Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-07
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here the activity at the ride ranges
In the vicinity of Harrisburg is part
and parcel of some pretty strenuous
work under way in every part of
| Pennsylvania. The members of the
| rine clubs in this city did not appear
TO be minding the raw weather of the
iast Few days and those who got q
| holiday yesterday took advantage of
the leisure hours to go out and bang
| away at the targets. This interest in
| preparedness began here some years
ago and while at first there were less
than score of men who thought
| enough OF readiness Tor trouble to
work and pay at the ranges last sum-
mer the numbers mounted and there
are probably half a dozen ranges in
side or a twenty-mile line flung from
| tne capitol where men are shooting at
the targets. There is something grim
about the manner in which the rife
men are at work. They are not talk
ing of enlisting just now because many
OF them are men in their thirties and
even In the forties, but they say that
II the call comes and Uncle Sam needs
to call on them they will be prepared
to take their place in the line. wheth-
er these men so into the ranks or not
their example should be contagious.
Every man who has the chance should
get rifle and learn how to use it,
say army officers, and those who have
been studying the national situation.
Ihere is no telling what may turn up.
POSSIBLY some arrangement could be
made whereby the range used by the
National Guardsmen could be made
available for volunteer SQUADS to learn
the business end of being ready this
summer.
In number of towns the officers
OF the National Guard companies have
been taking pains to teach the young
men of their communities the use of
firearms. The students, so to speak,
are not members of the commands,
but they are interested and the officers
have been encouraging SO that If they
ever desire to enlist they will not be
absolutely green. The result has been
that there are many young men who
know how to handle firearms and who
have some of the rudiments of SOL
diering who can be depended upon to
NIL up the ranks in case of a real
emergency and be useful members.
Attorney General Brown has placed
in the gallery of portraits Of the for
mer Attorney Generals of the Com
monwealth a handsome portrait of
VIM. S. kirkpatrick, Easton, who was
Attorney General under Governor
James A. Beaver. This portrait has
been the one missing in the last forty
years and Mr.. Kirkpatrick's modesty
was the cause of It, Mr.. Brown how
a picture as everyone else had done
and he sent one which shows him in
the days when he was residing in
Harrisburg. The likeness is excellent.
The series is we'll night complete. The
gallery was started back in the days
of Hampton l.. Carson, Attorney Gen
eral under Samuel w. Pennypacker,
according to what they say at the
Capitol, and with the assistance of
the late Frederic W. Fleitz, his deputy.
;,,As. aF a1,s sAF
legal officers of early days were Sc
: cured. The living Attorney Generals
were written to and responded. When
NJ. Hampton Todd retired with the
Stuart administration, Attorney Gen
eral John c.. Bell, his successor Sc
cured from him portraits of Mr.. Todd
and of his father, who was Attorney
General many years before. The only
other instance of father and son fill
! Ing the Office was that OF the Reeds,
who served before the Civil War.
Efforts are being made at the Cap
: itol to get Ex-Governor John X, Tener
to sit for his portrait for the guber-
material gallery. The Tener portrait
is the only one not in place and its
When the former Governor was here
= recently he was asked about 1t and re-
= piled that he was too busy to sit still
long enough for an artist to depict
: his likeness.
> The speed with which the New Ha-
! ! Ven firm having the contract for de-
Il molition of the buildings in the Cap
itol Park extension is tearing down
the structures is somewhat startling.
= The men employed appear to work
= from dawn to eVe and the way that
= walls are leYeled and materials taken
= away is we'll worth watching. 1t is in
u teresting to note that precious little
= lumber or door or window frames re-
: main long on the ground. Most OF
the material is sold early and the pur-
chasers get right on the job and cart
il away. Some idea of the way things
are going may be gained from the
statement that there are only dozen
buildings standing on State street,
while the rest of the tract outside of
Fourth street presents q desolate ap-
pearance.
i The State Department of Labor and
: Industry has been called to the aid of
: the high schools of Tulsa. Okla; Gal
[ weston Tex, and Walla Walla, Wash.
! There have probably been more high
= schools to ask the assistance of DR..
C Jackson's department, but these have
I been selected for variety Generally
t when any one wants to know anything
Q about the state in general or to make
q complaint a letter is sent to the Gov
= ernor or the Secretary of State and
when the baby gets rash Commits
= sioner of Health Dixon is solemnly
a consuted-by mail. The letters ad-
dressed to the labor and industry de-
4 partment for ammunition for school
. debates at which things making the
C rest of us gray are disposed of with
r celerity and satisfaction in a night.
One letter which came out of the West
asked sixty-seven questions regarding
q the labor conditions of the miners of
i Pennsylvania and the writer naively
h inquired whether Pennsylvania could
( be considered State where things
= were very bad.