New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-17
TALES OF ABJEOT POVERTY.
WORKING HARD FOR THRIFT GENTS a DAY
EVEN THAT BETTER THAN IrALf-Ihrho1HAs
e1vrvo THE OTHER SIDE

EVEN THAT BErrEB THAN ITAhf-AAfn0h A"s
GIVING THE OTHER SIDE
--h. ~ ths Congrsss Committee On In
,,,,eor ,,, at,,rent workers for the most part and
ssusIly got through . great dosi IN tne courss OF
lsv The warm weather ycseruay' ho"0VoN w.
loo muoh for them. and though during tho morning
.ess,on they struggled manfilly along trying TO Keep
cool with . prOfuss use OF rams. onarm.n soru ~s
sorc.s To adjourn the committee early In the after
80 =, va. expected that the committee would
..,n,.,. the investigation here by the end Of this
- so Al to begin work in Boston on Monday. The
,a ~. investigation hero has broadened, however,
that Mr. Ford has no hopes OF sceuns 70 bos"n %
fore the end Of next week
IN. art witness TO take the stand was J. Open
A.,m.,. Of oppenhsimer \ Co., No. 800 Broadway.
a. stated That Marian Preston. who had testified DO
,o-e the committee last week. had boon DISCHARGED
,rou, his employ. One Of the members Of the nrm
.,ctabie man, had discharged her on the impulse of
the moment after reading the reports OF her tcsti
mony the papers Tho testimony, in tho main. was
true but she had Knocked his English before the CON-
n,ittcc, which fact had aneered him. Mr.. Oppcn-
hcimer would take her back into his employ II she 80
wished. He denied that he preferred men to women.
though he employed a many male female
hands, whereas formerly tho proportion had been
three to in favor of the women. Wages in his es-
adjustment had been greatly reduced. but so had
prices.
CONTRADICTORY FORMER TESTIMONY.
Herman Stern. shirt manufacturer at No. $50 East
y-nnth-st stated. when examined. that the tcst
mony Of Mary Berg, who had formerly been In his
employ, false skilful shirtmsker could earn
much ten years ago. although the
price Of shirts had been greatly reduced. He had
never asked any one TO bring Bohemians this
try Miss Berg could not have heard HIM had he
said any such thing, his Office whore she
alleged the conversation had tahen place. too far
removed from the worhroom. lie had not cut down
wages because Cleveland had been elected. He had
been for Blaine In "a and had Miss BERG and he
was still for Blaine but that had nothing to do With
the reduction in wages Out Of $50 persons en-
rloycd IN bis establishment thcre only twenty
two mon all told.
The testimony Of Samuel Gompcrs. president OF the
American Federation Of Labor. was taken at length
Many manufacturers this city. at the time Of the
persecution OF the Jews in Russia and Poland. had
subscribed large sums to assist in bringing whole
colonies Of cheap laborers to this country. He had
spent three weeks investigating the tencment house
system. He had heard the testimony Of Mrs. Vepck
and thought the condition Of Affairs was even worse
than she had alleged All cgarmakcrs were forced
to live IN tenements owned by their employers. In
most OF these twenty families lived. They received
tobacco to work at home. The rents were exces
sivc and generally deducted IN advance Of any pay
ment Of wages That IS. II woman paid S12 rcnt
and earned SC . week. she received nothing until
these tenement houses and had not found ono Amer-
can in any Of them. These people were dcuded into
coming 10 America. and owing to this system OF In
dtistral slavery no better on than they had
been in Europe. while the condition Of tho American
vorlnngman seriously affected for tho worse.
lie had visited the mining districts IN Pennsylvania
where men worked fifteen hours a day trying to exc
out a miserable existence competing with foreign
pauper labor. In those places he visited he found
that 20 per cent of the miners were Hunaarfans
hardly any Of whom could speak word OF
English Some Of these people had declared TO him
that they had been brought to this country under
false pretences They were robbed Of their earnings
by the socaled Pluck me- stores, where they were
forced to make all their purchases a. exorbtsnt
prices the amount Of their accounts being deducted
from their wages
FIVE LIVING IN ONE ROOM
Mary Fabrz a delicate looking young woman, SAID
that she had como TO America six years ago nom
Italy She was only seventeen years old, but had
bccn married three years. Her husband was out Of
work most OF the time and she supported herself and
baby by working buttonholcs She sewed from 5
in tho morning tn IL or IL O'Clock at night and
earned on an average 80 cents day. Five people oc
cupied the one room she lived in There were three
rooms on the floor occupied by fifteen people Cath
crime Fabriz her sister inlaw, said that she worked
from or O'Clock in the morning until IL o'clock at
night She earned 30 cents day and could support
herself and two children on that whom WORK vas
steady They had bread TO eat and sometimes little
meat When she had plenty Of work she drank tea
and bought a cents worth Of m Tx day she pre-,
fcrcd living in Muberryst TO Italy for there she had
nothing while here she could aye On tns .
the system Of hiring Italians through snd
who charged s. for fnS %a Wcre Soucb
The committee meets again To-Day.