Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-07-31
HOME AFFAIRS.
HOW THE CONTRACT LABOR-LAW
Is VIOLATED.
~ Fighting Arkansas Famiiy-An
oid Farmer Beaten and Robbed
Fruit SaIes-Etc,
IsrEoAL DISPATCHES TO THE nEcon,usros.I
PLUNDEEED IMMIGRANTS.
HOW Italian Ifanigrants Have Been
Robbed by Agents

| Robbed by Agents
+ opy1Shf, 1855, by tie Salfovn associated Press
New YORK, July 30th.-The inmigra
tIon investigation was resumed this morn.
ing by the Congressional Committee. They
nrst heard the testimony of an Italian Ia
borer who was induced to come here bv
| false representations of the agent. He he'd
been compelled to live here on charity on
one meal per day for his family and on
work was found. The agent who brought
him here had sent 400 such unfortunates
as he to this country during the past four
years and they were charged 25Of. for a
passage that cost 116. Three of his parry
OF thirteen got work on their arrival at
Castle Garden, but they had to give the
boss SS each to get it.
There were other Italian witnesses.
CONTRACT LABOR FOR PUBLIC BUILDING.
In the afternoon John B. Dyer, Secretary
OF the Stone-Cutters' National Union, said
he knew of stone cutters brought out here
under contract to work. One George Berry
acting for Gus Wilkie, a contractor EN-.
ployed by syndicatcs to build the new
State Capitol at Austin, Texas, had brought
over number of stoue-cutters under con-
tract to work on the job. Witness had met
them at Castle Garden, and three of the
men were taken before the United States
District Attorney. but he refused to act
and they were allowed to go to Austin
Seventy eight of them came over, and fifty
five went to Texas. They came over in
April, 1886.
Witness produced an affidavit made by
one of the men, to which was attached a
copy of circular given by Wilkes agent
in Aberdeen, Scotland, setting forth the
nature of the work to be done, the scale of
prices to be paid for stone-cutters and
b!acksmiths, rates of board in Austin. man
ner of paying, etc. One hundred and fifty
granite-cutters were needed and a number
of blacksmiths. He stated also that there
was eighteen months work to cut enough
stone for the building. The passage money
was paid by The contractor TO be refunded
out of the first earnings.
Dyer stated that when he found he could
not stop the men here he notified the
Knights of Labor at Austin, and they now
have suit pending in the United States
Courts against the capitol syndicate under
the contract labor law. Witness said the
Government furnished the contractors
convict labor to quarry the stone, and that
the granite-cutters were asked by the
quarry men not to cut granite which was
quarried by convict labor, and then Will
kie sent over to Scotland for these men.
He said that Senator Farwell was the
chief man of the syndicate. Witness
would not swear that Senator Farwell
knew of Wilkes action in importing this
contract labor. The State of Texas gave
the syndicate 8, 100000 acres of land and
the labor of 500 convicts.
One of the con tract laborers brought by
Berry was next sworn. He worked in
Austin for the syndicate eighteen months.
He understood before he went there that
Wilkie had convict labor on the job, but
was told the cOnvicts would be taken off
as soon as Wilkie could get enough free
labor to do the work. On the contrary,
witness declared WIlkie doubled the num-
Der OF convicts. Wilkie paid witness 81 q
day, and at bis request witness wrote to a
friend in Aberdeen, who, on his assurances
there was work for them, secrred about
tiitees others, who came out here and were
employed by Wilkie.
SUMMER TOURISTS.
Witness said it was a very common thing
for people of Aberdeen to come here and
work during the summer and return home
in winter. Witness said that he could
make 81 10 day here, but in Aberdeen he
could make only 81 % day. The skilled
laborers who come here for summer work
are mostly stone-cutters.
James X. Anderson, another Aberdeen
man, said he made 81 25 at his trade of
stone cutting in Scotland, but here he made
- IS day. He was asked no question
at Castle Garden when he landed here.
Stanislaus II. Ledeschouski, native of
Russian Poland, next swore that the
Bremen, Hamburg and Antwerp steamship
lines have agents there who persuade peo-
pie to emigrate by means of most untrue rep
reservations. The ignorant and poor classes
are those who come here The authori-
ties rigidly enforced the law compelling all
emigrants crossing the frontier to show
that they had sufficient money to carry
them through. To meet this difficulty the
agents furnish the emigrants with bogus
exchange drafts, which they show at the
frontier and which are taken up again as
soon as they have crossed