The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-11-15
FlRHTIER COAST GFH}ES.
Annual Report Of GOmmandsF-In-Chief Milss
Submitted
he Strongly appeals for shore Adequate
Coast FortiReatiOns-En Ninety Bays
Etrcng Navy COuid BloCkade any
Port-Isteresting suggestions

WARRINGTON. Nov. 12-The annual
report Of Gen. Miles, commanding the
army, was made public yesterday. The
personnel is shown to be in excellent
condition, well instructed, efficient
and attentive TO duty. Liberal appros
priations are required for public build
ings at the posts, many of which are
out Of repair. Gen. Miles believes
that the peaceful condition now ex.
isting 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.
Under the head of coast defense
Gen. 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
hrst'class power, and our people should
not be led into false security. He re.
calls what he said in his report in 1880
upon the absolute Importance Of the
defense of the entire Pacific coast, in
view of the fact that it was possible for
any naval power to blockade every i'm.
pOrtant port within ninety days while
it would take many years to make a
successful resistance, and the country
might be required to pay an indemnity
Of $1,000 900, OG0 The entire gulf
coast and all the great cities Of
the Atlantic coast northward TO
Philadelphia are entirely without
modern guns. While he does not an
tipate war in the near future, he
shows that in the last 200 years in less
than 10 per cent of the wars has there
been any formal warning OF declara-
tion before hostilities, 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 goo years there has never been
a period of thIFty-fve years in which
it has not been involved in war. He
points to the case of China, which
made the fatal mistake of relying
upon its vastly superior numbers for
safety, and argues that the best guar
antee of peace is a condition of readi.
ness for war.
Therefore, he strongly recommends
the construction of ali the high power
guns and system of defenses called for
in the general plan Of the board OF
ordnance and Notifications and other
boards, and to meet in part the ez-
peuse of this costly undertaking 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, n. Y,
for the accommodation of the troops,
and the systematic detail of subaltern
officers for instruction in rotation at
this place.
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 a bicycle, which has been
already found extremely useful
Gen. Miles argues for. an increase in |
the strength of the army, saying that
there is no reason why it should be.
come 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 cen.
sus at a minimum of the one soldier for
every 1000 population and a maximum
of one in 1000.
Gen. Miles concludes his report with
several recommendations intended to
benefit the condition of the officers and |
men and attract to the military service !
the best element in the community.
One suggestion is that where a soldier
has served honorably for FIVE years
and wishes to leave the service, he |
may, after passing nn examination, be
commissioned as second lieutenant and
discharged. Such man would bene.
6t any community, be useful in the ma
tional guard and constitute a valuable
reserve in time Of war The pay of
non-eommissioned officers should be !
officers should be given a |
rotation in duty to fit them for general |
commands, and those below the grade J.
of colonel who have served thirty /
years and who rendered valuable serv-
ice during the war should he permitted /
to retire with rank one grade higher /
than they now hold.