The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-31
wArERrowN ARSENAL.

A recent order from the war department re-
he,es Major T. ]. Rodman from the eommAho %
tb. most and assigns HIM to duty at ROCK isiaho'
Rock Island. situated In the Mississippi river,
between Illinois and Iowa, has been selected az
the site of the great armory and arsenal OF INC
west, for which congress has made iarge aPPro
priations and extensive works are TO De efee'eu
there. ss
Major Rodman's experience and great sclen'inc
and mec hanIcal ability give hin a special h'hess
for rhe task tor which he has been selected; ana,
although his departure will be felt loss TO his
vicinity, the Country gains by his transfer TO more
extended field OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. odffy Ao-
apertiser. 2a
In connection with the above notice we find
the following communication in the Boston
Post, VIZ
This is political movement. The Hon.
Mr. Boutwell, last fall endeavored to procure
Major Rudman's removal. In this attempt
he was aided Dy Mr.. Gjoch, who visited Bos-
ton with his COMMITTEES on the conduct OF the
war, and, unbeknown to Major Rodman, had
an erparte examination of certain employees.
and on the strength of their statements
charges were made against Major Redman's
loyalty and management of the arsenal.-
This has been followed by Mr.. Boutwell, until
he has succeeded IN procuring IAN order
from the war department" reliering Major
Rodman, and assigning him TO Rock Island,
Illinois.
If the slightest evidence were necessary to
retute the charges thus brought against him,
it is to be found in the last paragraph quoted
from the notice in the Advertiser. 1t. as he
has been charged, there be tinge of disloy-
atty in Majer Rodman g conduct of the affairs
of this arsenal, why should he be placed in
another important position The whole of
the matter is, simply. that Major Rodmsn, q
regular army officer. selected for his especial
fitness" for the position. is placed at the head
oil che WATERFOWL arsenal. which. when he
assumed It's Infringement, employs less than
one hundred persons has grown to be the
largest manufacturing arsenal IN the United
States, employing nearly one thousand opera
tives in its various departments. These OPP
eratives have been carefully selected by Ma
Jor Rodman on account of their qualifications
for their positions, without his consulting Ell
Their Mesrrs. Boutwell, or Gooch, and ON one
or two &C asions, when certain of their friends
have assumed that these members of congress
were the official heads of the arsenal, they
have been taught to the contrary, for like a
true army officer the major demanded disci-
pine aud subOrdination. without which he
could not have increased his already high
military reputation, or made the w atertown
arsenal the first and the best cond ucted arsen-
oil In the country.
We trust the authorities at Washington
VIII resclnd this order and keep the arsenal
at Watertown out of the hands of mere poll
ticians only anxious to use it as a political
machine to advance their own interests
Such things are degrading to our noble army
ofhcers, and we must not expect they will re-
main in the public service if they are to be
thus treated. The people of the towns in the
vicinity of the arsenal are united in their ap-
prevail ofMajor kOdman. In wstertown they
held a town meeting on the subject which al
most unanimously denounced this action.
JUSTICE.