Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-06
COAST DEFENSE PLAN
President Sends Special Message to Congress
with Report of Joint Board.
SAYS COMPLETE SYSTEM IS NEEDED
Increased Wealth Of Country Offers Induce
ments to Attack.
CITES THE EXAMPLE or JAPAN
Great Victory of Navy Due to Fact that 1t
Was Free to Take Offensive.
NSULAR POSSESSIONS ARE IN DANGER
Message snys They Cannot Be
Neglected Longer II the United
states Desires to Retain
Them.
nsuLAR POSSESSIONS ARE IN DANGET

WASHINGTON. March D. President
Roosevelt sent q message to congress to-
day accompanying plans for coast defense
prepared by a Joint board of army and
navy officers, in which he emphasized the
necessity for further defenses and reviews
the history OF the defensive works In this
country. The president calls especial at
'tention TO the recommendation of the board
that the entrance to Chesapeake bay be
added to the list of places in the United
States to be defended. He says the in
suIar possessions cannot be longer neg
Iected If the United States desires TO hold
them
Defenses arc recommended for Manila
bay, Pearl harbor, Guantanamo, Guam, San
Juan and Honolulu, because Of their
strategic locations. Defenses arc also
recommended for entrances TO the Panama
canal.
Complete system Needed.
The presidents message concludes:
The necessity for a complete and ade-
quate system of coav defense is greater
today than twenty years ago, for the IN
creased wealth of the country oners more
tempting inducements to attack and nos
tile fleet can reach our coast in much
shorter period of time. The Iact that we
now have navy does not IN an; Wis Wis
ON the contrary, that fact emphasizes thelr
value and necessity for their construction.
1t is an accepted naval maxim that
navy can be used TO strategic advantage
only when acting on the onensiNc and IL
can he free To 80 operate, only wheu our
coast defense is reasonably secure and ~
recognized by the country,
1t was due to the securely defended con-
dition of the Japanese ports tnat the Japa-
ncsc fleet was free to seek out and watch
it's proper objeCtiVc-thc RUSSIAN meet
without fear of Interruption or rCCaH 10
guard It's home ports against ralds hl Tue
Nladivostok squadron. This. one on the
the east is worthy OF serious considcTt-
ton by our country with It's cNi'hsN'
coast line, its many important harpol ;
and its many wealthy manufacturers coast
cities.
The security and protection of our inter
ssts require the completion of the detcnses
of our coast and the accompany ing pan
merits and should receive the generous
support Of the congress
VIII Cost Fifty Millions.
In bis letter transmitting the report OF
the board to the president, Secretary Tart
says the board estimates the cost of com
pleting the defenses AT S5o,S,9,S99, or s22 =
500 6Oo less than the sum proposed hy the
Endicott board. The secretary says the
growth of the country, the improvements
of the ordnance and the increase Of the
navy in the last twenty years have brought
about rearranGcmeut Of, and additions
to- the list of p1rts made by tHc Endicpu
board. Tho changes that haze taken place
I'm the system Of defense have been 80 rad
ical, he says, that the one proposed Ia
1856 is not comparable with the scheme a6
II exists today