The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-05
THRESHING OVER
THE OLD STRAW
BritisherS Sore Over Defeat
by American Rifle Team.
ALLEGED FRACTURE 0FRULES
GUNS USED DID NOT BEAR THE
U. s. STAMP.

4 ONDON June 4.--Perhaps il looks
as if we could not take a Iicking."
said Major General Lord Cheyles-
more. president of the National Rifle
association. TO q representative Of the
Associated Press, referring TO the con-
trOyersy over the rifles used by. the
Americans i'm the match for the Palma
trophy which was won by the Ameri-
can team i'm JULY last However con
tluued he former commander OF the
GTeuaQIer guards that IS not the case,
nor do the comments OF the English pa
pers represent our feelings There IS no
resentment on cur part ard We COR
unuo to hold thc American rifle team
ln the highest respect. u they offered
To re-sh0ot the match for the Palma
trophy we would not DO f. We were
beaten and We own up Go H. We looked
ON them while here as s1od sportsmen
and dld our best 90 make them feel at
home. We have no reason to change our
opinion. All We say is that unfeTtu-
Eately, mistake occurred on account
or the American rifle team using rifles
they themselves admit are not similar
TO those issued 10 the American army
Such action distinctly broke the COndi-
tious under which the Palma trophy
must be fought for
Why the Story is Revived.
"0ur action iu pointing our this mis-
take was not due TO any desire 70 take
to our own men and actually as the re-
suit of q letter which appeared in an
American paper some time after we re-
signed ourselves to the conviction that
the Americans were the better men,
ct DO not suppose that the result OF
the shoot would have been different.
whatever happened. and I would like Is
be clearly understood that we are not
trying Go beilttle the American victory.
Nothing dishonorable has been imputed
by us To- the American team and , am
very sorry TO Gee that che l-0HdoU Times
made such ara uHLouuded deduction. oui.
he forgiven for pointing out again chat
General Sueucer's letter explicitly admits
breaking The rules of the competition.
Hints at Deception.
CAS- prcsideutof the rifle association. L
never left BiSiey while the shoot WINS
iu progress. During that time my at-
tegtiou was never called 60 the Ameri-
can rifle Had { KNOWN or had any Of
fetal IF the British association known.
chat the American rifle was of diff
fercut pattern from that issued TO tine
American troops We should have been
obliged to eau "a meeting 90 discuss the
merits cd the case
please do NOT Trims ] am intmati0s
that the Americans prdcbced deception
D kuoW that J or anybody at EiSl@y was
rifles they used. We took il for granted
they were service arms Ut is entirety
false however. for any one to say that
the officials o1 the British Rifle assoei-
alton were told that the spiral WAS dit
fcrCut from that used il the army. Per
haps IL woUid have been better if we
had been more officially minute ON the
spot but it Us easy to be wise after
an event
The statement that the barrels OF the
rifles used by the English team were
made by private firms and that hence
The conditions under which both teams
shot were identical Is misleading. The
British barrels were undoubtedly made
10y private firms, but all bore the war Of
flee view mark and c0nformed In every
respect with the barrels used On me
British army
Unpleasant incidents.
The controversy aroused here over the
Palma affair has brought TO cli-
max long series or unpleasant incidents
associated with the Anglo-A1neriean
sDorfine contests. Scarcely any OF these
has occurred in England without leaV-
ing bitterness on one side or the other
Americans resident i'm the United King
dom have come to dread the visit OF
any american team. Almost inevitably
whether it De shooting. racing yachting.
polo boat racing. tennis or any otn-t
snort there has heeu left something TO
explain or something TO Viudicate. since
Howard Could came over with MS yacht
NIAGARA which was visited by officials
OF the Yacht racing association ln 1880
I'm the absence of Mr.. Gould, owing TO
a rumor that she was fitted with wa
Ter ballast. to the present Palma epi-
sode mutual disuust appears to have
existed between the leading sDortsmen
of both countries. Hence the fOrthcOul-
Ing "trip of the Hars ard-4aie athletes
causes some misgivings in the minds Of
Americans VINO live ln England