The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-12-09
OUR HARBOR DEFENSES.
Samuel J. Tilden Makes Good
Suggestions.
OUR PRESENT NEED.
What the Great Statesman Has IN
Say on That Important
Subject.

Subject.
New YORK, December 5.-Mr, Samuel T.
Tiden sent the following letter tn Hon
John G. Carlisle:
GKAYsroNE, YoNKERs, N. Y..)
December l, 1885.
Dear Mr.. Carlisle: AS public opinion
points to you as the Speaker Vi the next
House OF Representatives. desire to sub.
nit suggestion as to one of the. public OBJ.
jects for which an appropriation ought to
be provided and liberal one. In consid.
ering the state and management of public
revenues the subject involves Questions
whether we shall extinguish the surplus by
reducing the revenue or whether We shall
apply the surplus to payments ON the pub.
lie debt, or whether we shall seize the occa.
sion to provide for our sea coast defenses,
which have long been neglected. am Ui
the opinion that the latter is of paramount
necessity and ought to precede the reduc.
ton of revenue, and ought also to precede
an excessive rapidity in the payment of the
public debt. The property exposed to de.
struction in tw elve seaports, Portsmouth,
Portland, Boston. Newport, New York, Sa.
vannah, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Balti-
more, Charleston, San Francisco and Gal
weston cannot be less in value than five
billions OF dollars. This must be added to
THE VAST AMOUNT OF PROPERTY
dependent for it's use on these seaports.
Nor does this statement afford true mea-
sure OF the damage which might be caused
to the property and business of the coun-
try by a failure to protect these seaports
from hostile naval attacks. They are the
centers not only of foreign commerce but
OF most of the International trade and ex-
changes OF domestic productions. Inter-
ruption of the current Of traffic by the
occupation OF one or more of our principal
seaports by foreign enemy. the destruction
OF them by bombardment, or the holding
over, them of a menace of destruction for
the purpose of exacting contribution or
ransom, would inflict upon the property
and business OF the country an injury
which can neither be foreseen nor measured.
The elaborate and costly Notifications
which were constructed with the
GREATEST ENGINEERING SKILL
are now practically useless. They are not
capable OF resisting the attacks OF modern
artillery. A still greater defect exists in
our coast defenses. The range of the best
modern artillery has become so extended
that our present Notifications designed to
protect the harbor of New York, where
IWO-lUlTu6 vi Uue duu IAOIC
than one-half of the export trade Of the
whole United States is carried on, are too
near to the great populations OF New York
City, Jersey City, and Brooklyn, to be OF
any value as protection. To provide
effectual defenses would he a work OF years.
1t would take much time to construct
permanent Notifications. A small pro.
vision OF the best modern guns would take
several years. Neither of these works can
be extemporized in the presence OF immerg,
ent danger. A million soldiers with the
best equipments, on the heights command
ing the harbor of New York in our present
state of preparation, or rather in our total
want OF preparstion, would be powerless to
resist
A SMALL SQUADRON OF WAR STEAMERS.
This state of things is discreditable to our
foresight and prudence. The best guarantee
against aggression, the best assurances that
our diplomacy will besuccessful and pacific
and our rights and honor be respected by
other nations, is in their knowledge that
we are in a situat ton to vindicate our repu
tation and interests. While We may afford
te be deficient in ths means OF ofense. we
cannot afford to be defenseless. The note
worthy fact that we have neglected ordl-
mar, recautions of defense invites q want
OF consideration in our diplomacy injustice,
arrogance and insult at the hands "t forelgl
nations. 1t is not more than sixty years
since we announced to the world that we
should resist any attempts, from whatever
quarter they might come, to make any new
colonizations upon any part OF the Amerl
can continent: that while we should re
spect the statu quo, we should protect
the peoples of the different nations lnhab bit
ing this continent from every attempt TO
subject them to the dominancy OF any Tor
eisn powers or to interfere with their undis
turbed exercise OF the
RIGHTS OF sELF-GOvERNAENT.
This announcement wa formally made ny
President Monroe after consulting Madison
ami Jefferson. 1t was formulated cy Jonn
Quincy Adams. OurGovernment has fairly
adhered to the Monroe doctrine, and even
as late as 1868 warned Napoleon III. ou'
of Mexico. It is impossible to see from tht
indecent scramble Of European powers iol
the ACQUISITION of colonies, how soon ar
Occasion NAV arise for our putting into
practice the Monroe doctrine. 1t is cleal
that there ought to be some relation be
tween our assertions of that doctrine anc
our preparations to maintain 1T. IL Is no'
intended to recommend any attempt &c
rival the great European powers IN 'n'
creation Of a powerful navy. The charges
which have rapidly occurred by dlminu'
ton of the relative resisting power Oh oe
iensive armor of ironclads, ana oy the ~ ,
creased efficiency OF modern artlllery, wncl
on the whole has gained IN competitlon
suggests that we should not al preoeh
enter into the creation OF armored vesse's
In the questions that besets this subject uh
til they have reached a solution, we shoult
content ourselves with adding but sparine
" To our navy, But what we DO ade
should be the very best that science or e4
perience can indicate. This Pruoensia
view is reinforced by the consideration tina
the annual expense OF
MAINTAINING WAR VESSELS
bears an important proportion to the OF
ignal cost of constructing permanent lorI
fcations and providing an ample supp.
OF the best modern artillery. In the ia1Ue
the ANIMAL cost of maintenance Is lncon
Siderable. Nearly the whole expendi!ur
is in the original outlay OF CONSTRUCTION
If we do NOT make the expenditure nov
which is necessary to provide for our sea
coast defense. and while we have SUI
plus and have no need to levy new .aaIa al
we certainly will be compelleu W ~ rne
these expenditures when we nave 10 "a. -, .,
surplus in the Treasury. 10 ,ea,. - 1a ~
duce the cost OF whisky to it's consumes:
would be solecism. The present tim. -,
peculiarly favorable forproyldlng o1scted lJs ted
great natural necessity too lGns ths Taeasur
Not only does the surplus M N sne sreat pubi
want without laying new burdens son on At " !,
people, hut the work can now be aohe ~, a..
much lower cost than has ever oe'o'' WV
possible.
DEFENSIVE WORKS
would consist almost entirely OF steer Ell az !.
iron. These materials can now DS 1T nau 80 g
unprecedently low prices. Inc .,i1a M
supply of the machinery OF iaoo. Jn'e :
into existence by the great vlclss,edtao tn on
service. We should have the !a:na sa!is,aecIU "n,
:: :ss ::ss *sss e
important industries and giving nae.;o emp'E;,
Ment to labor in a period OF oeprtss prtse
with the encouragement and guaratn;;stss ;tsel
work perhaps by the goyernmta;re g:.nat;re aeniu EMU
Of our psouIe de would be applied to the ere. ret
ton oi new new means and improved nm %n