Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-11-27
ARSENAL
MEN DEPART TO
SUBMIT CLAIMS
ns,egstioa representing Island
employees Leave Tri-Cities
for Washington
GRIEVANCES REAL,"TT Is SAID
v.nv Psroled COnVicts Are Retain
"A While 3Ced Workers Dis
CHARGED. says MacGOwan.

representative OF the Arsenal
,,,SeIsrion Of Labcr-t,ve in num-
LEFT the t-i-cities at midnight
-. rfcht for Washington. u. c..
- - they Will interview Presi-
80 Wilson. personally If posi-
- relative 10 grievances Of men
/. the Island shops. The five are:
+ Cornick and Warren Conk-
- -epresert.1E Leather Workers
--.o7 No. i. the former now pres
is-1t of The Arsenal federation; \.
y Williams. Carpenters union No.
81. 7 Collins. Nachinists' union
=, 81 ana !. NJ. NcGreeyy, Polish
80 u7.on Ne. 49, The delegation
/. constituted In l-r'yC at Washing
- ef g.41 tomorrow morning.
0rlv G favorable answer TO the
.o-rriaint wired 10 the president
s,royfng @ mass meeting held in
~ Rrrtfs opera house, Davenport.
sunday afternoon, would have fore
..silei the trip cs the labor repre-
/ ss-tstlves, Il was declared. At the
tine Of departure last night such
-eplv had not hCen received.
TSat thrv were being treated i'm
,-ooeriv n tAr process Of readjust-
lent and reconstruction at the ar
,s7aI Will be the claim presented at
Washington. The committee de-
.,srss that some 5000 men have
Men laid Of. without discrtmiua-
i'm. They declare that all should
IA kent IN employment until such
line as those in excess Of the num-
her required for operation OF The
arsenal shops on a Qeace-tima basis.
could secure other employment.
Paroled Men Keep Jobs.
REGARDING the matter. Charles J.
NacGovan. retiring president of
he Tri-City Federation Of Labor,
declare dtodav: The men at the
srsgral have q righteous grievance.
Il r would seem that they are not he
i ing treated fairly. From a reliable
sgthority I have learned that there
srs approximately 550 par0led con-
dots employed on the Island, none
4 whom have been discharged.
Nen with families who have pur-
chased their winters supply of coal
md have made other necessary ar
i rsng5uents for remaining here,
have been turned loose"
Many Of the men laid off have
/ besn employed at the arsenal for
many years. Il was denied by is
/ and authorities that 300 workers
i were released \ statement issued
yesterday by Lieutenant Colonel l..
C. McCrum, commanding officer in
the absence Of Colonel Leroy r.
Il Hllmau. answers the protest Iodg-
ed BY the workers at Sunday after
Moons mass meeting. II is append
ed:
1t is generally known among the
Torkers here that the management
/ Of Rock Island arsenal has done
| everything possible to protect the
| workers and their employment. In
Only two shops has there. been any
reduction Of employees. Instruc-
/ tons canceIling orders in the har-
/ ness shop necessarily caused some
4 SEPARATIONS there. and, in natural
1 order, in the equipment shop. In
| practically every case, however,
1 transfers were offered en-
| ployes. Il must be understood that
he men who were making high
wages as skilled mechanics cannot
always be placed in positions that
Tould pay Is well. but It has been
he desire Of the management to
put them back when additional or
asrs are received in the shops from
which they came.
4 Our orders come from Washing
11. and We do pLatiCally deny
nat our methods have been auto
Tatic'
The reports that thousands of
1en have been laid off is entirely
untrue. comparatively few separa-
ions having occurred by the actual
aging Of Os employees. Up TO Mon
lay only ], 3ZT employees had left the
arsenal, and more than one-half of
these were voluntary separations,
contrary 70 the telegram sent to the
president which stated that 5000
men had been actually discharged. "
AfcG0Wan's Absence Excused.
To fcrestall possible censure in
sone labor circles regarding the
9parture OF President MACEDONIAN
-'ore the terminal on Of Sundays
-eeung At the EurL-s theatre, J. /.
.ofeman, secretary Of the Arsenal
'eoeratiOc and Federal employees,
pay made public the reasons for
resident liaoGowau abscnt,ug
.nseI from the ps-ar-iLg. Mir.
@-eGowan, who was 10 preside at
" meeting was called home by
4