Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-11
THE MEMS POSITION.
Island Employees Express Them.
selves on the Wage
Situation.
PAPERS OF UHFR1EsDLY TENDENCY

the Great Priacspls at Stake In Cor
tr0vsfsy and the Uasssfaotson Of
Having Bssa 8 ssssinsd ia the Ead-
fhs Afssnsl P.ess Committees state
msnt.
The press committee of the organ
ization OF Rock Island arsenal EN-.
Ployes brought the following to The
ARGUS Office this afternoon:
Rock Island. March 11-Editor Of
The ARGUS: The Davenport Demo.
Graf and the Rock Island Union
claimed some days sgo to have spe-
cial Information - to the decision OF
the aathori lies in regard to the wage
question at Rock Island arsenal, and
published with every evident salts.
faction that that decision upheld
Capt. Blunt, and even went % far ss
to say that the cut WAS more merci.
fol than just. and might we'll have
been MADE little deeper.
That, whether intentionally or
not. they misrepresented the facts
is now . matter OF common knowl.
edge. and while the men. feel duly
grateful to those journals which have
shown friendly disposition to their
cause, they cannot forget that some
have always misrepresented and still
continue to misrepresent their mo-
tives and their acts.
1t has been said that the pressure
OF impending war has influenced the
administration in its action, and that
this pressure was taken sdvanta ge Of
BY the men to enforce their demands,
but this merely tends to prove how
little some men know of the spirit OF
the workingmen Of our beloved
country.
While capitalists (du,ing the late
wary were buying up the pay of the
soldiers at 60 cents on the dollar and
manufacturers were taking advan-
tAge Of the necessities of the govern
msnt to furnish shoddy goods at en-
HANGED prices, 1.-THE great common
people," as Abraham Lincoln called
Them. were proving their patriot ,m
on the field OF battle, and that the
same epirit animates them today is
evidenced by the fact that before
any notice OF the action of the secre-
tary of war had been received, the
mechanics had informed him that
they could be depended upon to
stand by the government, and il the
nsed should arise to work without
compensation and 90 far from wish
ing to use the necessities Of the
government as lever to gain their
point, it would rather influence them
to waive 1t for the present.
The extremely small number Ct
skilled men who are applying for pc.
sitions at the arsenal ought to be
sufficient proof OF the assertions of
the men that the inducements offered
here are not equal to those offered BY
outside shops, and it certainly re.
fleets no great credit ON the iudg-
ment OF Capt. Blunt, that within q
very short time he declared that
fest-class men we're not needed for
tho work on the island, and that he
could dill every mans place in . day
ii necessary.
Men Have Reason 10 be Thaakful,
The men, ~ American citizens,
are glad to know that an absolute
Dictatorship is not yet established
over them that the right of petition
still exists In this free country and
that the sentiment declared By tie
Davenport Democrat to have been
expressed BY Col. Hughes, that IL
the men didn't like il they could
guilt. has been repudiated BY the
highest authority in the land. % it
was at the time BY the good sense Of
the people Of the three cities.
PRESS COMMITTEE.