The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-06-21

1eNoiA1S
WURkW troops.
~-IE ~ The reasons for this are several.
The American is hunter by tradition IL Is III
his blood because his father and grandfather pe-
fore him won the wilderness with the ola lhuAAle
loader Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett ana
Kit Carson are all old friends of his. Inc VIII
West is familiar territory even though he may
never have crossed the Mississippi. For he mas
read the tales of trappers and hunters ana prae-
ticed them on a small scale in the woods out
side his village.
The American is q marksman by tr'ihihs'
What boy has not spent long days in the Woous
with gun in his hands? What youth, excepting
only some born and reared in the largest citles'
has not coE,e home at night in triumph with
bag of cottontaS?
The third reason why Sammy sticks to his rifle
in the trenches is that it is the best military arm
in the world.
For these three reasons, then-because the rlne
is his weapon by tradition and by training, ana
because the one he carries is the best manuIac-
tured-our infantryman backs the rifle against the
hand grenade and the bayonet. He can use any
OF the three, but for choice give him clean ooo-
ward shot at a moving spot of gray outlined
against the dun Flanders background of scar
torn hill.
1t has been acknowledged for years that the
American regular army, small though 1t was prior
to 1917, is the finest body of marksmen IN any
army. Our teams competing at Camp Perry ana
at RlSley against the pest SnOIS Oh Europe anu
the western hemisphere, proved conclusiyely that
the superiority still rests with us.
The United States government has made for its
army the most perfect military rifles ever pro-
duced. These are the Springfield model OF l9oo
and the 1917 model, both of which are beyond
question better guns than those used by any other
army in the world. The cartridges for these
weapons are the best in use. Orders have
been 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 125,0O0,000 during one month.
The policy of the government has been to ap-
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 use of the army
and the National Guard but also for rifle associ-
aticns.
Germany has not been able to do this. With
q standing army great as the one maintained
by the kaiser in peace times, such appropria-
ton would have interfered with other plans. II
S13 a 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 the day of need. Prior to
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 a distance OF
I over 400 yards. An appropriation of $13 to the
man for ammunition would not have made Eu-
ropean soldiers anything like as expert as ours.
The lack of opportunity to shoot under the field
conditions, which are the foundation of a gooe
rif1eInan's work in actual battle stress, would
necessarily have debarred this.
The American is hunter. He used to be
rifie1nan 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 own or have access to % rifle, and but few
who do not get an occasional chance to use
shotgun. The hunting instinct is still strong In
u.s. 1t is estimated that about 100000 sports
men in this country hunt every year with rifle
or a shotgun,
Even In thckly settled districts game is still
plentiful enough to offer enticing sport. The IL
cense fee is small, amounting usually to only 81.
Ammunition is cheaper here than elsewhere The
finest and least costly machine-made guns are
produced in this country. Most important we
have no established arstocracy which controls the
shooting preserves, to the exclusion of the gen.
eral public.