The evening times., 1896-02-27
FORTS INSTEAD OF SHIPS
Senator Proci0r's Speech on the
Coast Defenses.
MAKING GREAT CITIES SAFE
This Can BE Done With Proper sys-
tenn of Land Defenses-It Would
Cost Less Tlmn "a Great Navy, Like
Those of Europe-Other Arguments
Made by Him.

Those OF EurOpe-Other Arguments
Made by Him.
Senator Proctor of Vermont addressed
| the Senate today on the subj ;ect Of coast
defenses. taking for his text the words
OF Washington. ITO be prepared for war
Is one of the most cffectual ways of pre-
serving peace"
The exposed condition of the coast oil
the United States, he said, required no
proof, and the necessity of defending it
should require no argument. 1t had been
stated recently by Admiral Walker that if
the English were to send over such a
naval force as they could spare from
Europe. they would have their own way:
that something of fight might be made
| for Sandy Hook. but that nothing would
prevent them from taking the whole coast.
The subject, Mr.. Proctor said, had been
periodically discussed in Congress, and had
| been alluded to in executive messages and
| in the reports OF various departments; but
| these discussions had not been followed
| by any decisive action. However, they had
| not been without their value.
| They had led to official Investigations a nd
| officia, reports, and have accomplished
| the great result OF impressing upon the
| American people the necessity of some
| action in this matter. 1t could safely be
| said that we had reached the point where
4 the question was not so much whether
| or not we shall defend our coast as IL Is
how we can best accomplish it.
| The army. the navy, the press, the peo-
pie, those in authority and those not,
voiced the sentiment that out coasts sadly
need protection and that protection should
| be provided, but how? Shall 1t be done by
| land fortifications alone, by navy alone
| or by n wise combination of the two
| methods?
ONE REASON URGED.
| 1t was fully suhstaDtiated by reason and
authority:
First That proper system Of land
| defcnses will make our great cities safe
| from any naval attack.
Second. Such system can be con-
structed for II sum many times less than
the cost OF a navy like the great navies
of Europe and for a sum tina may bc rea SON
ably be expeaded.
Third. Land Notifications are much more
efficient for coast defenses than a navy, AMI
when once constructed are durable. cheaply
maintained and easily strengthened.
Fourth. The defense of our cities can
not be left to the navy alone. however large.
Fifth. A navy that would equal the
great nayics of Europe is unnecessary, and
its cost makes such a navy impracticable.
Sixth. A navy quickly deterioratcs and
is expensive to maintain.
Seventh. The construction of land de-
fenses should always prcccde the building
OF n navy.
Mr.. Proctor wcat on 20 clucidate those
several points. He gave the total cost pt
a complete system OF land dcfenses, as
estimated by the Endicott board in 1886
as about ninety-eighu millions. That esti
mate. however, did not include six mill
ions for Puget Sound.
The cost of the exis; ing navy would be,
on the completion OF vessels now under con-
struction, over one hundred and ten mill
ions; but there was not n ship in the navy
that was not overmatched, by the admis-
sion OF naval Officers, by foreign ships.
After an analysis OF the American and
foreign navics Mr.. Proctor proceeded as
follows:
For the sum with which we have pro-
cured our navy we could have rendered our
seaports practically safe against the COM
bined assaults of all the navics admittedly
superior 10 our own, and could have Occu-
pied the first place in the world as regards
our fortified frontier. and still have money
enough left TO provide Il good share for
the additional floating batteries and tor
pedo boats necessary.
WITHSTAND ALL ATTACK.
The plans Of the board would have given
us land defcnscS calculated to Withstand all
methods of attack, even after the improve
ments that may reasonably be expected
during many wears TO come. The proposed
works assumed an attack with high eXplo-
sives and piauned to resist such an attack.
The guns were heavier than any mounted on
any ship abroad, except few coast de-
Tense yessels-notably the Italian-which no
one even suggests can cross the Atlantic
ocean. yet even these were matched by
those estimated for our defense.
in the meantime let us look to the
Since the date of the estimates for land
dcfenses, the guns on sbipboard have ex-
hihited a constant tendency to decrease
in relative power. The proposed land
defenscs for the same sum would mount
1876 guns of S-inch calibcr and up
ward, as against the Nays sc guns, and
would have mounted $50 rapid-.ire guns
OF 5-inch calber, as against the Navy's 81.
Great Britain cxpcnds on the average
more ON her navy every twenty months than
the whole cost of our coast defenses would
be. No navy ever has been nor never will
be completed. The iInprovements'of every
few years render worthless material, the
cost of which would have permanently
fortified several seaports.
The ships. once built, must be manned
and keptin service fora considerable portion
OF the time to prevent permanent deteriOra-
tion. To keep ship of war in service in
peace requires Just as many men as in war
A fOrtification can BE- maintained in peace
on a peace footing; on the other hand,
large proportion of vessels of war must
always be maintained on the war footing,
while those which are kept In reserve
must be frequently commissioned, that is,
put on the war footing, even in time ofpeacc,
In order to keep them in 4 serviccable con-
dition.
In country like ours there is certain to
vote money for new constructions. and will
content themselves with maintaining what |
they already have.
NAVAL SUPREMACY POLICY.
we have something to show for our money, |
and il these defenses are complete. all ap- |
may cease for many years, cx- |
cept a trifling amount for care and prcser- |
walton.