St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-27
DEFENsELEss COAST CITrEs,o
What the Nation Should Do in Or.
der to BE Safe from Foreign At.
lacks.

W nab the Sa tfOu SnOutu DO IN Or.
der to he safe from Foreign At.
| tacks.
The idea of any nation attempting the
conquest of this country may be rejected as
purely chimerical. says Capt. F. V. Greene
of the United States engineers. in Scrib-
ner's Magazine To attack us with 100, 900
men would be but child's play, and to at
tempt to carry on war across 5000 miles
OF ocean, with nation which has main
tanned over 100000 men under aims
would be the act of mailman. But the
very elements of wealth and population,
which have made an invasion impossible.
have brought ali increase of danger in
another direction. They have built up.
on the shores of the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans and the
northern lakes series of great cities con-
tanning an aggregate population of more
than 5, 600. 900 souls, and destructble prop
erty which is carried on the assessors books
at Sd, OOO. OOO 900 land has probably an ac-
tual value of nearly twice as much), yield
ing annually a product in manufactured
goods alone valued at over $1,000, 00O 00o
Every man. woman and child in this
great population. every dollar in this vast
aggregation OF wealth, is to-day in danger
of destruction by a hostile fleet; for it is
certainly fact that the shells of an enc
my'S vessels could. in few weeks. or even
days. after declaration of war, reach every
portion of it-so utterly defenseless are our
harbOrs against the ships and
guns which have been developed
III the last twenty years. during
which we have done nothing. So that
while the idea of invasion and conquest
may now be dismissed as visionary. the
problem of national defense has simplifed
itself to merely protecting life and property
against possible enemy in our seaboard
and lakeboard cities. 1t is. in brief, prob
lem OF national insurance on life and prop
erty. to provide for just those cases of dan
ger which are specially excepted from all
ordinary pUlcies-cases which lie beyond
the grasp of private enterprise, and not
only fall within the legitimate province of
general government but are expressly Pro-
vided for in the constitution, which gives
power to congress to provide for the COM
mon defense. The annual premium on
policies of insurance on lite and property,
with good risks. is from to q per cent. One
per cent. on the S4. 900. 900, 900 of destruct-
ibe property within the reach Of hostile
shells is $40, 900, 900. Less than half
that amount, viz, $40. 900, 600. expended
annually for six years, would give us
complete system of insurance.. e.. it
would give us harbOr defenses stronger than
any shi ps which could be brought against
them. 1t is probable that so large sum
could not be judiciously expended in one
year. and the expenditure would be less
and the number of years greater; but with
$40. 600, 900 year for six years. fully three
fourths Of the lives and property of our
coasts could be placed out of danger. This
amount is about 3 per cent. of our annual
appropriations for the support of the gov
eminent and its obligations. During
the ten years from 1926 to 1886,
with au average total expenditure of
ST, 200, 900 per annum, the yearly expense
for Notifications was about $3.50, 600, or ~
per cent, so that it would be within prece-
dent to spend per cent. of our revenue for
the same purpose now. And while the ex-
istence of an overlooking treasury affords
no good grounds for lavish and unnecessary
expenditure, with its attendant extrava-
gance and decentralization, yet such a con-
dition removes the only possible objection
to proper expenditures for worthy objects.
We have the ready cash to invest in insur-
ance, and if we fail to make the invest
ment we incur a risk which no prudent
man would for moment permit in his pri-
vate affairs. 81 Dt& D9i.