The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-12-06

NV York, December 4.-Mr. Samu
}. T1lden has sent the following letter
Hon. J. G. Carlisle:
GREYsroNE, YoNKERs, \. Y,
December 1st, 1885
Dsor-Rf. CarJis'e:
As public opinion points to you a
Speaker OF the House OF r presents
tives, desire 10 submit a suggestion q
to one of the public objects for whic
an appropriation ought to be provide
and liberal, in considering the state an,
management o. public revenues. Tn
subject involves questions whethe
we shall extinguish the sur
plus by reducing the reYenu,
or whether We shall apply the
surplus to payments on the public
debt, or whether we shall seize the Oc-
CasiOu to provide for our sea coast de-
lenses which have been long neglected.
/ am OF the opinion that the latter is a
paramount necessity which ought to
precede the reduction OF revenue, and
0 lght also to precede an excessive
rapidity In the payment of the public
debt. The property exposed to des-
trucuOn IN twelve eapOrts-POrtland,
Portsmouth, Boston, New York, Phil
adelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Sa-
vannah, New Orleans, Galveston and
San Francis co-cann0t be less in
value than five thousand millions
Of dollars To this must be added
the vast amount OF property dependent
Tor It's use on these Seaports. Nor does
this statement afford true measure Of
the damage which might be caused to
the property and business of the cOun-
try by a failure to protest these sea-
ports from hostile naval attacks. They
are centres, not only OF foreign COM
MERGE. but of most OF the international
trade, and exchanges of domestic pro
auctions. To this rule of things
the machinery OF transportation
for the whole country hiss be-
come ada 1ted. The interruption
of the cur ITS Of traffic, tie occupation
Of one or ore of our principal seapOrts
by a foreign enemy, or the destruction
of them BY bombardment or holding
over them the menace Of destruction for
The purpose o. eXacting contributions
or ransom would lnHicJ upon property
and business Of the country an iaqiury
which can neither be fOreSeen nor meas
ure6. The elaborate and costly fortl-
ticatlOns which were constructed with
the greatest engineering, still are now
practically useless. tt ey are not capable
of resisting the attacks Of modern artil-
Ierv. a still greater defect exists in our
coast defen seS. The range Of the
best modern artillery has te
come so extended that our
present Notifications designed tC pro
tect the harbOr Of New York, where
twO-thirds of the import trade and more
1han one-half of the export trade of
the whole United States is carried on,
are 100 near to the great populations OF
New York, Jersey City and Brooklyn
20 be of any value as a protection. To
provide effectual defenseS would be the
work of years; it would take'much time
to construct permanent Notifications.
The small provision Of the best modern
guns would take several years. Neither
OF these works can be eXtemporized in
presence of emergent danger. a mil
lion soldiers, with the best equipments.
on the heights surrounding the harbOr
OF New York, in our present state eff
preparation, would be powerleSs to re
Sist a small squadron of war steamers.
This state of things is discredit-
able 10 our foresight and pru-
dence. The best guarantee against
aggression, the best assurance that our
diplomacy will he successful and pacific,
and our rights and honor be respected
by other nations, is in their knowing
that we are in a situation to Vindicate
or reputation and interests. While
We may afford to be deficient IN means
OF olfense, we cannot afford to be de-
fenceless. The notoriety of the fact
that we have neglected the ordinary
precautions of defence, invites want of
consideration in our diplomacy, inius-
tice, arrogance and insult at the hands
OF foreign nations.
II s now more than sixty years since
we announced to the world that we
should resist any attempts from what
ever quarter they might come, to
make any new colonization on
ent; that while, we should respect
the stGtl5 gro. we should protect the PEG.
pie OF different nations inhabiting this
continent, from every attempt to sub
ject them to the dominion of any for
eiGn power or TO Interfere with their
undisturbed exercise of the rights of
self.SoYernment. This announcement
was formally made by President Mon
roe, after consultation with Madison
and Jefferson. It was formulated by
John Quincy Adams. Our government
has fairly adhered to the Mon
roe doctrine, and even as late
as '65 warned Napoleon III
out of Mexico. 1t is impossible
to foresee in the indecent scramble of
European powers for the acquisition of
colonies, how soon an occasion may
arise for our putting in practice the
Monroe doctrine. 1t IS clear that there
ought to be some relation between our
assertion of that doctrine and our pre-
Daration to maintain it, lot intended
to recommend any attempt to rival the
great European powers in the creation
of a powerful navy. The changes
which have rapidly occurred by the di-
minution of the relative resisting rover
of defensive armor of iron clads and
BY increased efficiency of modern ar
tillery, which on the whole
has gained in competition, suggest
that We should not at present enter
largely into the creation of armored
vessels. Inthe question that beset this
subject, until they shall have reached
solution we can content ourselves