Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-29
PLEAS FOR PEACE
Made at a Meeting of New York
Organized Labor.
COAST DEFENSE SCHEMES DERIDED

Declared Part OF Militarism To Re Used
That Any Nation w ants to Make War on
the United states-A Few Dissentcrs Pres
ent-Luckie Attacks CarneGie's Arnor
Plates-nenry Georges Views.
NEW YORK, Feb 29-Members of the
Central Labor Union, sympathizcrs with
organized labor and others filled the large
hall of Cooper Union to protest against
the proposed expenditure of S1l0,oao, 600
for coast defenses, as we'll as more mill
ions for an increased navy. jerome
O'Neili, secretary Of the Central Labor
Union, acted as chairman. He made
brief speech explaining the object Of the
meeting. The first speaker was then in
troduced in the person Of Charles w.
Hoadley, secretary of the Building Trade
association. Hoadley declared that no.
BODY wanted war except perhaps the in
Tentor of new rifle, smokeless powder,
or the III ikcr of the bunting used on land
and sea. The common people did not
want war, and as the United States had
never provoked war he maintained that
we We're not open to attack from other
nations.
Says Some Armor Plates Are Worthless.
John McLuckie, of Homestead who
was connected prominently with the strike
at the Carnegie woxlss, followed Hoadley
and spoke of the arinor plates manufac-
tured for the navy. He said that belt line
armor plate KS" now located ON the
Monterey, had one hole in it as large as
the face of an ordinary eight day clock,
which was filed with forty plugs. What
reliance, he asked, could be placed ON
such armor. He mentioned rs other ships
on which fraudulent armor had been
placed, the New York, Oregon, Amphi-
trite, Terror, Massachusetts, and Others.
Some Dissentcrs in the Audience.
Ernest Howard Crosby said he wished
to congratulate the Central Labor Union
on having inaugurated a struggle against
militarism. An appropriation of SoS, O00,-
900 for coast dcfenses, he said meant war,
whatever some people might say to the
contrary. He asked why American work
ingmcn should be against English work
ingmen, for instance. If the wage carners
here and in other countries would only
say the word there would be no war. We
need protection in the country from the
faults. vices and imperfections of our social
system rather than coast defenses. Crosby
asked if after a hundred years without
coast dcfenscs any nation would now be-
gin to attack the United States. Cries of
Eyes" came from the audience, and when
n moment later he asked il we should
build up our navy because England WAS
building hers, the same cry came back.
sovereisn's Letter of Regret Kissed.
Henry Il. Salisbury was the next speaker.
He said that benjamin Harrison, lectlIr-
ing upon law, had given the best detini-
ton cxtant OF capitalist legislation when
he said that the object of law was to make
the rich secure and the poor content An
appropriation of SIS, 600. 900 for coast de-
Tense, he said, was to make the rich secure,
and when the poor looked dowi the miiz-
z!es of the guns they would have to be
content. A letter of regret from General
Master Workman Sovereign, of the
| knights of Labor, was roundly Kissed
The secretary then read set of resolu-
| tions dcnouncing the proposed appropria-
ton, which We're adopted with but lew
| dissenting voices