Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-22

above twenty and older men-who can
and do shoot well. These men and boys
are most of them residents of Washing
ton or the District: some of them live IN
nearby Maryland or Virginia They are
clerks. stenographerS. messengers. wagon
drivers. packers. bankers, retail mer-
chants schoolboys. farmers and farmer
lads. And they know how to shoot with
rifle. Now, as has been said, the the
DRY of rifle practice is the same. whether
the rife used is small large: and a
man who can shoot with the small rifle,
at gallery ranges. as these men and boys
shoot. would have to put in mighty lit-
tie time with the military rifle to be-
come a dangerous marksman.
But there is Notwithstanding all this.
lament BILE lac in these days of practice
with the military rifie-thc hish-powered
arm, shooting the bottle-shaped. smoke
less-powder cartridge and the nickel
tipped bullet with a driving power suf-
fcient to send it through the bodies of
lalf d dozen men a mile away. Expert
rifemen arc a necessary part of the
military csta bHsh~nent in time of war.
The United States does not maintain a
large standing army: therefore. SIS
tematic training OF national Suardsmen
and the establishment and encourage
ment of civilian rifle clubs arc necessary.
if we are TO be prepared in case our
country becomes involved in war with a
formidable foreign power. Congress so
far has neglected or refused to provide
for this encoura cement. Furthermore. in
more than one state laws have been
enacted that make 1t felony to buy,
keep a rife or rifle ammunition.
to carry a rifle or to discharge rifle
anywhere in tho state. Notably is this
the case in New York and Massachusetts
In these two states the new laws do not
even except the National Guard In Mas
sachusetts, with National Guard OF
more than 1000 members. rifle practice
is now abandoned be, ause it cannot he
held without violating the law of the
state.
The National Rife Association has
been at work for years to secure federal
legislation for the encouragement OF rifle
clubs. ard tie wider extension of rifle
practice outside the army and the Ma
tional Guard. Here is what Lieut.. \. :.
Jones, secretary of the association, says
in regard to present conditions:
Our neelect OF this most important
feature of national defense is due en-
tirely to congressional inac.ion, or, more
properly speaking. failure of the House
of Representatives to cooperate with
the Serate in cnactng LEGISLATION which
will authorize the War Department to
issue rifles and ammunition to properly
organized rife clubs. There are stored
in the government arsenals over :i9A.,1o
'krag' rifles. To issue such of these to
rife clubs would be necessary would
cost the government nothing.
An appropriat ton would Ge necessary
TO pay for manufacturing and issuing
the ammunition, and here is where Con-
Gress Balks and sets up the cry OF econ
omy. while at the same time appropriate
ing a million or so to make Mud creek
navigable Our lawmakers evidently
over look the fact that the training in life
shooting of the great 5ody OF unorganized
militia which Will form our volunteer
armies in time of war VIII. in 4 measure,
do away with the necessity of maintain
ing a great standing army.
When such states as New York and
Massa chusetts discourage all attempts to
give such training by laws forbidding
The use and ownership of arms. con-
,rary to the Constitution of the United
States. which guarantees such rights.
what are we to expect for the future of
or country? Surely peace is enervatinS
TO our manhood. Universal peace what
whacks il has received during the year
1911
Last Saturday. al the rife range of the
United States Marine Corps. at Winthrop,
Nd a few miles below Indian Head. the
schoolboys Of the Washington high
schools held their third annual rifle
tournament. The event was held under
the auspices OF the National Rife Asso-
iat:on. as have been the two preceding
tournaments Boys who are members of
the High School Cadet Corps. as well as
lads who are not members CT the corps
took part in the shoot. Some of the lads
though very few-are members of the
District National Guard. The scores
made by these high school riftenlen show
that the breed of sharpshooters is not
yet extinct Lads hardly well into their
teens, using the regulation army rifle and