New-York tribune., 1890-03-30
PROTECT THE SEABOARDS
GENERAL MILES SAYS THAT THE COUNTRY
IS DEFENCELESS.
CHINA COULD MAKE TROUBLE FOR THE cRnA9
REPUBLIC-A PICTURE OF BROADWAY AND
wALLcsr. SWEPT BY HEAVY FIRE
A BAD CHARACTER Fer

wALL-sT. SWEPT BY A HEAVY FIRE
"A BAD CHARACTER Fer
aTHE POOR INDIAN
General Nelson A. Miles, who is in command OF the
Military Division Of the Pacific, has been In New-forx
for a little more than week. lie came from WASH
ington with authority to visit unoundrics anu
factories torpedo stations, and the principal mli'ary
arsenals this nelgborood before returning 10 the
Pacific Coast. General Miles intends TO make use OF
his observations in an official way. He has ALREADY
vs1ed the sandy Hook proving grounds, the torpedo
station at Willets Point, and the gun-foundrles as
Bethlehem Penn, and at Providence, r. l. hc VIII
take trip TO the arsenal at Watervlet, NJ l., Witmn
the next few days.
General Miles is guest at the Hotel Bruns"icA1
but he had to make 80 many excursions OUT ="
town that he has been seldom In or aboU MS
temporary headquarters" The General Is a 'ait
broad -shouldered man. whose wellformed ana "eir
dressed figure would attract attention anywhere Du'
his gentle manner and speech would not suggest 10
stranger that this skilled ard experienced ieaae'
in Indian warfare who had subdued some OF t'.
most desperate of the renowned Cheyennes Sioux ana
Apaches.
His experience with these restless redskins and his
expert knowledge Of coast defence necds prougns
him early this year from his Pacific station To wash
incton There he gave Interesting and hgmy I'M
portant testimony before the [ nited states Senate
committee on Coast Defences February IA. and on
ths following day he advanced to the Committee on
Indian Affairs many reasons why the Apche INDIANS
now at Mount Vernon barracks. Alabama, shouia hos
be sent 10 the Fort sill Military Reservation In indian
Territory. Arizona.
In conversation with a Tribune reporter. General
Miles made some statements which. If there were
minors OF war on the high or on the borders.
would be calculated TO keep timd folks awake O.
nights General Miles is fighting man. one o'
his friends saws that the General Is never COM
petey happy unless there IS some shooting gong on
around him., But he bases his views on an array
OF facts as well historical precedent ana 'hoy
are the reasoned out opinions Of student OF the
science of war; and not Of mere " fire eater He
believes that this country should be always pre-
pared TO resist attack. The world he says has NOS
entered the first decade of the millennium he maih-
tains that a. human nature and human nations ese
At present constituted. the maintenance OF peace VIII
be better assured by due preparation for war than
by any other means
Arhitration he told the United States Senate Com
mitte. is a very weak thing to rely upon; excellens
only where both parties good and honest or "nero
both afraid.
81 am not an alarmist- he said yesterday, . but wo
ought to be at least In condition OF physical power
that we could found an argument on Ihere Is 10
certainty in relying arbitration. You might DO
,illin To arbltrate but the other side might not,
enecallv supposing that you the weaker Enthus@
osm for arbitration, II seems TO me, depends on "hae
side of the hedge you on-what the conoitlon o1
affairs is
General You told the Senate Committee that IN tho
nrcsent condition of defenccs ON the Paciiic'
sftrsevcn vessels Of the English Navy now in COM
mission. which you actually named could reach SAN
Francisco IN six weeks time
Yes said the General. land the whole OF shs
English Navy could reach New-lork In two months
. During your stay here you have looked at the
Notifications around Ney-forhf' ~
| fort hirfy
But appliances Of war have so changed In .hc iass
thirty years that there IS much difference between
the old and the new as there was between Do"S ai"
arrows and firearms years ago. The weight oi n'e"A
and the range OF guns, the lapdlty OF e 'he uesuo
tive power Of the weapons that are now useo os ohcr
civilized nations, vastly superior 10 "hat "o
have that there is comparison. This country Is
,,, tho most unprparcd in the world for war. We
. oettnc into the same condition that China was In
many wears ago. But China now has better navy
than ours and army seven times as large as OURS
The dc,pl,ed Chinese could do IL serious INJURY. "o
court war by being in condition IN when any thiiu'
, power could take advantage Of us Tor treasure or
for plunder or to crafty any purpose that IL hisns
have To mention only one OF the earliest ana hrs'
,, resn.ct in which we could be hurt, the men who
are now employed in peaceful pursuits In the dcVeiop
meut OF this country and its pcacerui INDUSTRIES
wonld have be employed in the construction oi 'ho
munitions Of war; and would have to leave their shops
md their
for powder . A.. A.. .,a
,,r niled ND at various points on the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts is an actual temptation 10 hee"S
foreign power - a,.
Yes replied the General emphatically "Jus'
hink of the gold here I'm Ncwlork In the sub-Trcas-
,ry What do YOU imagine would be the effect IN
hi. CITY with two or three modern war-shps at tho
,, ~ Rroadway and another at the foot OF Wallst,
h,v,linc solid shot weighing thousand POUNDS OF
ton each UP Broadway and Whl-StN
The reporter found 10 words to express MS imasi-
nation Of the effect
well said General Miles. if the powers that arc
t,,t, to heco ne our cneme, armed with certain
vanons we must of necessity be supplied with similar
weapons or lie entirely at the mercy OF those 40
have Them believe that this country Shouid never
hc without first rate navy as an adluh't 10 l's~
-,tc system Of coast defence. What sad In wash
ncon A. 10 the helpless state Of our great Pacific sea-
board may be said with equal force of the Atlantic
coast There are certain positions on the Mlantio
co,st that coli bc occupied by any foreign power ana
thi, would cripple IL for years IL Is all honsehSo
o t,ll alont hasty but preparation In case OF
threatened danger from without Why, IN the hrss
Mace most wars have been begun without any formal
declaration at all The asgrcNSoiS began the hsh'hs
lr,t and made a declaration of war aftcrward anybody
who knows ANYTHING about II knows that IL wouo
bc utterly impossible recover from tho present state
~ affairs in time to avoid serious damage. we
would he taken at Grca; disadvantage"
speaking to the senate Committee apou' COAST
defence vessels General Miles said "Whilc we arc
IN this subject. | may be permitted TO quote Mr..
Ericsson lie Is now dead but he revolutonized the
navics Of the world twice while he lived was In
rrcspondcnce with him up to very near the time
of his death lie told me that he had spent hve
years OF his life planning ram, and hnaiy gave IL
IN on the theory that the power was so great, and
tho shock must necessarily be so great. that the
chances were that the stcamppes must be broken
and scald everybody board, or those who were
not killed would probably go down with the ship
and RAM lie therefore devoted his time to what no
termed a submarine battery, his Destroyer, ana ~
IL. H.. ma h,.Lcd nm nv moneyed mon