Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-07-17
THE INSULT TO LABOR
offered by the Republican Party's
Legislation
In Reference to Importing Laborers---Some
Samples From the Mines Of Penn
sylyania and Ohio.

An intelligent discussion took place last
night, between three or four workiugmen
of all political compilations. each advocat-
ing his choice for the Presidency on the
ground of having materially advanced the
situation of the workingmen. The Demo
GRAFT ended the conversation by asking his
Republican friend to point to one single
piece of legislation enacted by the Repubh
can party in the interest of labor The Re
publican referred to the platform adopted
by his party at Chicago, whereupon the
Democrat pulled out a copy OF Yesterday
Washington Post and read the following
editorial
The Chicago Republican platform
pledges the party to protect the rights ana
wages ofthe laborer to the end that active
and intelligent labor, as well as capital
have its Just reward and the laboring man
his full share in the national prosperity
II pledges the party to give the laborer this
nrotection against the so-called econom-
cal system of the Democratic party which
would degrade our labor to the foreign
standard"
This is the pledge of the party whose
legislation has always been in harmony
with the claim Of capital that it has right
to buy labor in any part of the world where
it can be had cheapest; the party that on
a certain memorable Fourth of July en-
acted law of Congress creating all the
mechanism required for the importation and
sale of cheap labor.
The Post has shown in recent articles that
the most degraded Of European laborers
have been imported in large number and
set to work in coal mines and coking fur
naces in Pennsylvania. in order to break
down the wages of American workingmen
1t has been proven by the highest authority
the word of reputable gentlemen who
have visited the mines and furnaces-that
not only men, but women and chill
dren, are employed at starvation
wages TO do the work from which
Americans have been driven. Hungarian
women and girls, half naked, are now work
ING in gangs with men and mules-a mass
of abiect Indebtedness pitiful to behold.
This is the way in which active and intelli-
gent American labor" gets from the Repub-
Iican party its boosted protection-'its full
share in the national prosperity
Last Saturday night train left Column
bus Ohio, for the purpose of still further
advancing the benefcent policy of the Re-
publican party towards the labor of the
country. On that train were $50 laborers
imported from Italy, who were to be put
nto one Of the mines of the Columbus and
Hooking Coal and Iron Company at Long
,treth and one of the Ohio Coal Ex-
,hange mines at NelSonville. The dis
patch which tells Of the departure of
his train goes on to state that "the
officers of the company say they will not
mploy union men at all hereafter, but will
import laborers Accompanying the train
we're 40 mining police, armed with car
bines and revolvers Work will begin at
once in the mines.
The candidates nominated by the Repub-
lican party are opponents Of the policy that
gives this sort of protection to American
labor, The Republican party appeals to
the workingmen of the United States to
vote for a continuance of this kind Of pro
lection