The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-27
WASHINGTON NOT ~
WELL DEFENDED
Enemy Gould Take City at ANY
Time
TAFT SOUNDS ALARM
Large Quota of Present Navy Would
BE Required to Defend Chesapeake
Bay In Case Invader At
tempted to Enter 1t
TAFT SOUNDS ALARM
by SIDNEY EsPEY

|
| Washington, February 26.-When a
| nations capital lies practically unde-
Tended against the magnificent arma-
ments which the scientific militarism
| of the present age has achieved, it is
high time for that nation to shake on
it's apathy and grid itself for the pos
sible contingencies of warfare. Thu
city of Washington can today c&irf no
greater protection against the invasion
of a hostile fleet than in the war OF
| 1912, relatively speaking, and In that
unfortunate episode the White House
was offered up in flames by the Brit
| ishers and a score of rude indignities
were heaped upon the capital city of
the young republic.
| Should war be declared tomorrow and
an enemy dart into Chesapeake bay
without being intercepted by defend
ing squadron, Washington would I'M
questionably fall. One secondary line
of defense might offer feeble rests
| tance-Fortpess Monroe-but 1t must
be remembered that this historic cit
Iadel does not command Chesapeake
Bay, but merely Hampton Roads. which
4
It is little wonder that President
Taft took occasion on his visit to Nor
| folk to the deeper waterways congress,
| some months ago, to make vigorous
plea for an impregnable fortificdtNn
at the mouth of the Chesapeake. He Is
not an alarmist, and he INDUCED In no
speculation regarding possible disaster.
He said:
! You are here at the end of Chesa :
| peake Bay which is the greatest stra =
! tegical point of naval rendezvous in
| the United States. We have very
heavy and very formidable coast de-
| Tense at Fort Monroe and all about
| here but II we want to protect this
coast we ought to protect with as much
emphasis as possible the entrance to
| Chesapeake Bay. Now, that can be
done in one way-by erecting an island
on the MILDLY Ground and placing
| thereon fort that shall be impreg-
nable. That is what 1 want"
The president might have added that
| Chesapeake Bay is not only our most
important naval base, but that 1t Is
the key to our entire system OF coast
i defense The enemy's fleet GOULD anchor
within firing range of Washington
within Is hours after it pushed It's nose
| past Cape Charles and Cape Henry
/ 1t would be literally to capture the
United States government. 1t would
paralyze the nation at It's nerve CEN
ter A national humiliation of this
1 type in view IL our long standing boast
that geographical conditions gave us
complete immunity from the attack vi
invading hosts would be pitiful. Balti-
more would also be at It's mercy.
/ A war scare article has little charm
for the American public because Moth
ing can shake it's sense of absolute Sc
curity In this "cock-suredness.' danger
threatens. Military men hold no illus
sions about victory perching on the
American flag as the inevitable climax
of combat with a European power. They
prefer to face facts and conditions, rather
than to seek support in the glorious tradi-
lions of the service. They know that
luck is always on the side of the largest
/ battleships and that naval warfare is
merely a question of the survival of the
fittest.
The national coast defense board. of
which President Taft who has been sec
rotary of war, was president, developed
extensive plans for the creation of q
Gibraltar at the mouth of the Chesapeake
Bay. They advocated an expenditure of
nearly 100000 for this work. After
giving vigorous emphasis to the made
ouacy of the present Notifications, the
board declared:
Commercially and strategically, Chesa-
peake bay is today, as 1t always has been,
of the very first Importance. With the
entrance as 1t Is now unfortified, hos
tile fleet should 1t gain control OF the
sea, might establish without coming I'M
der the fire of single gun. base on Its
shores pass in and out at pleasure, have
access to large quantities of valuable
supplies of all kinds, and paralyze the
great trunk railway lines crossing the
head of the bay
In support of this statement former
President Roosevelt once made the fol-
flowing declaration:
",rhe Importance of securing the en-
trance of the Chesapeake bay at Cape
Henry as an outer line of defense to
Baltimore, Washington, Newport News,
Norfolk and the great railroads crossing
the Susquehanna river at the head of
the bay cannot be exaggerated. Any
expenditure however great, is justifi-
able for the protection of such vast In
terests."
large quota of our present navy woult
be necessary to defend Chesapeake bay
should an invader attempt to enter it
Practically our entire Atlantic fleet woulC
BIO enbarrsd from all plans of aggression
and of striking at the enemy on his homt
shores because of our inadequate coas
defenses. The naval authorities could
plan no strategy of comprehensive scope
our DdLtlebnlpS WOulu DC poWciiShS l,
strike effectively. but would be compelled
to wait until the enemy came within
range of our coast. 1t may perhaps bt
maintained that our navy Is built merely
for the purpose of defense, but its e.
fiicency is woefully decreased when 1t l.
reduced to merely a guard for our east
ern seaboard.
comprehensive plan of defense fol
Chesapeake bay has been drawn. A biz
artificial island fort between Cape Henry
and Cape Charles, commanding the en-
trance to the bay, will be built as soor
as Congress sees fit to make the neces-
sary appropriation. This island fort will
be built of concrete. with walls approx
matsly 30 feet In thickness The arma-
ment will consist of disappearing guns OF
turret guns. The Coast artillery Officers
have not yet made definite decision on
This point.
Capt w. r. Boutwell,, who is president
|