Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-22
KEYNOTE OF sARGENT's
SUCCESS AS A LABOR LEADER

To people here who have known and
watched the progress of Frank p.
Sargent the following article, taken
from the New York Times, will not
only prove interesting, but will un-
doubtedly meet with the approval of
all.
"1'he keynote of Frank p Sargent's
success as a labor leader and of his
selection as commissioner general OF
Immigration was that he studied bot h
the demands of the worllingman and
the counter-conteRtions of the EN-
pIoyers and decided definitely and
clearly what in his Judgment would
he a fair solution of the difficulty.
and then worked indefatigably to
secure such a settlement.
Sargent is daft ON being fair.
What we want is To tie up this road
and make the Nanderbilts dance TO
our music exclaimed an agitator at
a meeting of New York Central fire
men during the great railroad strike
in 1894. when the hotheads would
have paralyzed nearly every railroad
system in America, but Mr.. Sargent
steadily resisted their desire to
mately the gratitude of the men
whom he saved from serious false
move.
Fairness of labor 10 capital may
he set down as Frank Il. Sargent's
fundamental rule of action. and so
welded is he To this principle that il
amounts to- a hobby. which he mount
ed when he first entered the Brother
hold of Locomotive Firemen our in
Tucson. Ariz.. and which he has rid
den ever since.
probably il is for this that Presi-
dent Roosevelt. himself man Of
many hobbies. has selected Mr. Sar-
gent To be- commissioner general of
and to better the condi-
tons that prevail in that important
department of the public service.
'Mr. Sargent first came into the |
arena as grand master of the Broth
erhood of Locomotive Firemen in
1856. when organized labor was in
toXicated with the sense of its power
and when the tendency of labor lead
prs was to be eNtravagant in their
demands and rash in their methods.
The strike was in the heyday of it's
glory and Cancellation was not tn he
ihought of until one side or the other
had received Il knock-down blow.
AT once Mr.. Sargent became a
strong conserving influence He
never spoke i'm the language Of the
lgitator, whose catch phrases he abb
Iorred and condemned. He led the
way in teaching organized labor to
regard contracts made with en-
)loyers. as sacred and binding. He
lrgued that the rights of employers
we're to he respected, and that thus
would gain more surely
he recognition of their own rights.
lie had no patience with the idea that
hose toiled with their hands were
he only producers. and he was one
# the great heralds of the doctrine
# the mutually of the interests of
.apitaI and labor which has culmi-
lated in the formation of the Nation
4 Civic federation's promising com
nittee on arbitration. of which Mr..
sargent is a member.
ut would seem almost n pity to re-
move such man from the sphere
which he has occupied for sixteen
ears. were it. not :. at he has shown {
marked capacity for work requir-
ng vast attention to detail. Instead
f sitting i'm his office at Peoria. Ill. !
nd attending to the grievances of the ,
firemen through subordi-
ates and by correspondence, Mr..
argent was constantly on the move, I
caring the complaints of the men I
a person and carrying each case. as d
ar as he could, to the proper railroad a
fficial and settling il by personal d
president Roosevelt expects that II
Ir. Sargent will give the same pa +
ent personal attention to the re-
option of immigrants and will see to u
that all who pass through that e
reat human clearing house at Ellis U
land receive fair and kindly treat n
ent While Mr.. Sargent may he de- II
ended upon 70 enforce the laws
yainst undesirable immigrants. he a
i'll also put an end to abuses. so far a
: an energetic and interchangeable u
general can. He will Il
Dt tolerate callous officialism. and y
lie forlorn foreigner coming to grasp n
le outstretched hand of America II
i'll feel that there is friendly wei N
,me for him in the new world" II
m %