Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-06

and clubhouses have been offered to
the army to be used not only for the
training of potential soldiers, but for
recruiting purposes as we'll
In other localities. as soon as war
was declared. rife clubs have under
taken to train not only in shooting, but
in military tactics all citizens liable
to conscription and all who would come
under home guard requirements, or
those of line of last defense.
The activities of rife clubs have been
many and varied, and each possesses to
greater or less extent national mill
tary value. Yet all this is aside from
the thousands of experienced rifiemen
who either have actually enlisted in
one of the regular establishments or
who have offered their services as in
structors.
For many years rifle shooting has
ranked as one of the prominent sports
Of the country but within the past
decade it has fiourished at its height.
The National Rife Association of Amer
lea, an afnliation of the 1000 and more
civilian rife clubs and the medium
through which the national board for
the promotion of rife practice of the
War Department works, represents the
shooting game in so far =" 90 civilian
and much of the match sh"s : of the
military are concerned. The ~. r. A."
as it is known in riflemau's parlance,
has for its one aim the encouragement
of rifle practice. The membership of
the clubs composing the association
now IOIalS more tnan lUU,UUU.
It is through this organization alone
that the government sanctions the use
of its old rifles. Since 1914 the gov
ernment has issued thousands of Krags
to rife clubs affiliated with the N. r.
A, under certain prescribed rules, to-
gether with an annual allotment of 120
rounds of ammunition for each club
member. In explaining this phase of
the work, Brig. Gen. Fred II. Phillips,
secretary of the National Rife Asso-
citation, says:
Placing service rifles In the hands
of civilians was the greatest impetus
ever given the shooting game in this
country. AS far back as 1905 Congress
had provided for the purchase of gov
ernment arms, but not until this later
legislation did rife shooting take the
hold upon the men of this country
which it now has.
when the United States retired the
Krag rifle and armed its forces with
the Springfield, 100000 Krags and
in reserve in the various arsenals of
the country. 1t was the issue of these
guns and this ammunition which Con-
gress sanctioned.
Prior to the passage of that act in
1914, 173 clubs were afTlliated with this
organization, most of which used the
small-bore rife and shot on indoor
ranges. Today practically every one
of our clubs shoots the service arm in
addition to the .22-caliber, the former
being the more important weapon in
their club work"
What of the result of all this? Let
ters, telegrams, verbal messages, all
give proof that what Uncle Sam gave
Is being returned hundredfold Per-
haps q single letter can best speak of
the spirit of the rife clubs throughout
the country. Coming from but a single
organization. 1t yet bespeaks the ardor
manifested by all. 1t was sent to Sec
retary of War Baker from the Mound
City Rife Club of st. Louis, and was,
in part:
The Mound City Rife Club, composed of 100
members is willing and anxious to do something
for the country at this time.
Those Of members who are eligible will
enlist. Many are heads of families and other