The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-12
Improvement of Coast Defenses
Requires Decided and I'm
mediate Action.
At THE MERCY OF ANY POWER
Ports Both on the Pacific anC
Atlantic That Could Easily
Be Taken.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 1.-THE
report of Major-General Miles, comma nd
ing the United States army, which was
made public to-day, differs in many
material respects from statements in regard
TO its contents previously published.
General Miles believes that the peaceable
conditions now existing among the various
Indian tribes is largely attributable to the
presence of troops at suitable points and to
the admirable conduct of the experienced
army officers who have been placed in
charge of the principal agencies. While it
is economical and desirable to have the
reserve forces of the army near the great
centers OF communication General Miles
urgently contends that these points should
be selected for their strategic value, and
that the tendency toward concentration
should not be carried to the point of
depriving the Western settlements OF
proper protection.
F. Under the head of coast defense General
Miles states that the condition of these
defenseS is such as to require decided and
immediate action for their improvement.
Some progress has been made toward de-
Tending San Francisco and few modern
guns and rifles have been placed. These,
however, are but small part of what is
needed for the defense of the harbor, while
San Diego is in the same condition as Pu-
get Sound, entirely at the mercy of any
strong naval power, which could blockade
every important por. on the Pacific Coast
within thirty days. While the railroads
might transport a million brave men to
the coast they would be useless without
appliances to cope with the modern en-
glnes ofwar, 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, SAYS General
Miles. as stated by him in his report six
years ago, and such are the conditions to-
day, with the exception Of slight progress
made at San Francisco. The entire gulf
coast and all the great cities of the Allan
tic coast northward to Philadelphia are
entirely without modern guns. With one
exception the cities north of New York are
in similar condition to those south of it.
Some guns and mortars have been con-
structed and some shipped to their desti-
nation; carriages for them are under con-
struction and empla cements have been
1t shows that torpedo plants are useless
without protective batteries and that the
waters in our principal harbors is so deep
that lght-draft vessels might pass over
torpedo mines without danger. He asserts
that the recent maneuvers in England
have shown that even the powerful British
navy is unable to defend the British coast
against a foreign fleet. Therefore he ar
CUES that the main reliance must be upon
coast batteries. He strongly recommends
the construction of all the high power guns
and systems of defenses called for in the
general plan of The Board of Ordnance,
and to meet in part the expense of this
costly undertaking he suggests the applica-
ton OF the funds that might be derived
from the sale of abandoned military reser-
vatlons. He approves the use of bicycles
and motor wagons in the army, and recon-
mends that force of twelve companies be
equipped with these devices.
General Miles argues for an increase in
the strength ofthe army, saying that there
Il. Is no reason why it should become crystal
Lied and kept at one strength, as it has
been for years. 1t should increase with
the growth of the country, and be deter
mined by the census at a minimum of one
soldier for every 1000 population and a
maximum of one in 1000.