The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1884-08-01
THE sLAvoNIC LABoRERs.

THE sLAvoNIC LABoRERs.
The New York Times, m apostate Repub-
lican paper, the New York Herald. paper
run wholly on mercenary principles, and the
New York Erening Post, q paper run on the
principle Of natural and cultivated intellect
ual collie, all support Stephen Grover Cle7e-
laud fer President. These papers have also
within the past week, as shown In the tels-
grams, developed antsgonism to the Repub-
lican platform in declaring against It's oppo-
sition to the importation Of contract labor,
an evil that had much consideration at the
late session Of Congress and against which
men OF both parties then united in their de-
nunciations. This 'contract labor" las been
composed principally Of Hungsrians, (S!a-
vonians) Italians and Chinese, and It's impor-
tation into the country under the conditions
that control 1t 10 greatly detrimental to the
welfare Of the country. IL 10 LOO poor to
come here with Its own means so 1t Is soon
tracted" for, through evasive terms, by agents
who pay Its fare and the same Is worked out
after arrival. These agents, In haste to re-
alizs On 1t, contract or hire 1t to large mining,
coking or railway construction operators at
much less than the prevailing wages, while
other labor Is thrown out of employment
thereby. None Of IL assumes, or contem-
plates assuming, American citizenship, or
the duties and responsibilities pertaining
thereto, and II invariably returns in few
years to its native land with its savings.
This contract labor has vastly increased of
late and the attention Of Congress ha. been
directed 10 stopping this unmitigated evil.
The people Of the Pacific Coast have had
sufficient experience with the Chinese to en-
tighten US as to it, but as this Slavonic i'm
pertation is something with which We have
not yet been brought in contact we give be-
low brief extracts relative thereto from tss-
timony before the Senate Committee on
Labor.
Mr.. Barley of Pennsylvania testified
We have a great many of these so-called
Hungarians. They are not Hungariaus, but
Slavonians. They are not brought TO our
region on written contract. There Is an
agency In Pittsburg and in New York for
the employment Of these people, and TO send
them where they are called for. We are
against the importation of these people be-
cause their influence Is degrading. Firms
employ these people in preference TO Ameri-
can or other emigrants. They are easily
imposed upon, not per cent. of them being
able TO read. They perform this soft coal
mining very we'll, as 1t requires little skill.
TLnxY hnn hN,.
ten men. Their habits are disgusting In the
extreme. / saw and counted one day thirty
five women and children employed forking
coke and working about the ovens; the chill
dren poorly clad, Of every age ranging from
five years upward. They do not work on
Sunday. To illustrate how they live: A
yard boss who went TO get men TO work got
thirty-seven men out Of a house containing
four small rooms. They had no beds, but
laid on the floor, heads aud tails, / suppose.
never knew one Of these men TO stay In
the country. They spend comparatively
nothing, saving their money to return home. |
Even when sick they go TO the poor house,
until at last the authorities refused to longer |
entertain them while they hal money. They |
will eat anything. They hang their meat |
out in the sun that 1t may become soft and |
tainted. The business men Of the region |
wages as the Americans, except when they |
work by the day; then they are paid 33 per |
cent. less, which is all they are werth. This |
importation has reduced the price Of mining, |
and makes 1t impossible for the men to do |
other than submit TO whatever the operators
demand or require of them, regardless of Its
Justice.
The class imported by the coke manufac-
turers are the lowest beings that have ever
been In the State of Pennsy lvania, subsisting
upon what an American laborer could not |
eat-such as mules, hogs, &C., which have
been killed or died with cholera and other
diseases. Not one has ever been known to
become an American citizen, but all return
20 Hungary within limited time (about
our years) with what money they can save
,y living in this miserable condition of filth
Ind squalor. Women and children work,
90, drawing coke and forking coke into
,ars, commencing work about or o'clock
/. m. and returning TO their shanties as late
Is 7 p. m, working through all kinds of
Weather from two TO five days per week.
They seldom sleep In beds, but lie on the
loor, with board or o stick of wood under
heir heads, as large q number probably as
orty In one house intended for miner with
IN average family, one female serving about
en- men In all relations between male and
emale, housewife, and laborer in the coke.
ards. They are not known TO purchase any
4 the luxuries which tend to elevate and en-.
ighten the people, living in filth and wretch.
dness, but hoard up their small earnings,
Which they promptly forward to Hungary;
hereby draining our district of the circula.
Ing medium. Being low In the scale Of in
they are willing slaves Of the coke
willing to submit to almost
ny conditions. =,
This terse statement was substantiated by |
ne other witnesses and shows the character
this contract labor. Until 1t can be I
opped 1t is idle to protect American labor {
y tariff, as this alien rlf.raf would get the
sneft Of 1t and send or take the proceeds /,
broad. The Slavonic importation Is no bet. I
n and probably not much worse than the I
hinese. The Republican party and Its t
,minee for President stand committed to
pose the importation Of contract labor by q
70 necessary legislation, but on the contrary '
70 Times, Herald and Post, which are sup. d
'rting Cleveland, discourage any interfer- I
ice with 1t. Clevelands fool friends are +