The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-04

ing on this a number OF expert shots
who participated in this campaign have
said that had our men been behind
the enemy's rife pits we could have
killed at least ten times our own num-
Der out of any troops attacking them
as we did the Spaniards.
Japanese Are Good shots.
The lack of rife practice on the
part of the Russians is contrasted with
the care and attention given this sub
Ject by the Japanese and is held large
ly responsible for the success OF the
Japanese in attacking and carrying
fortified places.
The board takes the position that
for practical purposes in battle, the
man behind the rifle is the military
unit and If he is properly trained to
hit what he shoots at all other units
will do good work." and insists that
there is no way by which a rifle can
be accurately shot at any range
without the individual training of tn
man who aims 1t and pulls the trig-
GER
After pointing out that the United
States must depend. in time of war,
upon the militia and volunteers for
the bulk of the fighting force, the
board says that If the plans proposed
in the bill are adopted, it is believed
the United States will, within a few
years, have more than 100000 men
who will have. for practical pur-
poses on the line of battle, nearly all
of the requirements for the most eff
cient enlisted men in the world"
Half the Army Trained Marksmen.
Statistics of the existing regular
army show that of the $4,000 aggre-
gate, only $4,000 enlisted men of the
infantry and $4,000 enlisted of the cav
airy, or total of $4,000 are being
trained as marksmen. OF the National
Guard forces, amounting to $4,000 APP
proximately. only about one-third of
the states have ranges or make any
pretense of training national guards
men; as rifemen the second third have
the merest apologies for ranges. and
quite a third have no ranges at all.
1t is, therefore, estimated that not
more than 10000 or $4,000 of the ma
tional guard have been trained to
shoot, which, together with the $4,000
of the regular army, make an aggre-
gate available force of trained marks
men of only about $4,000 men in a
country of S0,000,000 inhabitants.
The National Guard is only avail
a bile for service in time of war for a
period of nine months, so that volun-
teer troops drawn from civil life would
be required. OF a land force of 400,-
900 or 900 troops. at the very out
side, under existing circumstances,
only so, 600 or 20 to % per cent would
have been trained in the handling of
a modern weapon and in accuracy of
shooting.
British Army's Work.
resume of what the other coun-
tries are doing in this direction shows
Qrif sf11pn ROpT
War is making strenuous effots to
encourage rifle practice. Hundreds of
ranges have been built and every in
ducement is offered for boys and young
men to practice. Ten thousand pounds
sterling Is annually appropriated by
Parliament for the encouragement OF
rifle practice in England, which is aug
mented by many private donations.
The King of England gives 1000 pounds
annually for prizes. and Mr.. William
Waldorf Astor formerly citizen or
the United States. recently contrib
uted 10000 towards an endowment
fund for the National Rifle Associa-
ton of England. In 1902 the aggregate
prizes at the great Bislet meeting
amounted to $4,000.
All the World Shooting.
Canada, with a population of about
1000 900, gives $4,000 a year for the
support of the Dominion Rife Asso-
citation, which receives at least as
much from private parties. In France,
rifle clubs under the supervision of the
government, are maintained, assisted
and en- outraged to the utmost extent.
In Italy, rifle clubs are formed under
the direction of the government in
every community and a considerable
reduction in time of compulsory mill
tary service is allowed to those men
who have qualified as marksmen. In
1898, Switzerland had 3,446 shooting
clubs with 100000 members, of which
10000 qualified. Assistance is given
by the Netherlands in money, arms
and ammunition. while Norway and
Sweden, in addition to organizing rife
clubs for adults, are giving special at
tention to the training of boys in
schools from the age of IL years up
wards.
when the whole world seems to be
keenly. alive to the importance Of
civilian rifle practice says the report,
'it seems strange indeed that the
United States, the most progressive of
the large nations, should have done al
most nothing in this direction, although
a greater proportion of its soldiery
than that of any other country must
= .a..n H.. %