The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1915-05-04
The PRESIDENT MUST
GIVE HIS APPROVAL
REFORE THE REMOVAL OF KRAG
RIFLES FROM THE ARISEN
AIS BY CIVILIANS.
ACTHASNOT BEEN SANCTIONED


President Wilson. Its Purpose is
tn Train Citizens in the Use of
Military Rifles.
WASHINGTON. - Following the
action of congress at the last session
authorizing the chief of ordnance 10
issue free to rife clubs the Krag RI
fes stored in the government arse
mails and 120 cartridges to be used in
the same for each member OF the
rife club the president and his cab"
met are confronted with the propo-
sition to put the seal of approval OF
the administration on the training of
the civilians in the use of the mill
tary arm as recommended by the
president in his last message to con-
gress. This approval or diSapproval
will come about through the efforts
of the National Board for Promotion
of Rife Practice to organize rifle
shooting associations in all the gov
eminent departments in Washington,
such organizations necessarily requlr-
ing the approval of The chiefs OF the
departments.
From Arsenals.
The movement to issue Krag rifles
for the training of citizens in rifle
shooting explains what is being done
with the Krag rifles in storage in
the government arsenals, which has
been a matter of a great deal of
newspaper speculation as to the dis
posal of the same since the outbreak
of the European war. 1t was the eff
forts of spectators, influential and
otherwise, who were making the life
of the chief of ordnance miserable in
their efforts to purchase the Krag
rifles, which caused the president to
have issued the order in January for
bidding the sale of arms to rife clubs.
1t was not thought that there was
any abuse of the privilege accorded
rife clubs to purchase government
arms, but the pres dent desired to be
in position of saying that no arms
in any amount and of any description
were being sold to anyone, especially
Krag rifles, as these were being re-
served for issue to government rife
clubs under authority of the recent
new law.
Since the law went into effect last
summer over $50 rifle clubs have
been organized in the country. No
particular section seems to be leading
in this respect, although these clubs
are more successful in the West,
where it is easier to acquire and
maintain ranges in the open. The
lack of ranges in the densely popu-
of
is going to materially retard the de-
VeIopment of rifle shooting in the
East unless the government should
construct ranges that can be used at
200 and 800 yards near the larger
cities, after the plans of protected
ranges carried out in Germany and
other foreign countries, which pro
vide for the building of shields to
catch all shots which would have
missed the target, thus making them
absolutely safe from stray bullets
and accidental discharge of the rifle
The general staff of the army is now
at work on new code of rifle prac-
tice which can be used on such ranges
and also on open ranges of the Ma
tional Guard where it is impossible
to get distances beyond 800 yards.
Congress will be asked at the COM
ing session to adopt policy of rarge
construction in the United States.
Every year that this is put off will
add to the difficulties and cost to the
government of eventually acquiring
such ranges, and without such ranges
the government will never obtain any
adequate returns from it's loaning to
citizens of Krag rifles and ammuni-
ton. Such clubs are now being au-
thorized at the rate of 8 to rs
week and the offices of the National
Rife Association of America, in
whose hands the government has
placed the organization of these
clubs, are busy place. By address
ing this association at Washington
descriptive printed matter in regard
to the movement may be secured by
any citizen who is interested in the
matter of rifle training in this coun-
+ru