The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-12-18
An Unwarrantea Assertidn.

When newspaper undertakes to discuss
public subject it is bad enough to have
it make false statements through ignor-
tance, but when in its psrtizan zeal il
makes such statement as appears IN the |
Union this morning to the effect that the
enemies of Rock Island Arsenal belong to
two clssse, those of the south, who cannot
look with complacencyI upon an establish
ment that would, in the event of any new
unpleasantness, arm and equip thousand
volunteers dsy-and those of the east,
who are animated by greed and jealousy"
it is doing a most unjuststhiDg and iDjuring
the very cause it attempts to help. There
is some truth in its last assertion that
those Of the east who are animated By
greed and jealousy" are enemies to the
Rock Island Arsenal, but it is not the
whole truth. There are men like Hewitt
in the east who are not aotuated by greed
or jealousy, but are thoroughly honest in
the belief that the east is the proper and
most economical place in which to do all
the manufacturing for the government and
the entire country.
The Union statement in regard TO the
south is false, as all those know who were
in Washington working for the appropria-
ton last summer, and as Col. Flagler knew
when he made the following appeal to the
southern members of congress to favor the
appropriations:
1t is pretty certain that If western and
southern members of congress should be
brought to see the effect of this action the
committee reporting against the appro-
priation they would not submit to it. 1t
! should be remembered that the r. I.
Arsenal is intended to supply the whole
J Mississippi valley and all of the southern
states except those on the coast as far
south as Georgia, with arms aud other
military stores. This includes the whole
country from the A:leghenies to the Rocky
mountains, and from Canada to the gulf.
If the Arsenal can be completed its mag
! nitude is such that it will be entirely suf-
3 ficient for supplying all this region Of the
country. Ii it can not be completed, or is
! to be abandoned, it will leave all this
: region of country without any base or
source of military supplies whatever except
what can be procured from the eastern
states. Nothing is more
probable than that IN case of any internal
troubles, or war, whether domestic or for
eign, the west and south would be cut of
f. temporarily from the east, and that with
' out the arsenal there would be no source
q of necessary military supplies whatever
= 1t is certainly the imper'
y alive duty OF every western and southerr
member to protect their constituents
: against the pernicious idea that the east
alone must do all the manufacturing.
y 1t was this kind of argument that saved
It the Arsenal last summer, that secured thu
appropriation when its most earnest friends
gave it up and told those who were il
( Washington working for the appropriation
a that it was no use. they might as we'll q
: home, nothing could be done" Is it S,
necessary to follow the dictation of Balm
to all republican papers to arouse sec
tional feeling against the south. that tn
Arsenal must be brought into the politca
arena and sacrificed to further the candidac,
q of Blaine; il so, then good-by to Rock Is
land Arsenal, for there are not enoug
D. Western members to save it when tn
South and the East combine against il
Every friend of the Arsenal who believe
in ii and wishes for it success and futur
~ prosperity should condemn all and ever
attempt to array the votes of Souther
re members against it. when they have
common interest with the West in it's SUE
cess and when it is only by their votes tia
D, it can be maintained. The false, cor
/" temptlbly mean, malicious and partiza
hit statement in the Union this morning
Ill traught with danger to the Arsenal, pro
as vlded that paper had the slightest inhuenC
err outside of the two foreigners who edit
I'd aud whose honest, desires are for the fai
IS, ure Of any and all means of national d.
ar Tense in this country, but fortunately
has no influence. It's sayings however al
- the echos of the hidden policy of the r.
ar publican party to do any and all things.
sacrifice every local and national intere
to arouse sectional feeling in order
bring about a solid north tosupport Blain
No There were inklings of this policy publish.
pe in the Gazette the other morning, which D
received its instructions from Hiram Pri
a little sooner than the Union received i
lis orders from HaWlev.