Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-12-12

mafa e4ae1A AeA 4A4 - 50 8
utilisd iabprsrs aHn hsosxk1 inAr -
s8anfry ID exeem a. - asmana.
1hsss ass sea msrs msa aksd e >
osriain Ina e work sh4a e seaairsd
~ ths nrsOnnf e e1sA u0Ek e hs 4ans-
Tke result Is % a0w ~ aars Decreases
IL ths pEios 81 labor. n 4 and 3 afs
expsIt wood snRrassrs snd Q enpioJs
them bolh, and e.n eixs s1p1gnsnt -
% mere. d ssould svsid sha1 tosn-
Bai Il D oonss and ausi silsss slassa
o. sscurs uofk from c. ths vaius e he
labor e. oncs bss0ns tass- Z 9 =
lnsiiaad in smpisying only SO nsn
"a a Tires msn are elamgsin9 for w9Eks
fha naiurai Fasuii eli BE- thsa aaea VII
piaes . lever valas upsn his laboE aad
he ekill than be did when thass uasa
Jas enough workmsa % perform tie
amount Is work required. Q @ag e1-
ploy al 6Ess, bsi tbs shansss sEs shai
Be Win pay thsn little moss than be
formssly paid tus. and untii BE baai-
nsss increases 70 saah 80 exte1t that
thEse sood-oaFssEs aEs necessary, be g
l7dspsualsni and can pay Whatever
VICES be ohooasa So e IL il ths Uni-
I'd States. Every band Of skilled -
bossss who are bEouaha Int ths eonn-
~, thooah they saon lsavs ne employ
Of the one who imported them. scatter
and become units Ia the great body Of
Amefican w0rkiugmen. iowsE, perhaps
impeF0eptibIy. bnt nons the less sBrsly,
the value Of sush labor e. they ars
akilled 10.
This defect IN our systsm, however,
should not be . difaealt ons 70 remedy.
One plsn Of Tsmedying , has been sug-
Rsstod. This is 10 declare void 81 eon-
tracts entered into between w0Fkmsn
10 foreign countries and employers In
lhs United States. No matter ho4
strong ths ooniFact which has besn
signed, let Il cease 70 Be legally binding
upon the lAboEer a. soon aa be sets foot
upen Amsfioan soil. UndsE sush law,
u u urged, employers would have no
incentive 70 impoEt lsboFsEs, and woald
coon eeaae 10 dose. As q matter Of fast,
however, the fulhllmsnt Of saoh con-
tracts oAnnot nos be enfoEcsd u the
laboger chooses 10 violate them, 90 tbss
the pas age Of saeh lsv would make
no real change n the situation. II She
employer can make Il 10 tha interest," Of
bis imported laborss 10 keep bis con-
tract. be viii do 90, Law or no Iaw. n,
On the contrary, the lAboFsF believes Il
Il 70 bis interest 10 break the contract.
be will usually DO 90. Il is net clear
that much would BE- accomplished By
dselaFing void such contracts when, a.
q matter Of fact, they are tsFminable as
she will Of ons Of The contracting par
tiea.
Another and better plan for remedy
ing the defect would be to assess 3 sax
which would practically be q tariff upon
foreign contract labor. II, for instance,
q hundred Belgian glass blowers are
bToaaht 10 the Unit, States By firm
Of glass manufacturers. compel the i'm
porter to pay upon each one Of the gang
a tax sufficiently heavy to destroy the
advantage derived from The employ
msnt Of bic cheaper labor. Sueh ; Law
would efisolually stop the importation
Of foreign contract labor By removing
The object Of ice employment. Il would
be protection afforded directly 10 Amer.
lean labor. The American woEkiBemar
would be protested, net ohiy from ths
composition Of cheap foreign labol
abroad, bat from that Of cheap foreign
labor az home a. we'll.