Huntsville gazette., 1890-07-26
OUR HELPLESS CONDITION.

Oeherai Nelson A. Miles Gives Some Val
uaoie Information to the Senate Com
Inie1ee ON Relations with Canada How
Easily England Could Invade Our Pa
cific Coast.
WASHINGTON, July 22.-Mr. Hoar,
chairman OF the Senate committee on
relations with Canada, presented to the
senate yesterday the testimony which
has been taken by the committee. This
testlmony Vas not accompanied by
report 1t is understood that the com
mlttee will make a report of it's conclu-
slons at later period, after additional
testimony shall have been taken at De-
troit Buffalo and some other points
The testimony already taken comprises
some 1900 pages. 1t consists of testi-
mony of military men, railroad officials,
prominent business men of the United
States and Canada, men engaged in the
fishlng industry along the whole extent
OF the Northern boundary of the United
States from California to Maine. The
testimony covers all the points of vital
interest as to the relations between the
United States and the dependencies of
Great Britain in North America. The
first witness examined was General
Nelson A. Miles, in command on the
Pacific coast.
General Miles, commenting on the de-
fenseless condition of the United States
upon our Northwestern border, said: II
would simply say that the information
that | have was gathered for myself and
for the higher officers of the Govern
ment, and was regarded as confidential,
but in stating to you as body of repre-
sentatives of the legislative branch of
the Government | should feel it my
duty to lay before you any facts that |
have, and of course will consider my
self relieved from responsibility as to
secrecy after that. / will state what is
well known in regard to Canada. l be-
lieve that the railway system of British
Columbia could be occupied by Ameri
can troops in ten days; in other words,
that the principal part of British Co.
lumbia could be occupied by American
troops-not, however, through Victoria.
That is on the island of Vancouver, oe-
cupied by British forces, place where
the British Government has expended
millions in building dry-docks and
navy-yards, and has made some surveys
for Notifications. They have there at
this time fleet of war ships under the
command of a British Admiral. | think
it is fair to say, what every intelligent
man must know. that during that ten
days the British fleet could destroy
every town and city on Puget Sound;
destroy our railroad system there and
occupy our outlets for that northwest
ern country. They could also send ships
up the Columbia river and destroy the
city of Portland and that railway sys-
tenn. There is not a gun or an earth
work on Puget Sound, nor a single ar
tillery soldier. There are few obso-
lete guns at the mouth of the Columbi
at Fort Candy but that is not now oc
cupied by troops. That is the condition
of affairs north of the harbor of San
Francisco.
'tSouth OF the harbor of San Fran
cisco there is not gun in position,
round of ammunition or a single artil
lery soldier to defend the harbors and
cities of San Diego Santa Barbara, and
San Pedro, the terminus of one of the
railroads, and from those points small
force could destroy the railway system
in Southern California"
The following is a concluding SEN
tence of the report of a board Of Off
GERS appointed to investigate the con-
dition of the Notifications of San Fran
cisco harbor and the entrance to the
Golden Gate:
From the defective character of the car
riages and emplace ments upon and in which
the existing armament of this harbor is
mounted, it is not possible to fire a single
gun with service charge; nor could this
state of affairs be remedied in the course of
a month.
The report contains an account of the
British fortification at Esquimault,
where it is reported that Great Britain
is now concentrating war vessels with a
view to possible contingencies in Behr-
ing Sea-