The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1918-06-20

' ; f: reason. ss. mi. .,.
The American is hunter by tradition 1t Is IN
mis- blood because his father and grandfather De-
fore him won the wilderness with the old muZzle-
loader Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett ana
cit Carson are all old friends of his. The wld
West is familiar territory, even though he may
never have crossed the Mississippi. For he mas
read the tales of trappers and hunters and prac-
ticed them on small scale in the woods out
side his village.
The American is a marksman by training
What boy has not spent long days in the WOODS
with gun in his hands? What youth, excepting
,nly some born and reared in the largest Cities
not come home at night In triumph with
rag of cottOntals?
The third reason why Sammy sticks to his rifle
the trenches is that IL is the best military arm
I the world.
For these three reasons, then-because the rifle
} his weapon by tradition and by training ana
ecause the one he carries is the best manufac-
ured-our infantryman backs the rifle against the
aand grenade and the bayonet. He can use any
the three, but for choice give him clean 600
ard shot at moving spot Of gray outlined
.gainst the dun Flanders background of a scar
.orn hill.
It has been acknowledged for years that the
American regular army, small though it was prior
% 1917, is the finest body of marksmen in any
army Our teams competing at Camp Perry and
1T Risley against the best shots of Europe ana
he western hemisphere, proved cOnclusively that
ne superiority still rests with us.
The United States government has made for its
rmy the most perfect military rifles ever pro-
Iuced These are the Springfield model of 1903
md the 1917 model, both of which are beyond
question better guns than those used by any other
lrmy in the world. The cartridges for these
weapons are the best now in Orders have
,een placed for 100000 rifles. The production
now averages $4,000 week, sufficient to equip
three divisions. One billion cartridges have been
ordered for practice in the training camps Our
manufacture of rifle cartridges eXcels in amount
that of any other country. One firm alone turned
out 125O00,000 during one month.
The policy of the government has been to APP
propriate about $13 a year for the rifle practice
of each soldier in the army. Target ranges have
been built in all parts of the country. These
were available not only for the of the army
and the National Guard but also for rifle assOci-
aticns.
Germany has not been able to do this With
a standing army great as the one maintained
by the kaiser in peace times, such an appropria-
tion would have interfered with other plans IT
S13 year had been spent on ammunition for the
rifle practice of each man in the German standing
army and reserve, the Teutons would be far bet
ter shots than they are today But this gain
would be at the expense of the funds necessary
for the supply of munitions the general staff was
ACCOMMODATING against tne uay OF Heeu fTlOr 10
the war the German soldier fired only about II
ball cartridges year on the range.
The rifle ranges in Europe are few and inferior
Land is far too valuable to permit of much be-
ing used for such purpose Scarcely any of these
ranges are suitable for practice at distance of
over 400 yards. An appropriation of $l3 to the
man for ammunition would not have made Eu-
ropean soldiers anything like expert as ours.
The lack of opportunity to shoot under the field
conditions, which are the foundation Of good
riheman's work in actual battle stress, would
necessarily have debarred this.
The American is a hunter. He used to- be
riheman from necessity, since his safety and his
food depended on his skill. He is from
choice. There are few of our yungsters who do
not have access to % rifle and but few
who do not get occasional chance TO use
shotgun The hunting instinct is still strong In
us. II is estimated that about 3,5O00O0 sports
men in this country hunt every year with rife
shotgun
Even in thickly settled districts game is still
plentiful enough to offer entlcing sport The IL
cense fee is small amounting usually TO only 81.
Ammunition is cheaper here than elsewhere. The
finest and least costly machne-made guns are
produced in this country. Most important, we
have established aristocracy which controls the
shooting preserves to the exclusion of the gen.
eral public