The Portland daily press., 1896-12-08

the new magazine arms, and ise policy
demands that oil available public and
private resources should be so employed
as to provide thin reasonable time a
sufficient number to supply the State
militia with these modern weapons and
provide an anpls reserve for any emer-
geney.
THE MILITIA.
TIE organized militia numb bers 49, 879
men. The appropriations tor it's support
by the several States approximate
50, 800, O00 annually, and s4O0, COO Is con-
tributed by tie general government.
Investigation shows these troops to be
usually well drilled and inspired with
much military in crest but in many In
stances they are so Inefficient in proper
arms and equipment that a sudden call
to active duty would find them innde-
| auately prepared for field service.
therefore recommend that PROMPT meas
ures be taken to remedy this condition,
and thai every announcement tie given
to this deserving body of unpaid and vol
untary citizen soldiers, upon whose as
sisuance we must largely rely in time OF
trouble.
COAST DEFENSE.
During the past year rapid proafesss
has been made toward the completion OF
the scheme adopted for the erection and
armament IF Notifications along our sea
coast. while equal progress has been mace
| in proyiding The material for submarine
| defense ia connection with theae worhs.
Tt is peculiarly gratifying at thls time TO
note the great advance that mas nsen
made ia this Important undertaking
| since the date of my annual message 80
the fifly third Congress at the opening
of its second session, in De1ember, 1893.
| at that time informed the Congress OF
the approaching completion OF nine
| twelve-inoh, twenty ten-1nch, Jilroy-
four eight inch high power s'eel guns,
and rs 12-inoh rifled mnrtars. ! his total
then seemed Insignificant when compared
with the great wOik remalu1ng 10 le
| done. Yet it was a source of satisfaction
fn every citizen when he reflected thn6
| it represented the first installment Of ths
new ordnance of American design ana
American manufacture and demonstrates
| our ability to supply from our own re-
sources guns of uuexcellel power ana ac'
curaoy AT that date, however, there
were practically 40 carriages upon which
to mount these guns, and OILY 81 EN-
| placements for guns and "a for mortars,
nor were all these emplneements IN con-
dition to receive the armament. Onlv
one high class gun was III POSITION 1ur
| the entire coasJ. Since that time tie
number of guns actually completed has
12-inch, fifty-six 10.inch. sizty-nne s.
| inch high power breech loading steel
guns, ten rapid fire gins, and eighty L.
| inch rifed mortars. In addition there
are in process OF construction one IT,
| inch type gun, fifty II inch. fifty-six TO-
inch. twenty seven s,1nch nigh power
guns, and sixty-six 12-inch rihsd NOR
| fars; in all, four hundred anu twenty
| eight guns and mortars
| During the same year, Immediately
preceding the message referred IT,, the
| first modern gun carriage had been COM
plated, and eleven moro were in process
of construction. All but one were OF
| the non disappearing type. These, how
| ever, were not such as to secure neces-
| sary cover for the artillery gum ers
against the inte Dse fire of modern ma
chine rapid fire and high power gums.
| The inventive genius of ordnance and
civilian experts has been taxed in design
| ing carriages that would obviate this
| fault, resulting, 1t is helieved, In the So
luton of this difficult pr blem Since
| 1898 the number of gun carriages con-
structed or EuiIlding has been raised to
total of 129, of which 80 are on the
disappearing principle, and the number
of mortar carriages to 1859, while the 90
emplacements which were provided for
| prior to that time have been increased TO
$50 built and building.
|
| to the recent generous response of Con-
gress to the recommendations of the
War Department. Thus we shall soon
have completed about one-fifth of the
comprehensive system, the first step in
which was noted in my IL essage to the
| Congress of December 4, 1898. When it
| is understood that masonry emplacs-
ment not only furnishes platform for
the heavy modern high power gun, but
also in evary particular serves the pur-
nose and takes the place of the fort of
| former DAYS, the importance of the work
accomplished is Eetter comprehended.
In hope that the work will be prose-
| cuted with no less vigor In the future,
| tbs Secretary of War has submitted an
estimats by which, if allowed, there will
be provided apd either built or building
| by the end of the next fiscal year such
additional guns, mortars, gun carriages
| and emplacements MS will represent not
| far from third of the total work to
be done under the plan adopted for our
coast defenses, thus aHnrdlng prospect
| that the entire work will be substantial
| ly accomplished within six years. In less
time than that, however, we shall have
attained a marked degree of security.
| The experience aud results of the past
year demonstrate that with continue
tion of present careful methods the cost
of the remaining work will be much less
| Than Ul6 OFlRtuhl we HHOhlu
always keep in mind that Of all forms of
military prepsl alton coast defense
alone is essentially pacific in it's nature.
While it gives the sense of security due
to n consciousness of strength, 1T is
neither the purpose nor the effsot of such
permanent Notifications to involve MS
| in foreign complications, but rather to
guarantee US against them. They are
not temptations to war, but security
nenipst it. Tl,us they are thoroughly in
accord with all the traditions of our ma
tional diplomacy.
| ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE.
The attorney general presents de-
| tailed and interesting statement Of the
| Important work done under his super
vision during the last fiscal year. The
ownership and management by the gov
ernment of penitentiarles fo? the CON
| finement of those convicted in United
States courts of violations ofsfefleral laws,
which for many years has been a subject
of executive recommendation, has at last
to n slight extent been realized by the
| utilization of the abandoned military
nrison at Fort Leayenworth as United
States penitentiary. This is certainly Il
movement in the right direction; but it