Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-12-10

= 20 act'ye duty would find them ,,ad.
80, 80 prephred for fielf service. tbcr..
taLa, .omlnehd mat prompt measures b.
taken TO remedy this sonaition anat
very encouragement be gisna 10 III =" -
sei1lhg Dody OF unpaid and yol,tntnrv -,
90 soiiieFs, upon whose assistant. wo
ua iarsely rely IN time OF troubIe
burihs the past year rapid progr.us
80 haue toward the complefinn ~ ~
scheile adopted FOR the ereetionl AMI ,da
in,nt VI lortlhcations along our seo ,oast
49, 'l1ai progress has been made IN mr.,
siuihg the material for Submarine d,fi,s@
IN connection with these works Il, , s'n''
cuiiafly gratifying at TIL, time "a ro,o ~,
great advance That has been mazda ~ ,bi.
.mpotlant undertaking since the date AZ ~
opening or lis second session. In Daco,nha,
io'" Al that time | Informed the eonara,s
u me approaching completion of nina
sNeiVe.inch, twenty ten-inch. ana tbirt,.
49, tlsnt-'hch high power steel guns, ana
totai .nse lwelYe-inch rifle mortars. This
tolni theh seemed Insignificant when com.
pared with NV" WIN
The Great Work
i'ilaihlhg 20 be done. Yet II was nevo~
eneiess' y source of abstraction 10 eyerv
cilizeh when he reflected that II renre.o,t
eu the hrst installmeat of The new ordnance
" hunerlean design and American mann.
1919 ana demonstrated our ability "a
supply from our OWL resources guns ~ ~,
e~Ncelled power ana accuracy Al thnt a,to
however, there were practically n, oar
ranges upon which To mount these prnS ann
ohly thlrty-one emplacements for gu,s mn
siAty-four for mortarS. Nor were All thcso
Improvements in condition Ia receive ,hntr
armament only one higl-power gun was
~ that time IN position for the defense OF
the entire coast.
Since thar timn ,h, n.uah
ally completed has been increased 10 twen.
'y'ohe iWeiVeln"h; ffty-siN ten-inch. sixty
ohe elSht-lheh power, breech-loading steel
NVh raplaItrlng guns and eighty ttyelyeIpch
rihed fn0rtars. In addition, there arc IN
process o! construction one sixteenInrh
type gun, hfty twelye-lnch, nfty-six fem
'h'h' tWehty-seyen eight-iHch high-powcr
SIMS, aud sixty.six twelye.inrh riti~d mar.
tars; In all. 42S guns and mortars.
burihS the same ypar. immediately IRE.
'edlng me message referred To. the frSf
modern gun carriage had been complptrd.
anu eleven more were In process of CON
strnction. All but one were of the non-Ils.
appearing type. These. however. were not
such as 10 secure necessary cover for fho
artillery guanerS against the intense fire OF
modern machine rapid.dre and h~lgh.power
guns.
me Inventive genius Of ordnance ana civ
lllan experts has been taxed In designing
carriages that should obylate this fault. re-.
%sultins. 1t is believed. in the solution If hi,
dlhicult problem. Since lS93 the namber OF
gun carriages constructed or building has
been raised 10 Il total or i29, of which 80
are on the disappearing principle. aud the
number OF mortar carriages to 49,; while
the % emplacements which were provided
Tor prior 10 that sme have been increased
10 go, built and building.
IhiS improved situation IS largely due to
ihe recent generous response OF congress TO
the recommendations of the war DEPART
ment Thus we shall soon have complete
about ope-nfth Of tte comprehensive sys-
tenn. the first step OF which was noted in
my message 70 congress OF Dec. (. 1893.
when IT Is understood that a masonry en-
placement not only furnishes a platform
Tor the heavy modern high power gun. but
also. In every particular service, the pur-
pose and takes the place OF the fort OF
former days. the Importance of the work
accomplished is better comprehended.
In the hope that the work will be prose.
uted with no less ylgOr In the future. the
secretary OF war has submitted an estimate
by which. IL allowed. there will soon be
provided. and either built or building by
the end OF the next fiscal year, such
additional guns, mortars. gun carriages and
einplacemeuts as will represent not far
from one-tiiird Of the total work to be done
under the plan adopted for our coast de.
f~enses-thus affording a prospect that the
entire work will be substantially completed
within six years In less time than that,
however. we shall have attained q marked
degree Of security.
The experience ana results OF the past
year demonstrate that. with a continuation
OF present careful methods, the cost OF the
remaining work will be much less than the
original estimate.
We should always keen In mind that mil.
itary preparation Is alone essentially paci-
hc in its nature. While il gives the sense
OF security due to a Consciousness OF
strength, II Is neither the purpose nor the
effect OF such permanent fertilization 10 in
yolve US In foreign complications. but rather
To guarantee us against them. They are
not temptation 10 war, bnt security against
IL. They are thoroughly in accord with all
the traditions OF our national diplomacy.