The evening times., 1895-11-14
COASTS ARE D[FENsELEss
Admiral Walker Inderses Gen.
Miles Declaration.
BATTLEsHIPS ARE NEEDED
Seven More Would Place the New
No Fear Then of COrinto Incidents.
European Nations Could BE Deried
or Whipped.

The defenscless condit ion of the American
coast, which the general of the army has
recently elaborated with much precision Of
detail, is. for the moment, the primo ipal
subject of conversation among army aud
navy officers.
Gen. Miles declaration that England.
not withstanaing her great navy. would he
practically helpless against a powerful al
vcrsary but for her system of coast de-
fences, is fully indorsed hy both branches
OF The service.
Admiral John G. Walker. who represents
the progressive element of the new navy,
regards coast dcfcnscs and "a navy rs the
complement OF each other. That il to say,
no great country cam protect itself without
both systems Of defense.
wha, Admiral Walker says in this con-
ncrtion is Significant. not only because of
his knowledge of military matters. hut for
The further reason that he believes that n
war let wren the United states and strong
European power would dc,noiisi rate now
lilly this country is prepared for such an
encounter.
Il am n good American. said Admiral
Walker this morning, hut cannot sliu, my
eyes 10 cold facts. We are not prepared
today 10 engage in war with any iirst-
class power We are m the position that
CbDa occupied i'll her recent struggle
with Japan.
OUR True CONDITION.
I'VE have "A vast population, great wealth,
boundlcss resources and intense patriot
ISM. But we cannot maintain an offensive
or defensive attitude against any one OF
the half dozen foreign countries.
Whit Gen. Miles says about the defense
less condition Of our coast cities is en-
lirely correct II is true that New York
and San Francisco are better projected
than our other commercial cities, but even
they would be helpless against the assaults
of "a dozen powerful ironclads. So far as
the remaining cities are concerned they
have no protection whatever.
.'Wha, Il" you think The Government ought
To dor"
Congress ought Ia make liberal appro-
priations for coast defenSes and for adui-
lionai ships of war. More than anything else
we need Il strong navy If we had u dozen
baltlcSiIips or tie Indiana class on the At
Ianic coast we could 'efy AS powerful "a
maritime country as Great Britain. We
have now four battlcships building and
Two Others have been appropriated for We
need al least seven more.
III Congress would vote The money two
of these vessels ought to he given 10 the
'IdlillN, 'ND W iHt Ndlu ~
Newport News, one to the Union Iron Works
Il Sau Francisco and the others ought Ia Ike
built at The uavy wards AT Brooklyn and
Norfolk. With auythin. like fair SYSTEM
of coast def"nsrS we would Then be beyond
the proi.a biities OF war
PREVENTIVE OF WAR.
There would I've no more Corintu incl
dents: no more Ialk of foreign aegressiuns
on American soil. The United States would
be pre- cininent on the American continent.
The greatest preventive against war is 10
be fully prepared for it,"
What about the Pacific coast?''
Three baltleships would be sufficient
for those waters, as the only probability Of
trouble there might be with The countries
to the south of Us, aud three such vessels
would amply protect us from their as
saults."
Then YOU don't think we are prepared
for war al present?'
We are. lar from it Our ships are the
best of their class in lie world. but we have
not enough of them. wenced more fighting
ships, hatlleships. The baitleshp is Ia the
navy what The infantry is TO the army. II
is the fighting part of the navy, but 1t
should be- supplemented by torpedo boats,
coast dercusc vessels and swift cruisers,
Just as The infantry is made more eff.rt-
i've by the employment of cavalry and ar
ti.lecy.
The battleship is not needed In times uf
peace, but it is indispensable in case OF
war. When not actively engaged IL can
he. laid up in ordinary, and the police
work knf the ocean can he performed by small
gunboats which would not he effective in
battle, but which are useful 10 carry the
flag.
WE WOULD WIN.
This is the policy pursued by Great
Britain. vino sends her gunboats abroad
while her powerful iruncads, which are
more expensive .b-kecp in commission, re-
main on the home Stations
Gould Great Britain, for example. send
ali of her navy To the United STATES in the
event OF war between the two ,ountries?'
No; doubt il she could send half of
her vessels, for she cannot leave her inter-
csts in other parts Of the world unprO-
tccted. But even Il part or her great navy
would DE sufficient la give us great tIou-
BILE, at the start at least.
ION the other hand if we met her with a
dozen powerful battleshi2s on the Atlantic
coast, with such other resources as we
possess we would no doubt w in the struggle
Meanwhile we could throw half a million
men into Canada within n few weeks. 50
that the fight would not he SO one-sided
as il might at first glance appear"
But You think at the present time Eng
land or any Of the continental powers
would have us at a disadvantage"
Undoubtedly. 1t is useless 10 talk
q bout war With auy strong EIronpuu