Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-06-09

turbed waters of the Mississippi river.
And yet another, John McAulifYe. who
was an agitator of the meanest kind,
being driven from the work for threat
ening the life of Mr.. Best, has recently
turned up Socialist in Chicago. \.
But whilst speaking in regard to
these delinquents, it is very pleasant to
the writer to put the fact on record that
they were barely five and one-half per
cent. out Of force of nearly three hum
dred men, gathered from the four
winds; and that the vast bulk Of the
operatives were men of whose friend
ship and acquaintance any man might
be justly proud. .,s @ ~,
But i'm tracing up the expenses of the
Government on the work, considerable
room must be given to straight steal
ing. Every day there was Govern
ment property that went out. and af-
terwards was neither present nor ac-
counted for. In regard to the modes
by which it went out and came not
back call them Legion, for they were
many; and over the whole thing let us
write the comprehensive fact. that
wheresoever the carcass is there will
the eagles be gathered. gtsEa,a ..
But it is time to state fact in order
to do justice. John Best, the Govern
ment Superintendent is an honest
man; but in that position was out Of
his province. He is a splendid archi-
tect. Owing to his false position. and
the evil counsels of his Chic. Clerk
who claimed to be practical granite
cutter, Mr.. Best's administrative abili-
ty degenerated into a sublime genius
for meddliug; and the result was con-
tinual row between the Superintendent
and the operatives, which the contrac-
tor and Chief Clerk, who saw eye to
eye, improved for their own advantage
and against the Superintendent. To
give an instance in point. The con-
was bound to furnish rock at
the sheds for two hundred and fifty
cutters. At time when that number
was not exceeded, a few cutters were
left without work. Under the advice
of his Chief Clerk, the Superintendent
rushed out and suspended quite num-
ber of workmen, turning away men
who had work to last them several
days. The suspension was 80 large
as to make it necessary to suspend
foreman; and the suspension fell on
Mason, of Section D. The
result was a general strike all over the
work, which demoralized the men, de-
layed the work, and utterly destroyed
any influence for good which the Su-
had possessed over the
operatives. ef9' 4 #1f
Although the writer regards strikes
among operatives as poor remedies for
evils, he is compelled to say that in
that case the men were right. The
Just course for the Superintendent to
have taken would have been to have
notified the few men that were not en-
ployed to report on the works at roll
,all twice day, and to have notified
the contractor that those men were not
owing to his failure TO keep
his contract, and that until such times
rs he furnished them rocks their pay
would be deducted from his allowance
1T the end Of the month without any
discount of fifteen per cent.
For advocating this solution of the
matter the T;mekeeper narrowly es-
,aped elimination from the Govern
nent office. -.
But the Timekeeper, being foreign
substance in that connection, was dis
and the removal of the Super
ntendent speedily followed; and, to his
'wn great chagrin, the Chief Clerk was
not appointed in his place.
But there is a promise out to explain
how the contract came to Graniteville.
This promise will now be kept. 4
A large number of the attaches of the
Treasury Department, who were NOR
lily insane on the matter of ac9uisitiv-
ness, found it necessary to find some
me whom they could use as tool. But
before they could use him, he must
nave a large government contract, and
before he could get that, he must have
he control of granite quarry; and |
nd-well-ahem! the lot fell upon
Jonah. ...l
This was only evil, and that continu-
ally for all concerned. 1t was bad Tor
The Government. A liberal appropria- |
lion sufficient to have finished the
work has been squandered; the work
has been delayed. What should not
nave occupied more than two ycars at
The outside, has now dribbled along for
sigh.; and, from present Indications,