Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-05
A NOTABLE LETTER.
TILDEN TO CARLISLE.

Our ssaeeest Dcfencss sheuid be strength
eBed 90 Meet Modern Rsaulrcmsnts -onr
Presep, Capacity 60 Enforce the Monroe
Doctrine OF LittIe wor,n--a Riagiss Al
mention from Gre,aoue's classic shades.
tBy telegraph TO the Dispatch.I
New YORK, December 3.-Hon.
Samuel j. Tilden has sent the follow
ing letter to the Hon. John G.. Car
Isle:
GREYsToNE, YoNKERs, n. l.,
December /, 1885.
Dear Mr.. Carlisle:
As public opinion points to you as
the Speaker Of the next House OF Re
representatives. desire to submit sug-
gcstion as to one Of the public objects
for which an appropriation ought to be
prompt and liberal. In considering the
state and management OF the public
revenues the subject involves the ques-
tions whether we shall extinguish the
surplus by reducing the revenue, or
whether we shall apply the surplus TO
payments on the public debt, or whether
we shall seize the occasion to provide
for our seacoast defences, which have
been long neglected. am OF the opinion
that the latter is paramount necessity
which ought to precede the reduction oil
the revenue and ought also to precede
the excessive rapidity in the payment
of the public debt. The property ex-
posed to destruction in the twelve sea-
ports of Portland, Portsmouth, Boston,
Newport. New York, Philadelphia,
Baltimore. Charleston, Savannah, New
Orleans, Galveston, and San Francisco
cannot be less in value than five thou
sand millions Of dollars. To this must
be added the vast amount of property
dependent for its use on these seaports.
Nor does this statement afford the true
measure Of the damage which might be
caused to the property and business Of
the country by its failure to protect
these seaports from hostile naval at
tacks. They are the centres not only
of foreign commerce but Of most OF the
internal trade and exchanges of do
mestic productions. To this state
of things the machinery OF the
TRANSFORMATION Of the whole coun-
try has become adapted. The in
terruption OF the currents Of traffic
by the occupation ofone or more OF our
principal seaports by foreign enemy,
or the destruction Of them by lombard
ment. or the holding over them OF the
menace Of destruction for the purpose
of exacting contribution or ransom,
would inaict upon the property and
business of the country an injury which
can neither be foreseen nor measured.
| Elaborate and costly Notifications which
were once constructed with the great
est engineering skill are now practi-
cally useless. They are not capable OF
resisting The attacks of modern artll-
lery. A still greater defect exists in
our coast delenceS. The range OF the
hest modern artillery has become so ex-
tended that our present Qualifications
designed to protect the harbor Of New
York, where two thirds Of the import
trade and more than half Of the export
trade of the whole United States is car
RED 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 defences would be the
work Of years. 1t would take much
time to construct permanent foIt!iica-
tions. A small provision Of the best
modern guns would take several years.
Neither Of these works can be extern
porized in the presence of emergent
danger. A million Of soldiers with
the best equipments on the heights sur
rounding the harbor Of New York in
our present state Of preparation, or
rather in our total want of preparation,
would be powerless to resist small
squadron of war steamers. This state
Of thirgs is discreditable to our fore
sight and prudence. The best guaran-
tee against aggressions, the best assur-
ance that our diplomacy will
be successful and pacific, and
that our rights and honor will
be respected by other nations,
is in their knowledge that we are in a
situation to yindicate our reputation
and interests. While we may afford to
be deficient in means of offence, we
cannot afford to be defenceless. The
notoriety Of the fact that we have
neglected the ordinary precautions OF
defence invites a want of consideration
in our diplomacy, injustice, arrogance,
and insult at the hands Of foreign ma
tons. 1t is no 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 colonization on any part
Of the American continent; that while
We should respect the status quo, we
should protect the people of different
nations inhabiting this continent from
every attempt to subject them to
the domination Of any foreign Power or
to interfere with their undisturbed ex-
ercise Of the rights of selfgoyernment.
This announcement was formally made
by President Monroe 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 1865 it warned Napo-
leon outof Mexico. 1t is impossible to
foresee in the recent scramble OF the
European Powers for the acquisition Of
colonies how soon an occasion may arise
for our putting in practice the Monroe
doctrine. 1t is clear there ought to be
some relation between our assertion of
that doctrine and our preparation to
maintain it. 1t is not intended to re-
commend any attempt to rival the great
European Powers in the creation Of a
powerful navy. The changes which
have rapidly occurred by the
diminution Of the relative resist
ing power of the defensive IRON
clads, and by the increased efiicien-
cy Of modern artillery, which on the