The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-09-08
Pauper Labor in New York.

The Congressional Committee which is investigat-
tered recently into field which should be prolific
of discovery namely the cigar factories with their
imported laborers and tenement house system. The
first witness was Daniel Harris a journeyman cigar
maker and President of the New York local of the
Cigar Makers International Union. He testified
that prior 1868 about from to 10 per cent of the
cigar makers in the city were foreign born; now
about 80 per cent were foreigners and so per cent
of those were females. The Bohemans came in
1869 and were followed later by the Hungarans
Next the Poles and then the Russian Jews; they all
come in thousands. They could be seen at work N
the city in cellars and easements, and they would
work A houts at d stretch, but did not make more
than s. week. Good cigar makers formerly could
make $50 a week: now they could only make 81
The foreign pauper labor would work for from 81 &c
Sc a week. The witness said he attributed the great
reduction in the wages of his trade to the impora-
ton of pauper labor The witness SAID he knew of
thousand dollars having been furnished in the name
of charity TO bring over some prosecuted Russian
Jews. The money was subscribed by man named
Jacob, of fifty-second street, and another named
Stachelberg, of South Fifth avenue The witness
had a grievance against the Immigrants because
they declined 10 join the witness trade organiza
ton Notwithstanding the great reduction OF the
wages paid for the manufacture OF cigars, there has
been no reduction in the price OF the cigars TO inc
consumers The witness said that one OF the mosl
perneious evils of the cigar makers trade was thai
unless a cigar maker lived in one of the bosses
houses he could not get any work. the bosses owned
many tenement houses and the workmcn must live
in their bosses houses and pay exorbitant rents OF
bohemian woman, 81 years of age with three child
rem in this country and one In Austria, cigar
maker since she was II years of age, said she made
from SC to $3.50 week, working from O'Clock 10 D
in Bohemia she worked from TO G. She said one OF
her children had been arrested for begging in the
Fifth Avenue Hotel. The witness had been five
weeks out of work, and had been compelled TO send
the child out to beg. She lived in tenement house
owned by her boss and was told by his representa-
tive that unless she lived in of his houses she
could not get any work from him. She paid Sll a
month for three rooms on the third floor, and the
rent was deducted from what she made. All the
rent had to be paid before she got any money that
sometimes it the third week of the month before
she got any money. The witness, with tears in her
eyes told as though in excuse of her act that when
she sent the child out begging IL was az the tiFe
when she was out of work. and all that she had
earned up that time had been retained by the boss
for her rent. The Bohemian Interpreter, siegfrled
Potter, was also examined. He said he had been a
journeyman cigar maker for many years He told
of some of the horrors oftenement house cigar max
ing, which had been prohibited by bill passed by
the New York Legislature. The bill, however. was
declared unconstitutional. The witness said there
were about 5000 cigar makers in the city who were
out of work.