Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-11
THE VICTORY FOR THE ARSENAL
MEN

The knocking out Of the Taylor sys-
tenn by the special committee Of the
national house Of representatives ap-
pointed by Speaker Clark at the in
stance Of the employees Of Rock Island
arsenal, as forecasted by the special
dispatch to The Argus of Saturday by
Clyde H. Tavenner, the special CORE
spondent of The Argus at Washington,
Is a vindication of the arsenal men In
their contentious and protest against
the proposed Inauguration OF the sys-
tenn by the war department.
The action Of the committee not only
sustains the opinion that Mr.. Tavenner
has steadfastly adhered to in his let
ters and dispatches to The Argus from
time to time, but it confirms the evil
dence of close touch he has had with
the situation from the start, as was
emphasized in his special dispatch to
The Argus of Saturday, presenting
what the report to be fled later in the
day would contain.
In Mr.. Tavenner the arsenal men
have had a useful and influential
friend at Washington from the time
the first committee went to the capital
in their behalf. 1t was he who furnish
ed them advantageous headquarters
there, brought them into prompt COM
munication with Speaker Clark and
Congressman Pepper of the Davenport
district, and aided them in other ways
in furthering their campaign against
the adoption of the system. During
the past 10 days. Mr.. Tavenner has
been writing for The Argus and other
papers which he serves, a series Of in
teresting and intelligent letters expos
| ing the features of the Taylor system
and in support of the position taken by
the arsenal men. The last of these
letters will appear during the coming
week
1t Is with some sense of gratitica.
ton that The Argus, realizing its own
position during the entire agitation OF
the Taylor system, has been, as the
circumstances have proved, the only
paper in the tri-cities that has taken a
/ positive position IN behalf of the ar
senal employees in their stand, and in
this connection the reproduction of a
review of the case appearing in the
columns of The Argus some time ago
which was afterward copied through
out the west, may be opportune. Here
| is what The Argus said an the sub
| ject at that time, in view of the fact
that the language of the committee's
report fully sustains the sentiments
then expressed;
I'm all justice to the arsenal men,
It must be said that they are not
20 blame for viewing with suspi-
cion the adoption of a scheme for
the regulation of their labor against
which the voice of labor every
where has gone up in emphatic
protest. The arsenal men are not
looking for an opportunity to pick
fight with the government They
do not object to a full days work
for full days pay. They are stand
ing not so much in fear of imme-
date reduction in wages as they
are of the tendency, and. as they
believe, the purpose of the Taylor
system to place them in bondage.
They maintain that. regardless
OF what may be the tendency of out
side employers, the government
should take a higher ground and
set the pace for private employers.
And they believe that such a pace
should be American and humane in
its aims as well as in methods of
fixing the wage scale. The men
feel that the government should as
sumo that they are honest men,
willing and anxious to prove wor-
thy OF their hire, and that, as self
respecting citizens, they have a
right to protest against rules and
, regulations which will place them
in a certain form OF slavery. They
. declare that where a man cannot
stop to get a drink of water, or
brush back the hair from his eyes.
, or blow his nose, without account
ing for the instant thus taken from
his task, he becomes a slave.
l They don't see why they should
be thus Inundated by such re-
stricting and exacting regulations,
and for that reason they oppose the
system that the secretary of war
is seeking to impose, not only
upon them, but upon labor in gen.