The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-05-04
Not Very ENCOURAGING.

The Commissioner OF Agrlcul'
ture, Col. Butler, has taken much
interest in the matter of immlgra-
tion, and has secured special rates
from railroad and other sources.
He has succeeded in turning quite
a large stream Of immigrants into
the State. These are engaged as
soon as they come, and with all his
efforts the Commissioner finds it
to supply the demand.
For his services in this matter the
State owes him a debt of gratitude.
The State needs white immigration:
it is the only method now left US OF
securing ourselves from ths fate OF
black republic. Theseim immigrants,
too, are as. a class hard.worklng
men, and will add to the capital OF
the State. There is plenty of room
for great many additional white
men in South Carolina, and they
should receive a hearty welcome
when they come and kind treatment
after they get here. We do not
say that they have not received
such treatment. But one or two
incidents that have occurred within
the past week have rather a dis,
couraging look for the immigrant
Incident No. Last week, we
learn from the Greenville NeuS,
three Germans, late from the old
country, went to GreenVille. A
day or two afterwards a warrant
was served'upon them for breach
of contract. They had been en-
ployed by Mr.. Robt. Smith, Of
Hodges, and, becoming dissatis-
fed, had left him. Their story, as
told to News Reporter, was that
in New York they were told that
they were to get s. and board for
the first month, and, if they did
their work well, SO and board after
the first month. The contract,
however, which they signed was for
IS and board per month, allowing
their employer to reserve sufficient
out Of their wages to reimburse him
for paying their fare, which he claim
ed was about S24: The Germans
could not speak English, and it is
therefore very probable that they
did not fully understand their con-
tract, and honestly thought, wheth-
er correctly or not, that they had
been cheated. They were carried
back to Hodges to stand their trial
for breach of contract. No doubt,
they heartily wish themselves back
in the "Faderland." They are,
very likely, not in frame of mind
to advise their friends to come to
South Carolina.
Incident No. 2-Several days ago
two Germans, who arrived in this
country in February, came to New.
berry. They could not speak or
comprehend English even when
here. Through Mr.. Jaeger and
Mr.. Zobel, we learned that they
went to work on their arrival in
this State at Westminster, in the
small cotton factory, or "Clement
Attachment" there-they are first
class machinists. At the end of the
month they wanted little money,
as they thought their contract en-
titled them to. It was refused
them, and they left. They also
found fault with the food provided
for them. This is their statement.
They applied for work at the Hele.
ma Car Shops and secured work
there. They were getting on very
well; doing good work, and ap.
pearing satisfied. Thursday Col.
Fry, Superintendent of the Rail
Road, received notice from Mr..
Stribling, their former employer at
Westminster, that he must send
him Sl9 for each of them, which he
claimed to have advanced for their
transportation to the State, or he
must discharge them-else he would
prosecute Col. Fry for hiring labor
ers under contract with another.
Col. Fry thereupon discharged
them; and Friday they took the
down train for Columbia, looking
very much discouraged, and no
doubt feeling so. They too very
probably heartily wish themselves
back in ''Faderland", or somewhere
Else than in South Carolina.
These FIVE immigrants may all |
1ave broken their contracts, literal
y; but We doubt whether they did