The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-05

science was forced to go to war armed with a weapon that was obsolete Sc quickly had the art of gun making and the science of ballistics advanced that our old-fashioned army rifle, the so- called 'Old Springfield was made into junk amost in day.
 But the government "experts'' were not entirely to blame. No one knows until the actual moment of need just what advances in warfare have been made since the last struggle. After the Introduction of the breechloading rifle in tho late sixties, the world waited until the Franco-Prussian war proved the terrible efficiency of the French chasse- pot and the German needle gun. Also, when we went to war with Spain, our old i5-70 Springfield, with it's conical lead bullet and black powder became obsolete at once. In it's place in order to match the excellent Spanish Mausers made in Germany" with their steel jacketed bull lets and smokeless powder, our govern ment hastily adopted the type of weapon that it should have armed its troops with long before hostilities began. The Krag- Jorgensen .30-calibre repeating rifle thus became the official weapon of our govern ment. Invented abroad and manufac- tured by the thousands at our govern ment arsenals, it accompanied our troops all over the world. The regular regi- ments carried it to Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philippines, and later from Tsien- tsin to Picking.
 The 'Old Springfield had in mo- ment become a relic. Excellent in it's day it had outived it's usefulness long before our people realized what an old fossil it had become Those who served in the vounteer forces will remember what curiosity the new "Krag" was to eyes familiar with the old big bored, single. shot, black powdered smoke wagon" Yet it must not be supposed that the Old Springfield was not good done by troops armed with it. General Funston in his Philippines Expe- riences,'' tells howg his regiment, the Tw entieth Kansas, took trench after trench from Filipinos armed with the Spanish Mauser. His comparison of his regiments firing line to prairie fire is a tribute to the smoke making qualities his regiment fairly ''combed" the top of the hostile trenches while advancing proves alike the accuracy of the weapon and the craftsmanship of the men.
 The Old Springfield was rapidly ex- changed for the Krag-Jorgensen. or '.Krag," as the soldiers called it. This, for it's day and time, was an excellent dTlllp but ASs tcOp AAoS tAeAU SO AA0nC V@J for a better. this time for the New Springfield, which is at present the official rifle of the United States. It is known as the "U. S. magazine rifle. calibre 80. model of 19O3" It needs no expert to see that 1t is a jewel of the gun makers art. It is the neatest, trim- nest and sturdiest military rifle in the world. and it's range and accuracy are unsurpassed. It is shorter than the rifle of any other army, so short. in fact. that our cavalry uses the same weapon as the infantry. When the New Spring field came in, the cavalry carbine ceased to exist. for there was no need of a sawed off weapon for the "critter conn panies,' when there was such an excel lent little short rifle all ready to hand. Now our mounted troops and walk aheaps" carry the same rifle.
 The New Springfield. like all modern military rifles, Is really Mauser That is 1t is built along the lines of the in- vention of old Paul Mauser. who designed the first bolt action rifle. So simple and strong, so able to withstand the racket of campaigning was this idea of Mauser, that the governments of the world were forced to adopt his plans, just as the governments of the world had been forced to adopt the general idea of the revolver of our own Samuel Colt.
 But the New Springfield is Mauser only in general type. It is manufactured by our government. and in the eyes of thousands of men who know whereof