The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-23
FOR SEACOAST DEFENSE
COAST CITIES BEING
RAPIDLY FORTIFIED.
TO BUILD GREATEST WAR. SHIP IN WORLD
Committee on Navel Affairs Instructed to Re-
port Whether Such Ship Can Be Built,
Arm d and Commissioned in
Twelve Months.

Twelve WOnUlSh
Washington. ID. c., Feb 22.-As soon
as the reading of the historic farewell
address of Washington was concluded
by Mr.. Lodge, of Massachusetts, in the
Senate to-day Mr.. Hawley, of Connec-
ticut, chairman of the Military Affairs
committee, called up the bill reported
from his committee authorizing the or
ganizatiOn of two additional regiments
of artillery.
Senator Hawley, in reporting the bill
said:
The speedy passage of this bill, or
its equivalent, appears to be an absolute
necessity. The government, after long
and careful consideration by those whose
offices and studies qualify them to give
the most valuable advice has entered
upon the execution Of a systematic and
elaborate plan.
''The great expenditures will be vast
ed treasure unless a sufficient number
of artillerymen carefully selected and
thoroughly drilled, be assigned to the
care and use of these costly instruments
Of defense. With the aid of the ac-
tves of the National Guard, and those
who have been discharged therefrom az
ter years of instruction, effective cavai
~ and infantry could be collected in a
comparatively short time but in case of
war, short notice would be given to the
men in charge OF the great guns on the
coast, whose costly machinery requires
much mechanical skill and practice.
= Al AacarefHl-cstimate of the annual adj
usAs- -
| tain the two regiments rs $350.054 But
some moths will expire before the regi-
ments can he fully enlisted and organic
ed. and while the scale of the first year
with its equipment will be very consid-
crably greater than that of average
subsequent years, it is believed that
S4J0.000. possibly less, will suffice for
the fiscal year 1899.
COAST DEFENSES.
In letter written yesterday, General
/ Miles says:
My Dear Senator: Referring to
our conversation this morning / have
the honor to state that batteries have
been placed in position in Notifications
at Portland Head. Maine: Groves Bluff,
hOstOn harbOr; Fort Hancock, approach
to Philadelphia; approaches to Wash
lesion harbOr: Mobile, Alabama; Gal
i weston, Texas; Fort Baker, California;
Fort Point, California; and Fort Ste
vens. Oregon.
BATTERIES will also be placed within
a few months on new fortiicatiOns ~
Great Diamond Island, Portland.
Maine: Fort Constitution, Portsmouth,
\. H.; Lone Island Head Boston har-
hcr: Dutch Island, Narragansett Bay,
Il. l.: eastern entrance to Long Island
Sound, New York; Delaware City, Della
ware: approaches to Baltimore: APP
proaches to Savannah, Ga; New Or
leans, La San Diego. California;; en-
trance to Puget Sound, Washington;
making in all twenty-siX sea coast fortl-
fications for the defense of the great
cities of the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific
coasts, where Notifications have been
and are being erected, and where artil-
lery is required to protect the ammuni-
, ton, but these are not sufficient to
man said batteries and hence the ne
cessity for two additional regiments of
artillery is imperative and requires inn
mediate action"
BATES OBJECTS TO BILL.
Mr. Bate CTenn.), objected to the bill
because it tended to an increase Of the
army, to which, he said, he was unater-
ably opposed. He thought that there
were enough troops already under en-
listment to man all the guns now being
provided for the government. He ar
gued that it would be better to assign
infantry regiments to the manning of
these guns than to put them in charge
of raw recruits.
HAWLEY'S ARGIY POINTS.
In reply Mr.. Hawley pointed out that
the strength of the army was really de-
creasing i'll proportion to the inhab
tants of the country. In addition, he
said, Congress had made the large APP
propriations in Itcent years for great
guns for forts and coast defense sta
tions. OF these gums 139 were guns of
large caliEre and delicate mechanism.
TO these must be added 232 riled steel
mortars already placed or soon to be
placed in the coast defense stations.
Ii1 order that these guns may be
properly handled Il body of trained ar
tillerists is necessary. Each of these
great war engines requires to handle It
as much skill as it requires to run
locomotive or AN ordinary river. steamer.
The bill was passed, 80 to 4. The
negative votes were cast by MeSsrs.
Bate, CTenn); Clay, (Georgia); Chiffon,
(Texas), and Vest, (AlissOuri)
The measure provides that the arti!-
lery of the army shall consist of seven
regiments, thus increasing the total
Continued ON Second page.)