The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-02
STARTLING DISCLOSURES.

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The Operations OF an Emigrant Aid Company
Under the Law Of Congress Establishing
White Slavery or PeOnage I'm the United
States, Approved July A, 1S64-The Don.
nelly and Other Emigration Bills Parts Of
the Same JOb-How Emigrants Are Sold
into Servitude to Pay Their Passage-As-
sisting Emigrants TO Buy Lands, the Seller
Making from One Hundred to Four Hun.
bred per Cent Profit.
WASHINGTON, June 80, 1885,
About this time, as the almanac makers would
say look out for jobs in Congress The last month OF
the session, when both houses thin and perhaps
no quorum insisted upon, rs the time generally sc
ected to put through the most nefarious jobs There
is one known as the Gibson, Donnelly and Flanders
Emigration job, now brewing in the House Commit
tee on Foreign Affairs that Is likely to slip through
without the yeas and nays that am constrained to
throw food OF light upon 1t.
Mr.. Robert Gibson petitions Congress for the ap-
pontment Of Consular immigration Agent
whose duties would be to distribute and di1use
gratuitously all useful and important details relating
to each State and Territory Of the United States to
the people of Great Britain and Ireland, with a
head ONCE at Liverpool, and sub-oflces at Glasgow
and Dublin. Said agent would be ready to receive
proposals from States. colonization societies. railway
corporations and individuals to business Of any
kind; while his endorsement and authority by the
United States government would give him great
power and advantage to manage anything practical,
this endorsement being really the chief AIM" &c
Hon. Ignatius Donnelly's bill Is introduced to
establish under the direction Of the Secretary Of
state agencies In Great Britain, Germany, Sweden
and Norway, for the promotion Of emigration to the
United States"
Hon A Flanders, hill 10 tn establish an unpaid
I.IyerDOO. GLASGOW
lin, IN Great Britain and Ireland.'
Both these bills and the petition are before the
Committee on Foreign Affairs Their object is to
tend and facilitate the operations OF certain "emi-
grant aid ~ and colonization societies. and to en-
large the United States Bureau Of Emigratio n,
already existing under the law OF Congress, entitled
IAN act TO encourage emigration" approved July
4, 1854.
Very few are aware OF the existence OF such law
except the parties operating under It, 1t was slipped
through Congress during the heated term OF 1864,
when both and weather facilitated its passage.
II creates four sinecures in the State Department,
and establishes peonage species OF white slavery,
IN the United states. The first two sections are as
follows
BE 1t enacted by the Senate and House Of Repre-
sentatives OF the United states OF America In Con-
gress assembled That the President OF the United
States is hereby authorized by and with the advice
and consent OF the Senate, to appoint Commits
direction OF the Department OF State, shall hold his
ONCE for four years. and shall receive salary at the
rate OF $500 year, Inc sad Oommss a may ny
the Secretary OF state shall designate TO be appointed
by him, with the approval OF the Secretary Of State,
and TO hold their offices at his pleasure.
SEC. 2 And be it further enacted, That all con-
that shall be made by emgrants to the United
states in foreign countries, In conformity 20 regula
lions that may be established by the said Commits
s0ner, whereby emgrants snail pledge the wages OF
their labor for u term not exceeding twelve months
In
held to be valid In law, and may be enforced In the
courts Of the United States or OF the several states
and Territories; and such advances, If so stipulated
in the contract, and the contract be recorded In the
recorders ONCE In the county where the emigrant
thereafter acquired by the emigrant whether under
the Homestead.law when the title Is contaminated.
on property otherwise acquired, until fquidated
by the emgrant.
The remaining five and half sections OF the law
contain little buncombe ostensiby for the protec-
ton OF emigrants and appropriation OF $4,000 to
pay the sinecures the first year. 1t IA very strange
that the same Congress that abolished negro slavery
should al the same time re.estabsh the old colonial
laws permitting white emigrants to be sold into SER
vitude in the United States to pay expense Of pas
sage. "a provided by the terms OF contract made In
a foreign country where relative values are entirely
unknown to the emigrant making it,
The most extensive operators under this law
appear to be the American Emigrant Company,
of Cherokee neutral land notoriety, incorporated
under the laws OF Connecticut and blessed for time
with Mr.. John Williams, the selfstyed author OF the
national bank system, as General Agent for Emgra-
ton.
The face OF the broad seal OF the company, as well
az the advertisements In its ofncial organ, inform
us that 1.-THE American Emigrant Company" is ain
corporated for the purpose OF procuring and assist
ing immigration" How IL assists emigrants can be
seen by another advertisement in the same paper,
which states that 'tne American Emiprant Company
possesses tracts OF land In the state OF Iowa to the
extent OF several hundred thousand acres which It
offers for sale TO actual settlers terms particularly
advantageous The price will range from two and
half to Ave dollars per acre"
am informed by good authority that these lands
were obtained under the swamp Land aca at cost to
the company OF less than ty per acre. But sup
posing the full government price of S1 rs per acre
was paid, 1t will be readily seen that the American
EmIgrant Company il engaged In the work Of "ss.
sistingn itself rather than the immigrants par.
ticuiary when you take into consideration the fact
that these poor settlers are really entitled to the
lands gratis under tho Homestead law, this grasp
ing monopolist had not interposed.
Though incorporated under the laws or Connect.
cut the American Emgrant Company states under
its broad seal that 1T undertakes, under the
ton OF the law Of the United states, TO make con-
tracts on behalf OF American employers with British
workmen, whereby, under certain conditions, the
expenses OF the workmen are advanced, to be repaid
by instruments out OF the earnings Of the emgrant.n
In short the Emigrant Company win undertake to
eel, TO emigrants who have money, their lands,