Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-03-02

ence In war and science can suggest.
shall be deemed foolhardv in engaging for
the defence of the empire with an army COM
posed of such a force of militia. | may be so. |
confess 1t, | should infinitely prefer, and should
feel more confidence in an army of regular
troops. But | know that | shall nothave those
| may have others, and if no addition is made
to the existing regular army allotted for home
defence OF a force which will cost 400, 00OL. a
year., there would be a sufficient discipline
force IN the field to enable him who should
Command to defend the country.
This is my view of our danger and our re-
sources. | was aware that our magazines and
a~rsenals Were very inadequately supplied with
ordnance and carriages, arms, stores of all de-
nominations, and ammunition.
The deficiency has been occasioned in part
by the sale of arms, and of various descriptions
OF ordnance stores, since the termination of the
late war, in order to diminish the demand of
supply to carry on the peace service of the ord
nance; IN part by the conflagratiop of the ar
senal which occurred in the tower some years
ago, and by the difficulty which all Govern
ments in this country labor in prevailing upon
Parliament, a time of peace, to take into con
slleration measures necessary for the safety of
of the county in time of war.
The state of the ordnance, arms, ammuni-
ton, &c. in magazines, is in part, the ques-
ton of expense, and perhaps, in some degree,
Que of time.
/ would recommend to have an alphabetical
list of the stores examined by a committee,
and made out in form, as upon the enclosed,
half sheet of paper, by ascertaining what there
was in 1904, and what there is in store now, of
each article, and the difference between the two
accounts.
have taken the year 1904, as the standard,
~ 49,. ,--- -. =. III ~.
threatened. 1t was previous to the employment
of the armies in the Peninsula or North Amer
lea; in short, as nearly as possible similar to the
political circumstances in which we stand at
this moment, excepting that we are now at
peace with France we were then at war.
a fourth column would be the estimate of
the expense of bringing the magazines to the
state in which they. were in 1894,
With this information before him, the Mas
ter General could give the Government accu-
rate information of ordnance, arms, ammuni-
ton, and stores in the magazines OF the coun-
try.
You will see from what 1 have written.
that | have contemplated the danger TO
which you nave referred. | have done so for
years, | have drawn to it the attention Of diff
ferent Administration al different times.
You will observe likewise that have con-
~ Vi IN IiAC0oAlt VI PlOSDCCllNC SCNuAllO
and of the mode and cost of the attainment.
y X y X
l have done more. l have looked at and
considered those localities in great detail, and
have made up my mind upon the details OF
their defence.
These are questions to which my mind has
not been unaccustomed. lhave considered and
provided for the defence, the successful defence
of the frontiers of many countries.
You are the confidential head of the princi-
pal defensive part of the country. | will, if
you and the Master General of the ordnance
choose, converse otherwise communicate con-
fdently (confdentialIyD with you upon all
the details of this subject: will inform you of
all that | know, have seen, and think upon it
and what my notions are on the details of the
defensive system to be adopted, and eventually
carried into execution.
quite concur in all your views of the dam
ger of our position, and the magnitude of the
stake at issue. | am especially sensible of the
certainty of failure, if wo do not at an early
moment attend to the measures necessary to
be taken for our defence, and Of the disgrace,
the indelible disgrace Of such failure; putting
out of view all the other unfortunate conse-
queues, such as the loss of the political social
position of this country among the nations of
Europe. Ofall its allies, in concert with and III
aid Of whom it has in our own times contend
ed successfully in arms for its own honor and
safely, and the independence and freedom of
the world.
When did any man hear of allies of a Coun-
try unable TO defend ITSELF
Views of economy efsolne. and [ admit tina
the high views of national finance of others,
induce them to postpone those measures abso-
lutely necessary fer mere defence and safety
under existing circumstances, forgetting alto
fgether the common practise of successful ar
mirsin modern times imposing upon the con-
quered normous pecuniary contributions, as
well as other valuableand ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
Look at the course pursued by France in 1t
ally, and Russia: at Vienna, repeatedly: at Ber-
lin, at MOscOw-the contributions levied, be-
sides the subsistence, maintenance, clothing,
and equipment of the army which made the
conquest. Look at the conduct of the allied
army which invaded France and took posses
sion of Paris in 1878. Look at the account of
tie pecuniary sacrifices made upon that occa-
sion, under different heads of contributions.
payments for subsistence, and maintenance OF
the invading armies, including clothing and
other equipments, payments of old repudiated
State debts, payments of debts due to individ-
uals in wal in the different countries of Eu-
rope, repayment for contributions levied, and
movable and immoveable property sold in the
course of the revolutionary war.
But such an account cannot be made out
against this country. No, but | believe that
the means of some demands would not be
wanting. Are there no claims for a feet al
TeuIon in 1893? None for debts left unpaid
by British subjects in France, who escaped
from confinement under cover of the invasion
in 1914 by the allied armies? Can any man
pretend TO limit the amount of the demands
on account of the contributions DC guerre?
Then look at the conditions of the t~reatie;
of Paris. 1914, 1915.
France. having been in possession of nearly
every capital in Europe, and having levied con
tributions in each, and having in its posses
sion Or under It's influence the whole of Italy
f Germany, and Poland, is reduced to its terri
torial limits as they stood in 1892.
Do we suppose we should be allowed tokeeI
could we advance a pretension to keep
more than the Islands composing the United
) Kingdom, ceding disgracefully the channel is
f lands, on which an invader had never estab
lished himself since the period of the Norman
conquest?
- I ~, bor1or;,r nm eo,o,4r~ cav-ao ,oor. n