Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-09
COAST DEFENSES.
Ex-senator Ingalls, Has Some
thing to Say on the Subject.
The International Influences
Bearing on Our Navy.

The Kansas Ex-senator Ridioules tho
Recent Alarms, and Severely Criticises
the Policy of Building Expensive War
Vessels That win be Practically Use.
less Few Years Hence.
WASHINGTON, March 9.-The article
contributed to New York Truth by ex-
Senator Ingalls,, which has created SO
much comment, is in substance as fol-
lows:
The annual shrek about our defense
less coasts and the bombardment of New
York, Philadelphia and Boston has been
emitted. The yearly phamphlet de-
scribing the blood-curdling incidents
and the appalling consequences of the
war with Chill and Spain in 1905, has
been sent to each senator and representa-
tive in congress, The editorial estimates
in the metropolitan press Of the amount
of property within reach of an Italian
ironclad in the lower bay, and of the
ransom that could be extorted from
the merchants and bankers, have all
been submitted and are filed away for
use again in 1892.
Their purpose is to reconcile the peo-
pie to the passage of the naval appro-
priation BILL and to enormous and prof
ligate expenditures in time of peace for
ships Notifications and munitions of
war, The capacity of the United States
to create a navy in an emergency was
demonstrated IN the rebellion.
The duel between the Monitor and
the Merimac, in Hampton Roads, revo-
-. A.
lem has since been TO construct armor
that no projectile can penetrate, and
then invent projectiles that no armor
could resist. European nations have
been conducting these expensive expert
ments hitherto, and the ships of 1880 are
already obsolete and antiquated for at
tack or defense.
Dynamite and other explosives COM
plicate the situation, and the navy that
we are now building at cost of $780,
000, 900 will be as worthless in 1900 as
Roman galieys. England, France and
Italy would gladly sell us their fleets at
80 per cent. Of their cost. If we are to
depend upon navy for protection we
must have ships enough to assemble at
every vulnerable point force as large
as could be dispatched against it, The
millions we are squandering on vessels
rons of Evolution" painted pageants of
the deep, had better be spent for earth
works and powerful guns to command
every roadstead, channel and harbor
from which q hostile fleet could threaten
or assail.
is there any necessity for spending
millions every year for naval defense, or
any justification for the hysterical ap-
peals to popular apprehension and
alarm? Our policy is pacific. We have
no colonies nor dependencies nor en-
tangling alliances Wars break out un-
expectedly, it is true, sometimes, but
from what quarter can danger be ra-
tionally anticipated? Our relations
amity; with Germany, of kinship and
consanguinity; with Russia, of frater-
nifty. The rest are trivial. Our only
enemy is England, and she is under
bond to keep the peace. No other ma
ton is 80 vulnerable, and none 80 detest-
ed. She has incurred the resentment of
the human race by centuries of in
Justice.
Col Mcclure, a noted Mississippi
duelist, had occasion to kick an unre-
sisting gentleman at hotel in Natchez.
Being not long after in Memphis, the
colonel saw his victim subjecting
another to the same treatment. Being
somewhat curious and uncertain as to
you not the fellow kicked down stairs
in NatchezP Eyes" replied he; "but,
colonel, you and know who to kick"
England kicked us when we were help
less and feeble; she sacked and burned
defenseless capital; she has kicked Ire
land; she has kicked Egypt; she has
kicked the Hindoos, the Zulus, the
Beers, the Chinese; but she is not in the
habit of kicking her equals Her courage
is prudent and calculating. She was
careful not to kick Napoleon until the
rest OF Europe Joined her, and she en-
durod Russian aggression until she per-
suaded France to bear the brunt Of the
Crimean campaign.
In our civil war she did all she could,
short of open hostility, to destroy the
Union, and then apologized and paid
damages. Lately we have had another
contention about seal poaching and the
Behring sea- Oceans of ink have been
shed in diplomatic correspondence be-
tween Lord Salisbury and Secretary
Blaine. Great Britain fortified Van
couver, and sent ships OF war into the
disputed waters, walking around, met
aphorically speaking, begging us to
knock the chip from her shoulder, or to
tread on the tails of her coat Legally,
she had an open case at least-in some
respects the best of the argument. A
casus belli could easily have been found,
If wanted, and we were assured that the
danger was imminent
The boldest held his breath for
while, immense appropriations were
promptly voted for Notifications and the
navy, and, then, while the National
hair was standing on end, England sud
denly came into our supreme court no
suitor, and submitted the whole con-
troversy to the decision of that great
tribunal The newspapers that de-
scribed the dramatic utterances OF SEN
ators about the dangers Of war with
Great Britain contained IN another
column of the same issue, an account OF
the proceedings in the old senate cham
Der. in which Lord Salisbury submitted
the claims of England TO adjudication,
as a question of international law. IL
was reassuring, but 1t was langhable
nevertheless.
Hanged Himself In His Cell.