The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-06-05
ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL.
Hostility of the House Sub
Committee on Civil APP
preparations.
Virtually Opposition to Manufactures
in the West.
The Arsenal an Actual Necessity to
The Interests of the Country.

In TIE ARGUS few evenings ago was
given an account of the action OF sub
committee of the house appropriation
committee in Washington, by which every
item of the estimates for prosecuting the
work OF construction of the Rock Island
arsenal was striker out. This action of the
sub committee went even further, and
refused to allow anything to preserve the
shops and buildings that have already
been constructed, and indhe reasons given
for such action suggested that the arsenal
ought to be abandoned and that it would
be we'll if it would burn down. 1t is pref.
ty certain that if western and southern
members of congress could be brought to
see the effect of this action they would not
submit to it. 1t should be remembered
that the r, |. Arsenal is intended to sup
ply the whole Mississippi valley and all
of the southern states except those on the
coast as far south as Georgia, with arms
and other military stores. This includes
the whole country from the Alleghenies
| to the Rocky mountains, and from Canada
to the Gulf. Ii the Arsenal can be COM
pleted its magnitude is such that it will
be entirely sufficient for supplying all this
region of country, lift can not be COM
pleted, 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. It should be also remembered
that the main object of the Arsenal is no.
to supply what is known as the regular
army, but it is to be ready to make anC
supply at any time the very best materia
o. war to any army of militia and volun-
teers, whether great or small, that thu
future exigencies of the country may re
Iquire Nothing is more probable thai
that in case of any serious internal troubles
or war, whether domestic or foreign, tn
west and south would be cut off temperate
there would be no source of necessary mil
itary supplies whatever. 1t would seer
that the present aspect of affairs in tn
couOtry is such that=our members ought
examine this question and attend to it.
The reasons given by the sub-com mite
for abandoning the arsenal are, lst, tha
the country wants no arsenals or armorie:
, and 2nd, they are specially not wanted
the Mississippi Valley or in this region {
country.
1t would seem that the first Of thes
t reasons hal been refuted times enough
1t was certainly most disastrously refute
in the terrible losses Of money and life
the first years of the late war. The fat
is that no private firm is, or ever can b.
ready to furnish the material of war II
= qaired. The nation would be forced as
was in the late war to go to foreign nation
and purchase worthless.strash and put
r into the hands of the soldier to fight wit
p OnIy a very few Of the richest priyat
firms in the east can afford to make II
large expenditure required to get ready
i make the special material of war requires
=, and when they are ready it is too lat
> Even then they can rot make the ver
Q best, which is the only thing worth havin
Without the arsenals the government ca
not have models and show what is wante
! and it's cost, and contractors and torcip
countries can supply what they please, al
charge for it what they please. Itwould
practically, when the nation is in DANCE
II tying it hand and foot and turning it owe
II to its enemies, or 10 its not entirely disinte
K ested friends. This whole subject b;
It been fully and fairly considered, and it
r pretty hard to say now, when the ARISEN
q is three fourths completed, that it shall
!, abandoned The fact that the work ca
d be done now most economically when bot
u labor and material are very cheap is wort
}, consideration. At tbs present time, whe
Il labor is 50 unsettled, proposition
n throw out Of employment a large numbt
D of workiDgmen and add them to the u,
0 employed working men OF the country is
$ great hardship, and is unwise for tho:
WHO do it, and is perhaps freught wit
much danger,
1 The second OF the .above reasons ma
o grow out of the fact that the ARISEN
p tends to prove what is certainly true, vi
. that a portion of the manufacturers Of Il
east ought to be transferred to the Missi
! suppl valley, where the food for the oper
! tIves is raised and where the manufacture
articles are to be consumed, and the AIRS
! ual must in a measure aid this transfer.
1t should be borne in mind that tt
! above reasons for abandoning the Arsen
come from a gentleman who is the hes
, of one of the greatest and richest MANI
o featuring establishments of the easter
states. Although it is we'll known tn
this gentleman, who is none other TIL;
9 Mr.. Abraham S. Hewitt, is a person of t.
high honor and integrity to permit SUI
considerations to affect his opinions
:. national matters, still it is not unfair
y assume that his life and work has led hi
: to accept and honestly believe, and to al
s upon the opinions and ideas of the class
b which he belongs, 1t is certainly We
d unfortunate for this region, and possib
: for the country that he should hold the
It opinions while occupying position viii
e practically makes his opinion and action t
. action of congress 10 a matter so importa