The Labor enquirer., 1884-11-01
Contract or Free Labor.

~ l~ .s "a
Contract or Free Labor.
IBy Associated Labor Press.I
WAsHINGTos, Oct. 22-The organized
labor of the district are indignant at the
importation of foreigps labor here and
more so at the weak and washy answer
to their communication to the commits
sioners.
The following are some Of the princi-
pal points in the reply of the Commis-
sioners of the District to the letter adj
dressed them by the committee from
the Federation of Trades and Labor
Unions:
Your complaint, in breif, is that the
price oftabor is too low, and is kept so
by the influx of Foreigners. You need
not be told that the Commissioners can
neither fix the price of labor nor its pro
ducts, nor determine who may or who
may not come to the District of Column
-bia You are, aware that the American
people, exclusive eflthe colored are
composed wholly of those and the de-
scendants Of those who sought this land
for liberty or to improve their condition
in life, and who have made 1t their
proud boast that here they have founded
a welcome asylum for the oppressed and
z; LOT, 49,, -. - pn II II .+thrt many
lndusgfiouS poor oi All ianus !, sIlas ..--Sl!, Z,
of the States, indeed provide by law
for special agents to stimulate lmmigra-
ton Of those classes by representatives
of the greater liberty, better wages and
cheaper land to be found here.
To these inducements are added the
constitutional rights of early citizenship
and participation in framing laws for
the Republic as illustrated by nearly
thirty foreign born members who re-
present the people in the present
congress.
Your objection to foreign labor is
therefore, an objection to the constitu
ton, laws and time honored policy of
the American people.
Those laws not only in letter and
spirit will be respected not only by the
commissioners, but by the good citizens
who will not attempt their evasion or
nullification either directly orindirectly.
We should not forget that the District
belongs to all the States alike, and that
the first few thousand people who came
here cannot and ought not to exclude
the many thousand who may wish to
come later, even though they may come
to dispose of their services, products or
goods tSless than present rates. Such
exclusionis attempted in no State or
city, and should not be commenced at
the National Capital, even though some
@ofthe present Inhabitants refuse their
services or goods upon such competition.
The demand for Labor is now greater
than usual. and beyond the supply and
at better rates, and if as you represent
some are idle it must be because they
will not work at current prices. The
evils resulting from idleness and power
ty to which you allude are appreciated
by all good citizens who fail not in their
sympathy when such poverty is an evil
dent necessity. When, however, power
ty results from that idleness that waits
for unusual wages it proclaims itself a
foreigner to American ideas and find
but little sympathy in this country
where honest toll is honorable and idle
lands, easily secured, still invite enter
prising laborers to homes and rompe-
tence
The present contracts were all made
under an act of congress requiring the
commissioners to invite bids throughout
the United States and to accept the
lowest, and there is no authority to e1-
clude bidders from being foreign born.
These contractors are free from the law
to bring work men with them or to en-
ploy those they may find here. So,,
workmen throughout the United States.
wherever born, may freely come here
and offer tlieir services at such rate as
they please, as in any free country and
the duty deyolves upon the commission
ers to see that the work be well done
according to contract. and that all law
abiding people are protected alike. This
duty the commissioners, withopt hesita-
tion and to the full extent of their power,
will perform without discrimination.
The suggestion that the commissioners
inform the President and congress that
"alien Importation has taken place"
need not be adopted, for the. double
reason that such duty is not imposed
upon the commissioners and because no
one-is ignorant that alien immigration
has occurred to the extent of many huns
dred thousand annually for long
period, upon National invitation.
Our District triumvirate cannot, or
will not, see the difference between inn
ported contract labor and free immi-
grafton.
The Workingmen of Washington are
looking anxipusly for the election to
congress of friends of labor, for congress
| is our only city council, and there can be
no improvements of the condition of the
masses here except by the action of that
body.
In the next congress the worklngmen
will need friends. Let the labor element
see that theyiare sent there.
Candidates cards are making their
appearance, asking the suffrages of the
printers of No, 101 at the next election,
which o ours. December 10.
There are prospects of i lively Typo
graphical canvass after the political
maelstrom ceases TO boil.
CRAFTSMAN.