The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-04-12
Immigrants.


Several cases have occurred in the matter OF
Introducing white labor into this State, which
are calculated 10 prejudice the enterprise. n
gentleman who lives i'll Fauquier, large
farmer. has been recently most outrageously
imposed upon A number of foreigners, repre-
scented 10 be farm hands, We're sent to him by
Now. Yorl, agency He soon found out that
they We're not only not farmers, but that they
were people of very bad characters. One was
a barber. and all were anything but farm Ia
borers. They were, in short, only discharged
soldiers, who had served in the Federal army,
and " ere incident desperate fellows. 10 hhn
his home infested byso strange body OF men
was exceedingly annoying 10 the gentleman.
Content 10 pocket his loss, he endeaTored 10
oct rid of them. But they firmly refused 10
dcoort claiming, under their contract, Ger
tain UNDERWRITING payments. The gentleman
souobt iustice of the New York agents-a very
homeless undertaking. This was his hapless
condition when last heard from In this sec
ton of country there have been several IN
stances of similar character. A gentleman
hired four, paying two hundred dollars for
massage money commissions. etc. The second
day the men were with him. they went ont to
work and never returned He was fortunate.
Better of a great deal than the man of Eau
uuier. if that is any consolation to him.
We will however. mention Il case of the
same kind which is chronicled in our New
Orleans exchanges. A planter engaged an
immigrant agency in that city 10 import from
Germany, for employment upon his planta-
ton, some two hundred laborers, and paid
down several thousand dollars i'll advance.
Some time afterwards he was Informed that
the laborers had been engaged, but that the
sum paid in hand was too small TO defray the
expenses of so large a number of immigrants
The planter anxious to secure labor, and gene
rous and unsuspccting as Southern gentlemen
always are Immediately advanced four thou
sand dollars morr In due time the laborcr>
made their appearance; but-is III the case OF
the Fauouier farmer, 30 in this one-they
proved TO be a motley congregation of loafers,
yagabonds and rogue>, picked up i'll the pur-
lieus OF the Northern cities-utteriy useless 10
him and dangerous 10 the community. He got
rid of them rs soon ~ possible, and instituted
suit against the parties who furnished them.
not only for the amount of money advanced,
but for damages in the sum of twenty thousand
dollars He had relied upon the swlndhng
agents until il was 100 late for him TO procure
labor i'll time TO insure II crop the present year
Now situated a. we are here in Virginia.
and we doubt not, rs the people are iii Louis
lana also the difficulties are quite enough
without encountering such rs these. Our PEG
pie have no money to lose, and 1T Is adding
largely 10 their embarrassment 10 Swlndle
them out of Il part Of that little, III advance
payments for these imposters. Labor II
wanted to revive the prosperity of this STATE
and it is of very great importance that the
enterprise of introducing white labor should
not be interrupted by such impositions. The
farmers will be disincliued to venture upon
engagements for this kind of labor under these
circumstances.
1t is plain that, sooner OF later, white LABOR
must prevail in Virginia: and any check It's
Introduction may receive will only proionS
our recovery from the present depressed con-
dition of our industry. 1t is a matter OF the
deepest in terest, as we'll to the corporations
and agents engaged in bringing immigrants
into the State as to the farmers. The compa-
MES ought at once TO look we'll into the matter
and see that good and reliable laborers are
brought here, and that reckless, and dissI-
pated and depraved wanderers, from the army
and the big cities, should not be scattered over
the country 10 annoy the farming community
and perpetrate crime.
We are sure we shall do service by inviting
attention 10 this subject.