Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-21
EVILS OF IMMIGRANION
MAGONE AND POWDERLY BE.
 FORE THE COMMISSION.
The collector Not Supposed to Interfere. The Mastcr Workman Talks of Hun
 garian Miners in American Mines.

The Collector Not supposed to 1nterIercs The Mastor Workman Talks of Hun
 garian Miners in American Mines.
 NEW YORK, Aug. 21-Collector Magone was called by the Ford Investigation and read sections from the Amendatory Act, which showed that he is not ex- pected to interfere unless his attention is called. He claimed that through contract at present existing between the Commits siOners and the Secretary of the Treasury the question of who should or should not land rests entirely with the Commission CTS of Immigration. In MT. Magone's oplu- ion the enforcement of the immigration laws should be vested solely in the Federal authorities. Regarding aliens procuring naturalization papers at $1O 8 piece in Brooklyn, witness said that he had investi- gated the matter and found the papers of the captains mentioned regular. IT the naturalization papers were bogus the Col lector said he had no Jurisdiction whatever in the case.
 General Master Workman Powderly was then sworn.
 MT. Powderly said that an agent of his i'll Europe informed him that villages and towns In Hungary and Poland were full of posters announcing to the people that wages in Amerlca were fabulously large and work plenty.
 Hungarian miners mad driven many American miners from the mines ln Penn sylvania. In fact more than half the mln- CTS in Pennsylvania were HungarianS. The latter live on pork and water and sleep like hogs ina pen. Their bedding and bed clothing were alive for the situation. In one case MT. Powderly said he found one woman performing the duties of wife for ten men. MT. Powderly asked the woman why she led such life and she answered "Well, if 1 had one man l would Starve to death, but with nine or ten l am sure to get enough to eat, and besides do not run any risk of becoming edcumbered with family.n
 In opposing the theory advanced by the circular recently issued by Henry Clews & O., to the effect that the present labor evils could be bettered by the arrival of large ship loads of foreigners, Mr. Pow derly grew eloquent. He said: II do not consider man can ever become good citizen who travels over the Pennsylvania Railroad with brass tag strung to the band of his trousers. These people never learn the English language. They bring | their filthy customs with them and observe them while the are among ns. They never learn to read the Constitution of the United States sud in my opinion no man 1 should be allowed tho right of franchise
 
 ton. They will work for starvation wages and live on the vllest food. If they run i short of food they will steal"
 | In speaking of the case of the Rev. Mir. 1 Warren, the preacher, who, it Is charged, came here under contract, Mir. Powderly said that the proceedings in that case were solely for the purpose of making the law odious. When MT. Powderly's father landed here he had shilling in his pocket
 JOo rpI,, do your order2" asked MT. Gunther.
 i've are not particularly partial to Chi ncse, but think thore arc about a dozen in our ranks"
 The immigrants coming here now are in ferior in many respects to those who came i twenty years ago. Something over 1,OOO O0) people who are willing to work are idle in the United States to-day. MT. Powderly ! then described the principles of the Knights of Labor. Tho leading feature is to educate the working man to 8 degree that he may become his own em- ployer or partner of his employer. We ! endeavor to protect American labor and wages in mines, workshops, and mills, and thereby lead into the home circle whore, under such protection, happiness will exist. This influx of foreigners to our shores has q depressing effect on the American work ing man. Mir. Powderly considered a con- binatiOn of coal baronS a curse to the country. Witness said he had good author ity for stating that thousands of Hungar- ians and Polanders would never have come here were it not for the false promises made to them before leaving their homes. Mr. Powderly thought the strong arm of the law should reach out and deal severely with Trusts of all kinds. Witness regarded Trusts as highwaymen, and said they should be wiped out of existence. The Committee decided that trusts had nothing to do with the matter before them.
 Mir Powderly vAas allowed to step down
 Gregory Wernstein, Russian Hebrew and sanitary inspector, and William Martin, a sealer of weights and measures gave the names of several firms employing imported contract hands.