The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-09-04
A Party Of False Pretences.

The republican party IL cmphnu-
cally one OF false pretences. It prides
itself upon favoring q homestead
!; law, and yet 1t has given away more
homestcads to the corporations than
it retained for the people.
In its platform for 1884, 1t says:
I'VE pledge ourselves to sustain
the present law restricting Chinese
immigration, and 10 provide such
further legislation as Is necessary to
carry out this position
And again in its platform it de-
clarcs that:
I'm this spirit we denouncc the
importation Of contact labor, wheth-
er from Europe or ASIA
The party would gladly make the
laboring men OF the country believe
that this has always been it's policy,
but in 1864 its platform said:
"Resolred, That the foreign immi-
grafton which In the past has added
SO much wealth, development and
increase OF power to this nation
the asylum or the oppressed of all
should be fostercd and en-
couraged by liberal and just
policy
The resolutions Of the party re-
Gently adopted ignores the action Of
the party In 1864, when 1t adopted
the foregoing resolution, and enact
ed a law lcgalizing contracts made
with paupers, convicts ard criminals,
imported into this country by own.
ers Of iron and coal mines and
manufactures, to compete with
American labor, which the party
falsely prctends it will protect from
competition with foreign pauper
labor. In 1864, the party in Con-
gress passed law in keeping with
the foregoing resolution and con-
tanning this provision, us to contracts
between immigrants and the United
States commissioners Of immigra-
ton:
THAT all contracts that shall be
made by immigrants to the United
States in foreign countries; In con-
formity to regulations that may be
established by the said Commits
sioner, whereby cmigrants shall
pledge the wages OF their labor for Il
term not exceeding twelve months,
to repay the expenses OF their emf
grafton, shall be held to be valid by
law, and may be enforced in the
Courts of the United States or OF
the several States and Territories"
Senator Sherman Of Ohio favored
this law, assigning rs u reason that
the wages Of labor was so high in
the mining districts that the impor-
tation was needed on that account.
Mr.. Blaine, then member OF the
House Of representatives supported
the bill
The last session Of congress the
House Of representatives passed u
bill 10 prohibit the importation OF
foreign labor under contract, but it
was indefinitely postponed IN the
Senate, under the lead Of John Sher-
man, who had procured the enact
ment Of the law of 1864. Conse-
qnently nothing stands in the way
OF such Importation, and we are in
formed by the Philadelphia Bulletin,
that II Washington firm has already
embarked in the enterprise, with "a
view # .nnn'auting American labor
viii workmen from the crowded
fn.ts ot Europe and Asia.
And this in view Of the fact that
American labor in the iron and coal
| mines OF Pennsylvania and Ohio is
already reduced to the fate OF starva-
ton or working ut b5 cents day
a sum inadequate to properly board
Il laboring man. and upon this sean
~ pay are they compelled to sup
port themselves and their families
or starve.