Page:The Presidents of the United States, 1789-1914, v. III.djvu/270

 224. LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS was expressed that congress should protect the peo ple at large in their inter-state traffic against acts of injustice that the state governments might be powerless to prevent. The attention of congress was often called to the necessity of modern provisions for coast defence. By special message of April 11, 1884, an annual appropriation of $1,500,000 for the armament of fortifications was recommended. In the last an nual message an expenditure of $60,000,000, one tenth to be appropriated annually, was recom mended. In consequence, the fortifications board was created by act of March 3, 1885, which made an elaborate report to the 49th congress, recom mending a complete system of coast defence at an ultimate cost estimated at $126,377,800. The gun- foundry board, consisting of army and navy of ficers, appointed under the act of March 3, 1883, visited Europe and made full reports, advising large contracts for terms of years with American manufacturers to produce the steel necessary for heavy cannon, and recommending the establish ment of one army and one navy gun factory for the fabrication of modern ordnance. This plan was commended to congress in a special message March 26, 1884, and in the above-mentioned mes sage of April 11; also in the annual message of that year. In the annual message of 1881 the im provement of Mississippi river was recommended.