The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-03-10
wEsYEFUL EXPENDITURES ON FoRTIFIcA-
TONS

The ldea Of protecting such An extent Of
coHst re ours, penetrated by innumerable IN
leta, almost everywhere accessible, and 10 this
age of steam navigation IL so palpably absurd,
that we had supposed 1t would never again be
entertained, even by the Senate Of the United
States Think Of it A Republic of twenty
four millions of people, ranging from the
Northern Lakes To the Gulf of Mexico, from
ocean to ocean, striving To protect themselves
by mounting a few guns here and there, along
a coast OF some thousands Of miles against
invasion When We were three millions, all
told, with the enemy ut our hearth-stOnes,
without armies or armaments, we achieved our
independence, and drove every hostile foot from
our soil When we numbered but eight mil
lions with our coast unprotected, with scarcely
a single ship of war ahoat, We defended our
selves against the greatest maritime Power IN
the world, inAicting far more damage upon
her and her commerce. than we sustained, and
indicating triumphantly the rights and honor
of our flag
And now with three times the population,
and five times the resources and power, we are
called upon to take refuge behind crazy ram
parts and bitches!
The only Power from whom we can appre-
bend damage to our coast IL England but do
we forget that her dominions extend along our
whole Northern frontier, which it is absolute
Iy impossible IL protect against her by any
thing short of a Chinese wall Why is il, that
a few miserable Notifications along our sea-
board are to be carefully kept in repair, while
not the least apprehension is felt Of danger
on our Northern border
Nobody WAS dreaming that tho WORKOUT
policy Of Notifications would be revived during
the short session Of the Congress just closed
Had its oppo,. ents suspected anything of the
kind, they would have taken an early opportu-
nifty TO expose its extreme absurdty. Ia the
House, in Committee ni tbs Whole, when first
preached, it was defeated but tho Senate, the
seat of sntiquated ideas, took it up, ant Infused
new life into it. series Of wastefu, eSpend
itures for erecting or repairing various useles'
Notifications, was ingraited during the last tu-
mutuous days of the session, when 30 much
mischief IL apt 10 be done, on the Army Ap-
preparation bill which had previously passed
the House: First, an appropriation of $500, 900
for the defence of San Francisco, California
then 100000 for Fort jefferson, ut Garden
Keys, or Tortugts Island and $4,000 for Fort
Taylor, Key West, Florida $4,000 for Fort
Pulaski, Georgia, including barracks aud quar-
ters $4,000 for Fort Sumter, Charle ston
Harbor, South Carolina; $50 900 for Fort Car.
roll, Sollers's Point, Baltimore harbor $50 600
for Fort Delaware Pea Patch Island, Delaware
river S55 900 for Fort Koox Penobscot river
Maine; $4,000 for Fort Warren Boston har.
Dor and S29 573 for Fort Winthrop, Govern
or's Island Boston, Massachusetts,.
Nearly Sl2OO0OO for deienoes which will
never DO needed or, if they should be, will be
worthless. The twelve hundred thousand dol
lars might just M we'll be thrown into the sea
Such defences can never protect us against in
vasioD. We fear no inyason--our citizens are
their own defence against such u danger. In
the event Of war, the contest would be car
riod on by sea, and along our Northern from
tier-if with England. What purpose would
Notifications then answer They might pre-
vent a successful descent here and there on
our seaboard, but the property thereby saved