with the heavier one, yet the prac-
! tice to be had with it would be very
beneficial.
To Train Young Marksmen.
1t is the idea of the officers in al
| lowing the Lawtons the use of the
range to train the young marksmen
so that when they become of the age
where they leave their command and
enlist in other commands in the city,
they will have already attained
knowledged which will be of great
benefit to them, and make marksmen
of them in a much shorter time than
they otherwise could be made. An in
stance of the benefit which would
have resulted had the company been
granted the use of the range in the
past is best given in the enlistment
of twenty-four members of the Law
| tons in Company c of the Guards but
a few weeks ago.
Company c is already one of the best
| companies of marksmen in the state,
and the addition of twenty-four men,
| bers who would in a comparatively
short time have become marksmen or
| sharpshooters would the officers say,
have been of incalculable benefit not
| only to the company but to the pres
| tige which Savannah now holds in
| rifle practice.
For the Citizens.
The officers are making a systematic
effort to interest the citizenry as we'll
| The use of the range is extended to
all citizens. 1t is desired that all who
| are enough interested in rifle shoot
ing or pistol practice enroll their
! names in the association. The dues
| of the association are merely nominal
| and, the officers argue, one is afforded
more pleasure and instruction on the
range by the payment of 81 year than
| in any other pleasure or pursuit that
can be named.
The interest in rifle practice is at
this time general. Two of the mill
tary organizations, the Hussars and
the Chatham Artillery, have recently
equipped shooting galleries, and spend
much of their time in practice In
deed match is now being arranged
| between the two commands, which will
| be shot off by teams of five men at
| an early date.
Team for Olympian Games.
But the officers are working for more
| than local recognition as marksmep
| The movement to send a team to the
| Olympian games, which was some time
| ago inaugurated. has gained fresh i'm
| petus of late. The exposition will be
| held in St. Louis instead of Chicago
| 1t is now thought that a team can be
sent to louisiana Purchase Exposition
| in st. Louis in 1904. Letters have been
| received within the past week by the
| executive officers of the association
| from the secretary of the Physical Cult
| ure Department of the exposition
| which are In their tone so encouraging
as to lead the officers to believe that
not only team, but perhaps the First
| Regiment of Infantry, may be sent to
participate.
The interest evinced in rifle practice
in Savannah has had its effect on the
! Florida military. The report of Adit
! Gen Foster of the Florida State Troops,
| which has Just been published, shows
| great activity in rifle practice. This is
! an innovation. All of the reports for
warded to the adjutant general refer
TO the interest in rifle practice, and i'll
| almost every one some mention Is
made of the Savannah range and the
interstate shoot is heartily COM
! mended. it is believed by the officers
| here that the largest representation
| from any sister state at the coming
| interstate shoot will be from / lorida,
and that in a short time that state
will he &. worthy competitor to Georgia
| in rifle practice, If she is not already so.
| RIRI : STIlnY MEETINGS.