Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-10
Governor Defends the Character Of
Returning Iowa Volunteers.
THEY WILL NOT BE- SOLDIER TRAMPS
spirited Reply to Letter From san
Francisco Labor Leader Regarding
Musterink ont of Fifty-First-
Contents OF the Letter.

berg, secretary OF the San Francisco
labor council, has sent an official letter
to the governors of all western states
which sent volunteers to the Philip
pines protesting against the muster out
OF the soldiers in San Francisco. As
his organization is affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor, Mr..
Rosenberg claims to speak for all or
ganized labor, but his letter is couched
in such terms that it has called forth
q vigorous reply from Gov. Leslie N.
Shaw of Iowa.
Gov. Shaw received the letter Satur-
day. and the assertions therein made
him so indignant that an answer was
sent BY return mail, taking Mr.. Rosen-
berg severely to task for intimations
that If Iowa soldiers were mustered
out on the coast they would stay there
and glut the labor market, and that the
plan for muster out in San Francisco
is devised mainly to prevent returning
volunteers from telling the truth
about conditions in the Philippines.
Letter From Rosenberg.
The war department" says Mr.. Ro-
senberg in his. letter, .'has decided to
muster out all returning volunteers at
San Fra nclsco, requests and appeals of
the people OF the respective states who
asked that the troops be disbanded in
the states they came from having. been
ldisregarded. Now the San Francisco
Labor Council calls your attention to
the evils inevitable to result if the war
department adheres to it's policy, in the
hope that public sentiment will be
aroused strong enough to compel the
department to listen to common sense
and plain reason.
The strange action of the depart
ment in this matter can be explained
onl- by inferring the following mo-
tives which conditions compel us to
note: First, the desire to unduly food
the labor market, and thus check the
struggle of the working men for i'm
proved conditions; second, to compel,
the volunteers, driven by want and des-
titution, to re-enlist; third, to prevent
the return of the volunteers to their
homes. where to their friends and rela-
tiyes they would undoubtedly give the
true version of the people, the climate
and the general conditions in the Phil.
ipPines as produced by our war of con,
quest.
Predicts Want and Suffering.
The great majority of the return.
ing volunteers when paid off will
quickly spend their money. They have
the soldier spirit and desires, are
young, and San Francisco has the
reputation of being able and willing
to furnish to the stranger within its
gates irresistible attractions. With
money gone the destitute soldiers will
be compelled to seek work, which they
In most cases will not be able to find
Then want and suffering will be their
lot, for the conditions for securing EN-.
ployment in San Francisco vicinity are
different from those in the eastern and
middle states, there being no other in.
dustrial centers within easy reach
that could absorb surplus labor.
1t is hard to beat the trains in the
west, the railroads putting off men
compelled to steal ride on mountains
and in deserts, where they often miser.
ably perish. Many of the volunteers il
discharged here will die. Destitute
without family ties and the sentimen,
of the majority of hepeople turned
against them, when it is found that
they are undertaking local workmen
the soldiers, enfeebled through hard.
ships in a deadly climate, will miser.
ably perish in cheap lodging houses OF
along country roads. Some, driven to