Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-16


Vsriably adjacent to deep water: and one
| OF the great causes of rhe appearance of n
sense OF insecurity IN this country at the
present time is that of liability from their
| unprotected condition in case Of war 10 he
| laid under tribute or reduced to ashes nv n
| hostile fleet.
| here are the factory, the foundry the
| shipyard, the workshop and the savings
| bank, as we'll as the accumulated results OF
CORNER enterprises; the homes and buildings
of the rich and poor alike. The protection
| OF all these is of vital Importance to ALL
| and especially to the laboring community
If these be destroyed, the !aborer is with
| out food. without shelter, without occupa-
ton, and driven back upon cherries and
inhosritable country, becomes a part OF a
WI etched and homeless reopic.
We as a nation wish TO live ut peace with
| all the world; and the Immortal Washing
ton sought to impress upon the people OF
! his day that to be prepared for war Is one
OF the most effective ways Of preserving
| the peace On this subject the New York
Commercial Advertiser said editorially:
At the Mercy of "A Fleet.
sit seems like an Insult: to the reading
| public to discuss so paipable fact as the
| unprotected condition of The great seacoast
towns of the United States, as IL 1t consti-
:uted matter Of doubt and dispute. Ac-
cording to competent authority not less
| than S10.OO0, 100000 of destructible property
located in the principal seaports OF this
country lies totally at the mercy today of
| feet of foreign warships. In this commun
itJ alone the value OF such property
amounts to $4.O00.OO00O0, nearly all OF
which would be within range Of hostile
guns trained from warsiips in the upper
bay Some defenses have been erected here,
but they are so inadequate as to be little
better than none at al"
Samuel J. Tilden said: while We may
afford to be deficient in means Of offense.
we cannot afford to be defenseless." Ex-
President Cleveland in one Of the messages
OF his first term used the following lam
guage: THE defense less condition of our
seacoast and lake frontier is perfectly pal
pable: the examination made must con-
vince US all that certain Of our cities should
be fortified, and that work on the most i'm
pcrtant of these Notifications should be
| commenced at once. The absolute neces-
sity, judged by all standards of prudence
and foresight of our preparation for the
effectual resistance against the armored
ships and steel guns and mortars OF modern
construction which may threaten the cities
on our coasts, is apparent that / hope
effective steps will be taken in that direc-
| ton immediately
A Proper Safeguard.
No man of intelligence can by any stretch
| OF imagination see danger to the liberties
of any class Of the people in the construc-
ton of proper protection for our grea:
cities. The American army has nothing 10
do with the question of capital and labor.
Its business is not to promote or 20 put
down strikes. 1t is only when large bod
les of men are banded together and cease
to be law-abidinS citizens, put to death in
rocent people. seize and unlawfuliy hold
property-in short. defy the civil laws-tha.
The legally constituted force of city, coun-
ty. state or nation is used 10 restore the
supremacy of law and order. That is the
duty of every civil magistrate, and he is
empowered to call to his aid every able
bodied citizen III any community WHERE
such disturbance occurs. You might as
we'll dismiss every police force, on the
ground that il is menace TO labor, when
in fact, 1t, like the army, is only menac.
TO law breakers-men who would defy civil
law and break down the barriers of civil
government. AS matter of fact, it will
be found that the Qualifications of our
country are invariably placed as far away
from great cities as practicable and where
1t would be impossible to reach the labor
csnterS with our own guns, If such an I'M
warranted and impossible use for them
were desired
\ Guarantee of Peace.
In our great towns are thousands of mil
lions of dollars worth of destructibIe prop
erty, and such incomplete defenses as may
have been erected are not sufficient to
guarantee safety. These facts are well
hHOWu at tHe seat OF every nrSt-ClaSS W.
er, and we deceive only ourselves in with
holding the truth from our own people. Al
though at the present moment We have an
parently no enemies. recent events and the
dubious entanglements which may grow
out Of our foreign relations are fu1l of dam
gerous possibilities. Adequate seacoast de-
lenses would furnish a guarantee OF peace
Whoever heard OF poor country or a we'll
protected country being overrun and plum
dered? 1t is the rich country occupied by
an ignorant or Indifferent race that is the
victim OF the avarice Of the powerful
Much Is said of the affiliations Of blood
between the United States and England
and the consideration and affection which
should be the outcome Of such relations
We as a nation have the best of reasons to
know the real strength Of such ties Our
| nation had its birth amid flow from kim
dred hearts; the battlefelds of 1872 were
christened with blood from kindred sources
while our civil war made crimson the soil
Of our own country with fraternal BLOOD
Every war OF principle We have had has
been with people of our own ancestry. 1t is
gratifying to observe that the experience
of the past is not likely to be that Of the
future.
Enslands >Friendshfp.
Events Of recent occurrence have led to
the utterance of sentiments in marked con-
trast to those that often found expression
in England during our civil war; The Lon
don Spectator said not long ago:
ITO very large body, nay to the vast
majority OF Englishmen, it is obvious that
Americans seem utterly unaware
Of the strong feeling of friendship felt
here for their country-a feeling rising in
many minds to something approaching
passion. The ordinary untraveied Ameri-
| can has clearly never realized that the old
country looks with intense pride and SYM
pathy on the splendid daughter-State."
In this connection 1t is well to remem-
Der that the whole expense Of the forti-
fications necessary to render our seaboard
at every point impregnable to foreign at
tack, Is less than one hundred millions Of
dollars, while q first-class naval power
could, were she so disposed. without per-
uniting us an hours notice for preparation
to meet her, enter several of our prin-
cipal harbors with a fleet sufficiently pow
erful to lay the city In ashes or levy a
contribution OF any sum she might name.
Backing Up the Navy.
England herself recognizes the import
ance Of not relying upon her navy alone as
q means Of defense, and notwithstanding
her immense raval supremacy, which 1t Is
her policy to maintain. she is continually
strengthening her coast defenses and i'm
proving those on this continent at Halifax
and Esquimault.