St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-05
TILDEN TALKS FACTS.
The Sage Of Greystone Writes a Letter k
Carlisle on Several Important
Questions.
he Calls Attention to the Lack of Coast
Defenses and Points Out the Many
Dangers.
What is Necessary to be Done, ana
the Importance of Immediate
Action.
A Review of the history of the Coun.
try and a Forecast Of the
Future.
Tilden to Carlisle.

Tilden to Carlisle.
NEW YORK, Dec. Mr.. Samuel j. Til
den has sent the following letter to Hon.
j ohm j. Carlisle:
| Greystone, Yonkers, N. Y, Dec. dear
| Mr.. Carlisle: As public opinion points to you
| as the speaker OF the next house of represent
| atives, desire to submit suggestion as to
| one Of the public objects for which an appro-
priation ought to be prompt and liberal. In
| consideration of the state and management
| of public revenues, the subject involves the
questions whether we shall extinguish the
| surplus by reducing the revenue, whether
we shall apply the surplus on the payment Of
| the public debt, or whether we shall seize the
occasion to provide for our seacoast de-
| fenses which have been long neglected. I
am of the opinion that the latter is para
mount necessity, which ought to precede the
| reduction Of the revenue and ought also to
! precede an excessive rapldity in the payment
of The public debt. The property exposed to
| destruction in the eleven seaports-Portland,
Plymouth, Boston, New York, Philadelphia.
| Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah, New Or
| leans, Galveston and San Francisco-cannot
| be less in value than S5,000,0 100000. To this
must be added vast amount of property do
pendent for its use on these seaports. Nor
| does this statement afford true measuretof
| the damage which might be caused to the
property and business of the country by
| FAILURE TO PROTECT
| these seaportS from hostile naval acts They
| are centers not only Of foreign commerce,
| but of most Of the internal trade and ex-
| changes of domestic productions. To this
| state of things the machinery of transporta-
| ton of the whole country has become
| adapted. The interruption of the currents
of traffic by the occupation of one or more of
| our principal seapOrtS by foreign enemy. or
| the destruction of them by bombardment, or
| the holding over them the menace of destruc-
| ton for the purpose Of exacting contribution
| or ransom. would infiict on the property and
| business Of the country an injury which can
| neither be foreseen nor measured. The elab-
| crate and costly Notifications, which were
| constructed with the greatest engineering
| skill, are now practically useless. They are
/ not capable of resisting the attacks of mod
| ern artillery. A still greater defect exists in
| our coast defenSes. The range of the best
| modern artillery has become so extended that
| our present fortiHcatlons designed to protect
| the harbor of New York. where two-thirds of
| the import trade and more than one-half OF
| the export trade of the whole United States is
| carried on, are too near to the great popula-
| tions of New York, Jersey City and Brooklyn
| to be Of any value as protection. To provide
| effectual defenses would be the work of
| years. 1t does not take much time to con-
Struct
| PERMANENT FoRTIFICATIONs.
| A small provision Of the best modern guns
| would take several years. Neither of these
works can be eXtemDoriZed in presence or
/ emergenl danger. million of soldiers, with
| the best equipments, ON the heights surround
| ing the harbor of New York, in our present
| state of preparation, or rather in our total
| want of preparation would be poweriess to
| resist small squadron of war steamers. This
| state of things is discreditable to our fore
| sight and to our prudence. The best guar
| antee against aggression, the best assurance
| that our diplomacy will be successful and
| pacific, and that our rights and honor Will oe
| respected by other nations, is in their knowl-
| edge that we In a situation to vindicate
| our reputation and interest. While we may
| afford to be deficient in the means of offense,
| we cannot afford to be defenseless. The no
| toriety of the fact that we have neglected the
| ordinary precautions invites want of consid-
GRAFTON IN our diplomacy, injustice, arrogance
and insult at the hands of foreign nations. 1t
| is now more than sixty years since we an
| nounced to the world that we would resist
| any attempts from whatever quarter they
| might come to make any new colonizations On
| any part of the American continent; that
| while we should respect the status quo we
| should
| PROTECT THE PEOPLE
| of the different nations inhabiting this con-
| tinent from every attempt to subject them to
! the dominion Of any foreign power, or TO In
| terfere with their undsturbed exercise of the
right Of self-government. This announce
ment was formally made by President Mon.
roe, after consultation with Mr. Madison and
| Mr. jefferson. 1t was formulated by John
| Quincy Adams. Our government has firmly
| adhered to the Monroe doctrine, and even SO
late as 1866 1t warned Napoleon out of Mexico.
! 1t is impossible to forSee in the recent soram-
BILE of the European powers for acquisition
| of colonies how soon an occasion may arise
| for the putting in practice the Monroe doc
| trine. 1t is clear that there ought to be some
relation between our association of that doc
| trine and our preparation to maintain it. 1t
| is not intended to recommend any attempt to
| rival the great European powers in the Great
| ing of powerful navy. The changes which
| have rapidly occurred by the dimun1t1on or
| the relative resisting power of the defensive
| armor of ironclads, and by the increased
| efficiency Of modern artillery-which, on the
whole has gained in the compettion-sug-
| gests that we should not at present enter
| largely into the creation of
ARMoRED VESSELS.
| In the questions that beset this subject until
| they shall have reached solution we can
| content ourselves with adding but sparingly
| to our navy. But what we so add, should be
| the very last that science and experience can
| Indicate. This prudent view is reinforced by
| the consideration that the annual charge or
maintaining war vessel bears an 1mportant
proportion to the original cost of construc-
| ton. In constructing permanent fortitca-
tions and in providing an ample supply OF the
| best mod ern artillery, the annual cost OF
| maintenance is inconsiderable. Nearly the
whole expenditure is in the original outlay
| for construction. If we do not make the ex-
penditure necessary to provide for our sea.
! coast defenses when we have surplus and
| have no need to levy new taxes, we certainly
| will not make those expenditures when We
| have no longer a surplus in the treasu ry.
| To leave our vast interest defepseless, In Or
| der to reduce the cost OF whisky to Its con-
| sumers, would be solecism The present
| time is peculiarly favorable for providing for
| this great national necessity, too long neg.
| lected. Not only does the surplus In
| the treasury supply ample means TO
| accomplish this great public want without
laying new burdens upon the people, but the
work can now be done at a
MUCH LESS COST
| than has ever before been possible. The de-
| fensive works would consist almost entirely
| of steel and iron. These materials can now
| be had at unprecedented low prices. A vast
supply of machinery and of labor called into
existence by great vicissitude In the steel
and iron industries offers itself to our service.
| We should have the satisfaction Of knowing
| that while we are availiug ourselves of the sup
| plies which would ordinarily be unattainable,
| we are setting in motion important Industries
| and giving employment to labor in q period
| of depression. With encouragement by the
government itself furnishing the plant, the
| inventive genius OF our people would be ap-
| proved machinery, and establishments would
| spring into existence capable of supplying all
| Of the national wants and rendering US COM
| pletely Independent of all other countries in
respect to the means of national defense. 1
| endeavored to impress these ideas upon Mr..
Randall the last time had the pleasure or
seeing him. With my highest regards to Mrs.
| Carlisle and yourself, l remain, very truly
| yours, s. j. IILDEN.
To Hon. John G. Carlisle.
| Carlisle In nteryiewed.