The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-12
DEFENSELESS COASTS
Gen. Miles Report Points Out
Our Exposed Coasts.
More Modern Guns Are What
Our Forts Need.
EVEN CHINA BETTER.
Amy Navy Could Blockade Us
in Ninety Days.
The Report is in Favor Of a
Larger Army.

personnel Is shown to be in excellent
condition, well instructed, efficient
and attentive to duty. Liberal appro-
priations are required for public build
ings at the posts, many of which are
out of repair
General Miles believes that the peace
full condition now existing among the
various Indian tribes is largely attrib-
utable to the presence of troops at
suitable points, and to the admirable
conduct of the experienced army Off
GERS who have been placed in charge of
the principal agencies.
Under the head of coast defense
General Miles states the condition OF
these defenses is such as to require de-
cided and immediate action for their
improvement. The unguarded condi-
ton of our coast is known by every
frst-class power, and our people should
not be led into false security. He
quotes from his report of 1884 strong
argument for the defense of Puget
sound. shows that since that time new
Canadian railroads have been esta b.
lished there, yet not a single gun ha
! been placed in position for defense,
while those at the entrance of the Co
/ 1umbia river are obsolete and of little
: value.
General Miles recalls what he said in
his report of 1889 upon the absolute
I Importance of the defense of the en-
! tire Pacific coast, in view of the fact
/ that it was possible for any naval
! power to blockade every important
port within ninety days, while it
would take many years to make a sue
/ cessfu1 resistance, and the country
/ might be required to pay an indemnity
/ of S., 900, 900, COO. While the railroads
might transport 1000, 600 brave men to
the coast, they would be useless with
| out appliances to cope with the mod
ern engines of war, and with all our
intelligence, pride, inventive genius
| and enterprise. we are as far behind in
the modern appliances of war as China
or Japan Such were the conditions
| six years ago, says General Miles, and
such are the conditions to-day, with
the exception of the slight progress
made at San Francisco. The entire
Gulf coast and all the great cities of
the Atlantic coast northward to Phila-
delphia are entirely without modern
! guns.
| General Miles, in support of his
recommendation for adequate coast
| defense, points to the fact that the
batteries at Moultrie and Sumter kept
at bay for four years the most power
/
our people cherish two misleading de-
lusions; first, that torpedoes can be
| depended upon to protect our coasts,
| and second, that its 1000 miles of
coast can be defended by navy. He
shows that torpedo plants are useless
without protective batteries, and that
the water in our principal harbors is
so deep that light draft war vessels
| might pass over torpedo mines with
/ Ia a SGAT+S hat 70 ont
maneuvers in England have shown
that even the powerful British navy is
| unable to defend the British coast
against a foreign fleet Therefore, he
argues, the main reliance must be
upon coast batteries.
! While he does not anticipate war in
| the near future, he shows that IN the
last 200 years in less than ten per cent
of the wars has there been any formal
warning or declaration before hostili-
ties and as it would require years of
time to construct modern weapons of
| war it would be unwise to disregard
| the lessons of history. In our own
country for nearly zoo years there has
never been a period of thirty-fve years
| in which it has not been involved in
war He points to the case of China.
which made the fatal mistake of rely
| ing upon its vastly superior numbers
for safety, ana argues that the best
| guarantee of peace is a condition of
| readiness for war.
Therefore, he strongly recommends
| the construction of ali the high power
guns and system of defenses called for
III the general plan of the board of
ordnance and Qualifications and other
| boards, and to meet in part the ex-
| pense of this costly underta king he
suggests the application OF the funds
that might be derived from the sale of
| abandoned military reservations. To
| man these guns he asks an increase of
the artillery arm, with the provision
OF barracks at Fort Hancock, \. Y,
for the accommodation OF the troops,
and the systematic detail of subaltern
officers for instruction IN rotation in
this place.
Touching the infantry General Miles
recommends the three battalion or
| ganization and regimental posts to
keep the companies of regiments to-
gether He thinks that at least one
full regiment of cavalry should be as
sembled at Fort Riley. Kan, where
field maneuvers might be undertaken
annually.
To thoroughly demonstrate the util-
ity of bicycles and motor wagons in
the army it is recommended that a
force of twelve companies be equipped
with these devices, to be manned from
the 1000 officers and men in the army
able to use bicycle, which has been
already found extremely useful.
General Miles argues for an increase
in the strength of the army, saying
that there is no reason why it should
become crystallized and kept at one
strength, as it has been for years. It
should increase with the growth of
the country and be determined by the
| census at a minimum of one SOL
dier for every 1000 population and a
| maximum of ono in I oAO