Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-09-27

city. at heed' 8 1aKe, upon THIS E6fy SuuJGCb. g
foresaw at that time that II was fast becoming |
an important problem. S nee then have
given considerable study TO the question. and |
the result of that study embodied In BILL /
which introduced in the House early in the
present session. The bill was referred to the |
Committee on Foreign AfSars but WAS never |
reported back
notice in the newspapers, from time to time. |
accounts OF the arrival of large numbers Of i'm |
migrants at the port Of New York. who had
been induced to immigrate by false represen- |
tations as to the opportunities for obtaining
work in this country, and who were in penni-
less and destitute condition. This moved
me to introduce resolution providing
for the appointment OF o committee Of ave to
investigate as to whether our immigration laws
were being enforced. This resolution was
passed by the House last July. and the Speaker
did me the honor to appoint me chairman OF
the question. and have besn almost continu.
ousiy engaged in 1t ever since We spent most
OF our time in the city OF New York.
The result OF our investigation shows an
alarming state of affairs. We discovered that
it is the practice of most steamship lines TO
have agents in every village and hamlet OF
southern Europe who use every artifice to In
duce peoole to buy tickets to America. Plar
cards are posted up in prominent places. with
the information that there is plenty Of work
for common laborers in the United States at
s1.50 per day, and that a fortune is easily made
IN short time. II q man has no means, but is
possessed Of q little property, such as horse,
or mule, or q little land, the steamship agent
will take mortgage on the property at ID per
cent. interest for the price OF the passage tick
ct. Thousands of persons thus induced, by
lying statements, to immigrate to the United
States.
Again, there IS class OF Italians in this
country who make business of importing
common laborers in large numbers. They oh.
tam contracts to furnish laborers. principally
| to work in constructing railroads. They prose-
cute their business In about this wise: They
all have agents in Italy. and they will write to
| the agent to send them a certain number OF
men. The agent then goes through the small
| towns in Italy, Offering to prepay the passage
| OF men to the United States, and furnish them
plenty of work at 81 or ST. per day. The pas
/ sage ticket costs about S25, and the agent
| requires an agreement from each man to
| whom he furnishes ticket that in considers
| ton of the ticket being furnished him he will
pay back out OF his wages sum ranging all
| the way from $40 to $40. depending upon the
simplicity of the immigrant When the immi-
| grant arrives in this country he is taken In
| charge by the Italian contractor here and put
| to work. But his troubles have but just COM
menced From that time ON the immigrant in
many cases, is systematically robbed by the
| contractor. In this manner whole towns have
| been nearly depopuiated in Italy, and within
| the last eight years nearly 100000 men have
been imported from Italy, only per cent OF
| whom were skilled laborers.
| The committee examined large number Of
them, and did not in single instance find
| man who had intended to become citizen OF
| the United States. All of them invariably re-
| piled that they intended to come here for a
| year or two and make money and then return.
| Upon examining lot OF newly arrived immi.
grants, we found several who did not know
| whether this country was an empire, kingdom,
| or a republic. They did not know whether we
had q king or President They were all bound
for the coal regions in Pennsylvania. Taking
all the immigrants together within the last
eight years, 4, Csc, $50 people have come to the
United States. A large proportion of these
people were common laborers, great number
| of whom had come by reason of lying state
| ments as to the condition of the labor market
| here, and the effect upon the laboring men OF
the United States by this forced, induced and
stimulated migration has been very depress-
ing.
In Boston we discovered that of all fisher.
men engaged in the New England fishing in.
dustries Is per cent. were aliens. don't mean
foreign born, but aliens, subjects OF Great
Britain, and also 5000 people came TO the por
of Boston every year from Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick to work in this country during
the sun mer months and go back in the fall.
Samuel Gompers, president OF the American
Federation Of Labor, testified that 90 per cent.
of the cigar-makers in New York were aliens
4 persons who never intended to become citizens
OF the United States.
Mr.. Powderly, General Master-workman OF
the knights OF Labor OF America. testified that
in his opinion there were over 1000, 900 OF men
in the United States out OF work, who were
ready and willing TO work ii they could f1Ed
employment, and also that some OF these i'm.
ported laborers were not known by any name.
but that they each had brass check, with a
| number on it. attached to their waist, and were
simply known by the number that the check
| bears.
Every almshouse and charitable institution
in New York State is full and overlooking,
scrr 1,,s.-z
sisted immigration, and the State annually
spends $4,000, COO for the support OF paupers
and insane.
We found the condition OF the American
miners in the coal regions to be deplorable,
| owing to the importation by the proprietora OF
aliens. The wages have largely declined by
reason of the importation of such 1aborers,
while the price of coal has remained the same
These effects have not been SO much felt In
the West, perhaps, but 1t Is only question OF
time until our own laboring men will realize it.
believe that any able-bodied, honest mar,
who OF his own free will wants to adopt this
country and become an American citizen,
should be allowed to do so. But we don't
want the criminals: we don't want the pau
pers; we don't want men here who come under
false and lying Misrepresentation, and this
Importation Of laborers should cease. II you
are gong to have prosperous country, the
common laborer must be prosperous and you
! can not have happy Nation composed entire
ly of rich men. The common laborer should be
able to make a fair living for himself and fami.
ly. He should be able to live American
working man Is accustomed to live. No Amer
lean citizen can compete with men who will
come here and work for fifty cents day, and
) who sleep in sheds like cattle, and who never
intend to become citizens Of this country. be-
lieve the time has come when we should really
and truly protect the American laborer.
would let no immigrant come here unless he
intends to become a citizen of the United
States. Machinery for the Enforcement of ouI