Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-10-14

doned the idea of having a force Of
crack shots and now merely aims at
a good general average. Too much
has perhaps been made of the preci-
sion Of the modern rifles. Each rifle
developes eccentricities from, day to
day, and in battle there is no way to
ascertain the errors or to get an ac-
curate range, especially in a damp
country where the bullets raise no
dust. Yet a we'll placed rife fire
does tell, and this is the only thing
that saved the British forces from
annihilation at Mons. The old Boer
trick of naming a certain number of
sharp shooters 20 fire at will in an
endeavor to pick off officers while
the remainder sent in fvolleys proved
a disastrous surprise to the Germans.
The oyd saying that 1t takes a ton OF
lead to kill a nan is still true. 1t is
estimated there is one hit in every
$500 shots, as accuracy Of instru'
ment is overcome by the greater dis
lance of fire..
mo lest TOT Vavdiry.
, lit is still too early to learn the part
cavalry is now playing. American
army officers are divided into two
schools on the subject of cavalry,
those who believe cavalry should play
its historic mart in battle, and those
who regard cavalry as effective only
in scouting, in acting as mounted in
fantry when it is necessary to rush
men to a weak point, there to dis
mount and advance on foot, and last
ly in following up a rout. Artillery
fire and barbed wire entanglements
have so far caused a great slaughter
on horses. The United States war
college had enough faith in cavalry,
however, to plan a division of it at
the time Intervention in Mexico was
threatened.
Machine guns figure largely in the
reports, but they are still believed to
be of real advantage only in sweep
ing streets and open roads, since
their fire is scattered and. they have
q tendency to jamb. They appear 70
do their greatest damage in pot
shooting.
Popular Imagination is greatly
stirred by reports of airships. But
these are not feared by soldiers, ak
ceppt in cases where they are able
to signal to the enemy the range to
their artillery. Even in scouting they
fly several miles high, so high as to
be unable to detect anything more
than the movements of large passes
of men, providing the atmospheric
conditions are favorable. Deployed
troops would 'be hard to distinguish.
The amount of explosives the ma.
chimes are able to carry is, in The mil
itary phrase, contemplate.
The real lesson the war so far
teaches, finds the critic, is the i'm.
mense advantage Of military prepar
alton. Germany overlooked nothing.
Her forces were seasoned and pro.
visioning and transport perfect. If
France, Belgium and Russia had been
as poorly prepared as England, Ger
many would have Q the war in a
month.
Britain's regular army is excellent
so far as it goes, but it forms only
one section of the line of the allies.
Some Of the best of the territorials,
who correspond to the American a
tional guard, have been sent to the
front, while the rest are used to re.
lieve the regulars in Gibraltar, India
and other foreign stations. Lord Kit
chener himself says that the new vol.
unteer army will not be ready for
use until spring. 1t would be murder
ito send raw troops against veterans.
Whether Britain will have to come
to CONSUMPTION i, questionable, but
the announcement by the Premier.
that. she would ncc was greeted in
parliament by cheers. Popular opin-
ion is strong against CONSUMPTION,
even in the form of a compulsory Ia.
tional guard, which it takes in New
Zealand. But If some sort of forced
training had existed, ven of a kind
not to take men away from produc.
tive toll, Lord Kitchener's task would
be greatly eased. The War office
says frankly that owing TO this lack
of preparation the war is sure to be
long and costly.
KEYSTONE COMEDY.
Don't forget the Keystone Comedy,
Her last Chance" at the Grand
"Wednesday and Thursday, adv