The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-08-15
sEABoARD DEFENcEs. -FORTIFIcATIoSs


The defence of ports from attacks by is the full
tent to which has ever yet thought of
bringing into requston the professional skill and art Of
the military engineer To keep ships at bay and at the
same time to be secure against cop-de- man from any
land force they may deba fortress enough for us and
if any the works which have already had erected
extensive and elaborate than will suffice to fiji
these simple functions they are none the better for it. We
do not believe that any eamt of studdina
sea-coas with continuous line of forts and batteries
AS far have learnt the object had in view in
planning system for seaboard defences was to pro-
tect from attack by ships the large and wealthy entrepos
of commerce, lying navgabe tdewate by closing or
commanding the entrances passages the esares lead
ing to them protection of maritime and commercial
cities by Notifications arorte policy of our earliest
democratic administrations In 1886 Mr. Benton Of Mis-
souri, then recognised and acknowledged democratic
leader acting under the eye and inspiration Of the master
mind of the day whose very instincts sound and dem
ocratic could SENATOR application so proper
and worthy of the expenditure of the large surplus at that
time accumulated in the federal treasury ms the speedy
completion of our system of Notifications We now con-
graduate ourselves and readers that the present Congress
before closing its late session. has the sound old
democratic policy of protecting seaboard from the sud
den attacks of a maritime enemy
The experience of tle Of 1912 showed in several
having the approaches large se-pors properly
fortified and guarded. The Decaturs and porters who
illustrated the annals Of young navy demanded
increase to the number of harbors of refuge for
gallant cruisers, which it was their pride and
policy to keep out upon the high sens, assaing the
enemy, and preying upon his commerce Whilst these
views were yet wildly impressed upon the minds Of
our public men, the peace of Client naturally gave new
impetus to the works of forcation which were then for
the first time brought into order under general system
devised by tried and capable officers The works were
prosecuted with great regularity and energy under this
system for series of years Congress granting the yearly
appropriations for that purpose With the readiness and
alacrity arising from answering conhdeace in the
cessy and Importance Of such works In the meantime
however the reYoluton which steam had been elecng in
the navigation of the od sanguine anticipate
such changes in the conduct of maritime render
all Notifications totally inefficient and useless when re-
CURED to check stop ships propelled by Bet
ter Judgment aud sounder reasoning might have
avoided such erroneous conclusions However, they
were adopted by many popular writers, and pressed with
such earnesness to affect the public mind and gradu
ally to influence Congress itself which began to receive
the annual estimates for Notifications with hesitation and
doubt and to call in question the efficiency aud usefulness
OF the system itself on which they founded So that
for he last fifteen years the system has ouy had inge
ing existence under hul support The state Of tbe
world at the present moment Is disturbed, and
relations with other powers uncertain, that
pass by this question with indifference journ lis
luton 10 fitting day. Fortunately il is already
solved at the expense of Others and Congress had only
ii has done avail itself OF the knowledge gained by their