The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-12-11


Samuel J. Tilden has wr itten a
strong letter to Mr. Carlisle, in which
be urges that liberal appropriation
be made at the present session of Con-
gress f,r our sea coast defenses. He
says:
"The property exposed to destruction
in the twelve seaports Portland,
Portsmouth, Boston, Newport, New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charles
ton, Savannah, New Orleans, Galveston
and San Francisco-cannot be less in
value than five thousand millions OF
dollars. To this must be added
vast amount of property dependent
for its use on the seaports. Nor does
this statement afford true measure of
the damage which might be caused to
the property and business of the
country by failure to protect these
seaports from hostile naval attacks.
They are the centres, not only to
foreign commerce, but of most of the
internal trade and exchanges of DOM
estic productions. To this state of
things the machinery of transportation
of the whole country has become
adapted.
"The interruption of the currents of
trade by the occupation of one or
more of our principal seaports by a
foreign enemy, or the destruction of
them by bombardment, or the holding
over them the menace of destruction
for the purpose of exacting contribution
or ransom, would infict upon the
property and business of the country
an injury which can be neither
foreseen nor measured. The elaborate
and costly Notifications, which were
constructed with the greatest engin-
eering skill, are now practically use
less. They are not capable of resisting
the attacks nt modern artillery.
"a still greater defect exists in our
coast defences. The range of the
best modern artillery has become so
extended that our present Notifications
designed to protect the harbor of New
ork, 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 population of New York city,
Jersey City and Brooklyn to be of any
value as a protection. To provide
effectual defences would be the work
of years. 1t would take much time
to construct permanent Notifications.
A small provision of the best modern
guns would take several years. Meth
er of these works can be extemporized
in presence of emergent danger. A
million of soldiers with the best equip
ments on the heights surrounding the
harbor of New York in our present
state of preparation, or rather in our
total want of preparation, would be
powerless to resist d small squadron of
war steamers.
"The present time is peculiarly
favorable for providing for this great
national necessity too long neglected.
Not only does the surplus in the
treasury supply ample means to meet
this great public want without laying
new burdens upon the people, but the
work can now be done at much
lower cost than has ever before been
possible.
"The defensive works would consist
almost entirely of steel and iron
These materials can now be had at an
unprecedented low price. A vast supply
Of machinery and of labor, called into
existence by great vicissitude in the
steel and iron Industries, offers itsel!
to our service. We should have the
satisfaction of knowing that while We
were availing ourselves of the supplies
which would ordinarily be unattainablt
we were setting in motion important
industries and giving employment to
labor in period of depression. Witt
encouragement oy the guarantee O.
work, or perhaps by the government
itself furnishing the plant, the invent
i've genius of our people would be ap
piled TO the creation of new means anC
improved machinery and establishment
would spring into existence capabl,
of supplying all of the natioual want
and rendering us completely 'ndepend
ent of all other countries in respect tC
the means of national defense" "
William III Vanderbilt Dead.