The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-10
Not Fairly Treated.


hard fact when we say that Col. Flagler,
the Commandant at Rock Island Arsenal.
is not treating the resident stone cutters
of this place fairly. Col. Flagler, we pre-
sumo, must be aware that he is not acting
as private citizen; that he is simply an
agent of the people to carry out their will !,
that the people educated him and paid him
from boy, and that he is their hired man.
whom they have right to supervise, criti-
else and discharge when they please-hy
act of Congress, of course, or by act of the
President. He has, suddenly and with no
previous notice, reduced the pay of these
men about one dollar day,-an immense
reduction, and below the average of wages
paid by citizens. He arbitrarily discharg-
ed all who did not instantly accept his
terms without murmur. And now, when
severe necessity compels these laboring
men. for the support of themselves and
their families, to accept his hard terms, he
singles out some twenty-five Of them and
refuses them any employment whatever.
He gives foreigners, aliens, men wlo re-
fuse to declare their intentions to become
citizens, and who say that they intend to
return to the old country just as soon as
they have saved money enough to live well
there-he gives such men employment and
refuses it to men who were born in the
United States who own lots and houses
here; and who will be compelled to leave
here if he does not employ them,
One excellent man, an EngHshman who
has been for some six years a resident of
Rock Island whoowns house and lot here;
who has declared his intention to become
a citizen, was told, when offering to work,
that he could not, under any circumstances
receive employment at the Arsenal while
the present Commandant was in charge.
When he asked the reason he was told
that no reason would be given him The
probability is that some spy has been fol
loving and sha lowing this man and may
have heard him express dsapprobation of
the heavy reduction Of wages and Of the
treatment. If this is the reason, it shows that
Col. Fiaglcr proposes to exercise super
vision over mems thoughts that free
speech, when off duty and at home among
their families and friends, is to be forbid
den; that he wants only human machines,
not men with brains who
breath the air of freedom
We say that the people do not want
their agent to manage their business in
that way. If these citizens were turbu-
lent, dis0rderly, or disreputable men; if
they were men of dissipated habits if
they were inferior wcrkmen, he might be
justified in his course. But they are not
They are in every respect the equals, to
say the least, of the men he prefers, men
who are not citizens and do not intend to
be.
These citizen laborers were induced to
come here, by General Rodman, by prom
5es of permanent employment-as strong
promises as Flaglcr made in his letter to
Mr.. Walsh, of St. Louis, which we have
published COL Flagler is in honor bound |
10 carry out these promises made to these
men by an authorized agent Of the people
He ought, all things being equal to
prefer the citizen to the alien, every time
He has not done so in his appointment
IF foremen, aud he is not doing 50 now in
,he matter Of employment.
Col Flaglers friends say that he has no
ceiling against these men and no desire to
make their lot hard one. That may lie
'o-but he is doing it, whether he intends
% or not
The men have asked Mr.. Hawley to in,
ercede for them, as the representative of
he people. They are his constituents;
hey voted for him they electioneered for
lim they saved him, once from defeat, by
heir own efforts They now ask his aid
But if he has said word for them it has
lone no good, ana shows that he has not
he influence which he should have, If we
we're a Congressman and an officer OF the
,e0ple Disseminated against citizens and in
avor Of aliens, or made the let OF those
yho build our public buildings an unneces
arily hard one, we would have that oil
cr's acts Investigated. The people will
lot permit any servant Of theirs to Cypress
i,izenS and prefer aliens for any length Of
imc. He may do it for while. He may
rive these citizens Sway-but he will not
e permitted to do it without protest and ,
Nposurc And such redress as is within
Re power Of the people will be sought as J
,on as occasion shall offer. .