The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-03-12
DIR COAST DEFENSES.


unsettled controversy with Great Britain
touching the disputed boundary line be-
tween British Guiana and Venezuela,
and more especially in regard to our more
recent threatened imbroglio with Spain
concerning our acknowledgment either
of the belligerent status or independence
of Cuba, involves considerations of our
coast defense that do not seem to nave
received the attention absolutely requls-
tie and necessary for the security of the
prcat ports of this country. A nation
can not afford to take aggressive posi-
tions in regard to foreign countries that
might involve it in war, without security
at home from the invasion of an enemy
or the dcstructon of its coastwise cities.
Our condition of coast dcfenses Is la
mentally deficient. General Miles says
that from Portland to Galveston there
has been little or nothing accomplished
towards the defense of important cities.
The reliance that we have so lightly
and so inconsiderately placed in torpedo
defense General Miles eXplodcs with Il
breath. He says torpedocs are very well
when they work. but that no country can
place absolute reliance in any one type
of destructive implements of war. Tor
pedoes are quite easily destroyed by the
well directed fire of n man-of-war ana
they may be sailed over by light-dratt YES
sells. General Miles shows that neither
upon the Atlantic coast nor the Pacllc
are our cities properly defended, but that
with the present fortihcations ana guns
they would fall an easy prey to the navy
of an enemy. From the enumeration OF
the kind of guns that this accomplished
and reliable officer makes, it is very evl-
dent that it would be rashly defying all
the rules of National defense for the
United States to engage in war with any
other nation. however weak, while our
coast cities are thus wholly unprotected.
In December, 1886, President Cleve-
land sent message to congress Ill when
he strongly recommended "A system OF
coast defense proposed by his secretary
of war. Mr.. William G. Endicott, when
has since been known as the Endicott
plan. This plan contemplated the THOR
ough fertilization of u of our coast
cities. II involved the construction OF
GIT guns and S2i mortars mt cost OF
over 100000, 900, and also floating bat
ferries M a cost of S2S,000,OOO. The
recommendations of the fortifcation
board in which the plan was devised
called for an immediate appropriation OF
sd 100000 and annually thereafter OF
S9,OOO,000. 1t is stated that II
these recommendation had been
carried out. or if congresses
since that time had been as liberal
towards the completion of these fortlhca'
tons and ornaments as they have been
for other departments of the government
that by this time the whole plan would
have been completed, and that our coast
defenses would have been impregnabie
defying the concentrated fire of the finest
navy in the world Where the original
Endicott plan called for an immediate
appropriation for $2l 100000, the az
ETtEult up ~ ''''
have been only $1O,OOO,OOO.
1t would be humiliatng task to show
how insufficient have been the appropria-
tons in this line, but the appropriations
made have been largely expended on the
completion of the arsenal and great gun
factory at Waterviet, West Troy. This
factory will compare favorably with the
Krupps' at Essen or any of the great gun
factories of Europe. In the meantime
the government contracted with private
firm Mt the Bethlehem Iron works ut Beth
lehem, Pa, for the construction of 1OO
heavy guns during Il series of years, but
since the completion of the Watervllet
factory no more private contracts Will he
made, as the latter government factory
is capable of gun construction of any
quantity of guns that would exhaust all
appropriations likely to be made for that
purpose. f..
About the most hopeful fact in this
connection is that the Watervlict factory
is capable of the construction of l6-lncl
guns, carrying shells weighing 231C
pounds, the most formidable guns known
to modern warfare. These guns are in
tended to supplement all other instru'
mcnts of defense and provide absolute
security to our cities lying upon the
sea coast 1t is said by experts that nc
armor that has ever yet been placed upon
vessel of war is impcryious to II shell
from this terrible engine of destruction
The largest vessel in any navy of the
world penetrated by one of these shells
and the shell exploding within, it would
he shattered like an egg shell under a
cotton trip hammer
While we by no means desire to en-
courage the spirit of militarism now ST
rife in this country, we do not believe,
under the new policies of intervention
inaugurated by the Cuban resolutions in
congress, as well as Mr.. Cleveland's mes
sage on the Venezuelan question, that
we can afford to permit our preparations
for coast dofcuScs to lag for day.
While it is the duty of our representatives
and the executive to avoid all entangling
alliances or controversies with foreign
countries that might involve us in war
it is also their duty to make the coast
defenses of our great entry ports of COM
mercc and wealth secure from attack at
oil i