The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-09-26
The Contract Labor Law.

The Contract Labor Law.
To THE EDIToR-ST: Was there ever an
act passed by congress giving or legalizing in
dlyiduals or corporations a right to bring labor
to this country, paying passage for same and
TO take lien on their wages for passage, ETC.,
until paid? If so, when? And give names of
some men favoring the same.
CIV BRENNER
Rockport, Ind, Sept. II.
Yes. Such a bill was introduced in
congress in 1864 by Senator John Sher-
man, of Ohio, and passed on the 4th day
of that month. We have not the yea and
nay vote at hand, but as congress was at
that time Overwhelmingly republican in
both houses it could only have been
passed by the republicans. The second
section of the law was as follows:
Sec 9. And be it further enacted That all
contracts that shall be made by emigrants to
the United States in foreign countries, in con-
formty TO regulations that may be established
by the said commissioner, whereby emigrants
shall pledge the wages of their labor for a term
not exceeding twelve months, to repay the ex-
penses OF their emigration, shall be held to be
valid in law, and may be enforced in the courts
OF the United States or of the several states and
territories; and such advances, if stipulated
in the contract and the contract be recorded i'm
the recorders office in the country where the
emigrant shall settle, shall operate a lien
upon any land thereafter acquired by the emf
grant, whether under the homestead law when
the title is consummated, or on property other
wise acquired until liquidated by the emigrant;
but nothing herein contained shall be deemed
10 authorize any contract contravening the
constitution of the United States, or creating in
any way the relation OF slavery or servitude.
(U. S. Statutes at large, vol. 15 1S63-'65)
That the authors of this measure appre-
ciated its real character is shown by the
provision that nothing in the act should
be deemed to create in any way the relation
Of siarery or serUitllde.
1t has been well said of this infamous
measure:
This will serve to show to many persons,
who have often wondered how many men got
rich so rapidly during the war, how it was
done. While the bone and sinew of the coun-
try were in the field fighting their country's
battles the manufacturers, subsidized by the
most exorbitant duties ever levied in this
country, were authorized TO send their agents
to Europe and there seek out men to fill the
places of the absent soldiers Who were fight
ing for the munificent wages of $l3 month
and found.
The law remained in force until 1856
more than twenty years, and nearly nine
teen years after the war, which was the
excuse for its enactment, had closed. Ev-
cry effort to repeal it was thwarted in the
interest OF American capitalists and man.
ufacturers. While the law was on the
statute books over 100000 immigrants
came to the United States. How many
came voluntarily and how many under
contract cannot even be estimated. La
ions of the Sherman law up to the
time OF its repeal, and the
statutes now in force prohibiting the
same are being violated and evaded in
every possible way by men who pre-
tend to be the most solicitious for the pro-
lection of American labor. The protected
coal barons and iron kings of Pennsyl-
vania have imported thousands of laborers
under contract; so have the protected
manufacturers of New England. LEVI p.
MORTON, the Doodle candidate for vice
president, is a recent offender against the
law prohibiting the importation OF la
borers. He brought over men from
Europe to work at his country seat on the
Hudson, at about half the wages paid by
his neighbors TO American laborers. He
advanced these men their passage money,
which was withheld from their pay. But
this same LEVI p. MORTON is very much
alarmed lest American labor be not suf-
fciently protected.
The contract-labor law was finally re-
pealed. The repeating bill was offered by
MARTIN A. FoRAN, democratic congress
man from Ohio, Jan. 8, 1884. This bill
prohibited the importation of labor under
contract, and imposed severe penalties
for violations The bill passed the demo
cratic house June 10, 1884, but was
chung up" in the republican senate until
after BLAINE's defeat. 1t finally passed
that body in February, 1885, only few
days before the Cleveland administration
came into existence.
This law is perhaps the most important
act for the genuine protection of American
workingmen ever passed by Congress.