The daily union., 1854-07-27


the shop before be ring in the morning. or abandon his
workbench his furnace before it struck in the evening
And finding also that expert men quit the shops earlier
than the time last Indicated 1t suggested the idea that ply
steal endurance pushed to the maximum point and
that by trying the experiment of working the active hands
for the full hours it would lead to curailment OF wages
and drive who possessed less facility in the use OF
tools than their fortunate companions to labor
with energy than had been their wont, IN order
to make sufficient wages to maintain themselves and
families The idea sooner conceived than the
determination formed TO carry the same into ex-
ecution. Thus began army rule The pece-workmen
were allowed TO quit the shops TO wash their
hands faces until the bell denoted that they had such
liberty. The adoption of this measure created much dis
satisfaction, and the workmen feeling themselves aggrieved
by the regulation and failing to obtain revocation OF the
rule by the military commandan the greater part OF the
testified by William H. Moore who had been for many
years of the inspectors at the Harpers Ferry armor
and also by others proceeded to Washington to remonsre
against the rule but President Tyler did not redress the
grievance. When these men returned to Earpers Ferry
they all dismissed. They remained idle about two
weeks when they taken into the employment OF the
government again upon the condition that they would
sign obligation that they would not take an exception
any regulation then in existence that might hereafter
be brought into existence hold any meeting petition
Congress relative thereto"
This triumph over these humble industrious
boldened the commandant to perpetrate the
pied ouages upon these workmen Let these be told in the
words of the witnesses who appeared under oath before the
select committee of this House and whose characters Tor
integrity and morality are irreproachable,
Wm. II Moore testified that
The superintendent under the military system did
allow every month the the picceworkmen they
were entitled TO under the tariff OF prices
1T my duty, in my department, as an inspector of
forged work. to make out every month roll containing the
coming him, according the tariff of prices fixed, and
hand to the master and it would be handed by
roll thus made out by me- alter the prices fixed by the tariff
and reduce considerably the amount coming to and
make it much lower than he had anticipated calculating as
he naturally did upon getting the prices fixed by the regu
tions This would be done without giving the any
tce OF course then the next month Inc would only cacu
late As as he last,
would work the of his energies make up guam
parazed by further reduction subsequent month";
and thus the thing would go on reducing
The rolls furnished by me- with the alterations Of the su
perinendent their face in the Harpes Ferry
mory Those by the superintendent to the War Depart
ment did not refer the alteratonthy were mere copies
of my bills altered cannot what reason the super
nendent had for altering the prices unless was because
he thought the men Were making too much ac some would
had not been made This thing was done without the men
being notified Of it.
spect that afraid to ask him why he did it, notwith
standing men would appeal to me- thinking could
remedy it. The system had not commenced thoroughly
der Major Craig The book by which guided in
making up my rolls was given by me to my successor
ten of cutting down Philip lngle Joseph McKee, John
Marstear, James Connor and others whom cannot
recollect.
this system of cutting down occasoned There desire
bring the forging of the cocks which gresty be-
midland. My father went to excellent workman who
branch of the business and tried TO stimulate
the use as soon as my worI is estimated at the end Of the
month"; the value of it will be curtaled My father promised
that it would be curtaled. The end of the month
came and the amount he stated the payroll as hay
ing earned down He afterwards left the establish
ment.
| Adam Rhuman, who had worked at the Earpers Ferry
armory under the civil and under the military supcrin
tendencies nearly thirty years tweny-one years OF which
he was inspector of finished muskes in reply to the ques
ton whether it was customary when the inspectors
pay-ros at the end of the month reported to the
commandment to strike off any portion of the wages earned
| by the workmen y answered
frequently has been done at Harpers Ferry. The first
instance recoect of believe, was in 1874. Col H. X
Craig made several reductions in that tits customary
the inspector be furnished with list Of prices by the
arnorer according to which the rolls of the
made out In one case, an individual named Thomas
RUSSELL without any notice being given him, had his wages
curtaed Sl5 or more after his inspectors had made his
pay roll and certified to the From that date up to
1852 such occurrences frequent suppose the
cheaper the cost of the gun The regular way to
inform the inspectors of any change that was made in the
these craments spoken of arbitrarily made without
notice being given and created great dissatisfaction
| among the men,.
pers Ferry, and Armstead r. Hobbs who had worked at
the place from 1897 to 1885, fully cooborated the
testimony OF Messrs Moore and Rhulman.
have presented these facts for the purpose Of exhibiting
the unfness of trained and educated for military
command to preside and control intelligent and mer
iturious civilians engaged in industrial pursuits and
submit Mr. Chairman whether il is believed that any
ufacurer in the broad limit of these United States could
be found who would manifest such thorough contempt
public sentiment sucn pNpable disregard OF
tegrty business and of his position citizen
to perpetatc gross outrage upon humble working
man If such could be found civil life, and history
should record his it would be prominent mark
the page of inmy. For such acts OF injustice there
redress. The wages OF complaint was discharge from
employ ment Silent voceless submission the military
mandate and the pundcrcd workman had the privilege of
quitting the shops and elsewhere beg his fellow of The
earth 10 give him leave toll of curying his neck
4 to the yoke Of military despotism
! Mute
The camel abors with the heaviest load,
And the wolf dies in silence. Not bestowed
In vain should such example be; if they
/ Things of ignoble of savage mood,
/ Endure and shrink not, of nobler clay
| May temper it TO bear; il is but for day"
! Mr. Chairman, the mpcrious manner, the harsh
mand the desposm of unqualified rule may suit the camp
the battle pan but they cannot be appropriately adapt
ed the workshops of the intelligent eemen of the Uni
ted States The crushed spirit OF the hewers of wood and
the drawers of water of the European the Asiatc
world may knee camel like to receive their burdens but
the rousedup souls Of men schooled in the dogmas of
cal and political equality Indignantly reject every species
of tyranny the mind the body of and
| will in the end PROSTATE the oppressor
They mistake the artisans and mechanics OF this country
who suppose that they have not proper conceptions of their
usefulness society class who suppose that they do
estimate the army and the navy evils in the abstract
burdensome The productive industry OF the country and
that those Of the public service only tolerabe in
proportion to the contingencies which bring them into
reduisition These considerations in connexion with those
growing out of the action OF the general government in
subordinang mechanical skill and industry to the mill
,arv arm ia the national armories have produced the inn
preston in the minds OF the worken in every branch of
mechanical industry that such contact has tendency 10
degrade productive labor and hence the wound of iDius
ce rankes and testers deep in the American bosom La
Dor should at all times command fair and competent