Evening star., 1916-10-15

q q marksman-is destined to re-
appear.
With well organized body of 100000
civilian rifiemen as nucleus on which
to build. Congress has stepped square
" behind the rif1e-shooting game with
100000 appropriation, to be used
generally in the promotion of rifle
practice throughout the United States
and its possessions, and to spread the
gospel of straight shooting so thor
oughly that should the need ever arise,
American men will not be sent into the
ranks of war unIearned in the use of
high-powered modern service weapon
The 100000 appropriation, the first
of its kind in the history of the ma
tion, was carried in the army appro-
priation law just enacted. 1t was the
final link needed to make the National
board for the Promotion of Rifle Prac-
tice-an organization which has exist
ed under the War Department for many
vears-a potent and virile factor in en-
couraging rife shooting
This appropriation is to be expended
under rules ard regulations which will
he drafted by the national board at
meeting in the near future And to aid
that body in effectively applying this
fund Congress further authorized the
President to appoint director of civ
ilian ma Sma nShip and inserted addi-
tional provisions both in the army ap
preparation bill and the army reorgan
fzation bill providing not only for the
opening to civilians of all ranges in
which the government is financially in
materials to be furnished free by the
War Departm to civilians.
This Legislation is the capstone of the
previous provisions which placed a
krag rifle and an annual allotment of
ammunition within reach of each mem
Der of a civilian rifle club, and which
will make possible the instruction of
hundreds of thousands of men and boys
IN the use of the service rifle.
The national board. headed by the
assistant secretary of war. William NJ.
1ngraham. consists of three army Off
GERS. two Marine Corps officers. one rep
sresentative of the National Rife Asso-
citation. and four members from the
country at large They are:
Col. George w. McIver. Maj. Palmer
r Pierce, Capt. Frank r. Curtis, all of
the army: Maj. William C. Harllee and
Mai. Thomas Holcomb. ir of the Ma
rine Corps: Lieut.. Col. William LibbeY
president of the National Rifle Asso:-
ciatioh: Brig. Gen. e. s. Tillotson. the
adjutant general of Vermont; Brig.
Gen. Charles w Thomas. the adjutant
general of California; Brig. Gen.
Charles T. Gather, National Guard of
Maryland. and Brig. Gen. Fred H
Phillips. jr, retired. National Guard of
Tennessee
The Importance of civilian rife shots
to any country has been empha sized by
William NJ. Ingraham, assistant secre-
tary of war. anJ president of the ma
tionai board for the promotion of rifle
practice
1T is of the most vital Importance to
the welfare of alton that rife prac-
tice be encoura ged," he said. The
ability to handle a service weapon
should not be confined TO the members
of the regular army or the National
Guard The citizenry of the country
should be taught to shoot.
This will certainly be the means of
bringing into the army and the Ma
tional Guard in time of trouble many
men trained in the handling Of small
arms There can be no question that
the soldier who is most valuable is the
one who is good shot. rife practice
and all its aims seek to make men
proficient shots
And the greatest Endorsement which
can be found to the belief expressed by
the assistant secretary of war is in the
large number of rifle shots'-members
of rife clubs-who Joined the ranks of
the National Guard when the call for
volunteers went out last June.
1t is estimated that practically every
one of the clubs in this country is rep
resented by at least one man in the