Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-08

foreign feet to shell New York and Boston,
last Sundays Herald made the same show
ing with regard to Portland 1t is clear
enough that feet of ironclads could with
out danger from the old fashioned forts lie
outside the harbors, and shell these,cities at
their leisure.
1t is evident that these articles on our un-
defended condition in case of war, take the
most sensational aspect of the possibilities;
but yet it does not tell the whole story. The
loss to our seaboard cities from being shelled
would not be so imminent or great as the
loss from the destruction of commerce. 1t
is not now considered within the practices of
civilized warfare to shell unfcrtifed cities;
and it is less probable that any foreign feet
would do that than that it would leave a
few vessels outside of each port and stop its
commerce. live should get into a fight
with England, for example, the certainty
that commerce would be stopped and New
York blocksded would make it really of but
secondary importance whether New York
was shelled or not. The bombardment of
Charleston during our Civil War, did not
in1ict as great injury on it as the blockade
of its commerce
1t will thus be seen that an adequate de-
fense of our coast cities must enable us to
concentrate in front OF each point to be
defended, naval force greater than any
foreign power can send there. That would
necessitate the creation of a navy equal to
that of France or Germany, if not of En-
gland. 1t would be impossible to do this
except after the work of years, and when
such a navy was built it might be found
that some naval power had progressed by
new inventions as far ahead of u.s. as they
now are. At all events, ii is we'll to recog-
nize that for good while yet the United
States may be unable to possess, even on its
own coasts, a navy prepared to cope with the
battleships OF any of the four naval powers
of Europe.
That being the case, and while the build
ing of a navy is going on, it is well to in
ouire what other means of protection we
can RELY upon. We have for three quarters
of century been fortunately clear of armed
strife with foreign nations. This is due to
our remoteness from the usual subjects Of
continental foreign enmities. 1t will not do
to rely upon this safeguard too implicitly;
but it is reinforced at present by the fact
that the cessation of commerce between
Europe and America would be as great a
calamity to Europe as to this country. The
chief naval power of the world could not
afford to have the United States shut off
from European communications much better
than the Uuited States could. ANY other
nation with a navy would have less reason
to attack us than to maintain peace. There
is full ground for the belief, therefore, that
if we build a navy large enough to make it
an unpleasant task to attack us, and rely
upon the policy of justice and honesty in
dealing with foreign nations, we can pre-
serve for another century the happy and
peaceful relations with the rest of the world
that have existed for the greater part of
this century.
1t is no more than common sense, how
ever, to remember that nation whose great
seaports are absolutely undefended, should
proceed only with the certainty OF being
right in the seizure of the subjects of great
naval power in disputed waters. To goad
England into hostilities, and thus sacrifice
New York for the sake of the Behring Sea
monopoly, would be the most modern case
of monumental stupidity on record. The
United States should under all circum-
stances firmly and absdlutely insist upon
its rights; but it should be sure that its de-
mands are bone fae in the national in
teraSfS