Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-09-08
SCORING HEWITT.
AGITATION EXTRAORDINARY
WITH THE MAYOR.
The New York Central Labor Union :
Great Tilt with the Mayor Of
Gotham-Pithy Letters
Some Interesting An.
cient History.
THE FIRST CT n.

DWng the session Of the Ford
Congressional investigating Com
muttc IN this city Il few weeks ago,
the testimony of working people HIS
to their condition was taken, and the
evidence was most damaging to the
importers and employees of foreign
cheap labor. Three women who
testified were yiCtimized by their
employers for telling the truth, and
their case was brought before the
Central Labor Union by the Excel
sior Labor Club IN the form of a set
of resolutions, as follows:
"IlhercdS, In consequence of the terri
bic and heartrending results of the intro
duction by unrestricted immigration Of
contract and pauper labor into the
United States, Congressional commit
tee has been Investigating its causes and
effects on the wage-earnlng masses Of
the country; and
"WhereaS, Three witnesses who gave
important evidence before that body
viz, Marion Preston, Mary Berg and
Nincenza Neprek, We're discharged by
their employers, the notorious shirt
sweaters, julius Oppenheimer and Her
man Stein, and Jacob & Bookmln, cigar
manufacturers, for telling the truth
about the decrease Of their wages
through Jne employment OF Russians,
Polanders and other pauper immigrants,
and the evils resulting therefrom; and
"Whereds, This is but another evi-
dence of the heartlessness and criminal
conduct of the capitalists who, owning
all the means of life in this country, to
the value of $4,000, 900, 900, are gradu-
ally endeavoring to bring the producers
of America to the condition of chatteI
slaves through boycotting, blacklsting
and other nefarious conspiracies:
"Resolred, That the Excelsior Labor
Club calls upon the delegates to the Cen
tral Labor Union to take such action as
will show the heartfelt sympathy of or
ganized labor toward those victims Of
monopolistic oppression, and also to pun
iDll biANll v ldIiiliI'li 'liit' N'p Nlic Nt~
liberately drove our sisters from honest
labor to fill perchance paupers graves
through death by starvation, or for
aught they cared, to add three more to
the host of unfortunate wOrkingwomen
who have been forced to lives of shame
through the want of bread.
"ReSOired, That we call upon the au-
thorles and our lawmakers to have such
statutes put into force as will protect
labor from the wicked conspiracies of the
law-defying capitalists who hold the
producers of all wealth in wage Slavery
They were unanimously adopted
with addition that if Mayor Hewitt
really desired to prove his sincerity
for the prosecuted, he could raise Il
subscription for these three victims
of capitaliStjc conspiracy, This was
the first gun fired in what subse-
quently turned out to be an inter
esting skirmish with cunning
enemy.
A SLY SHOT.
Mayor Hewitt then sent the follow
ing reply:
MAYORS OFFICE,
New YORK, Aug. 20, 1888,
ERNEST BONN, Secretary.
SIR-I am in receipt Of your letter of
the Goth inst, calling my attention to
the cases of three women who were dis
missed by their employers in conse-
quenCe of having given testimony before
the Congressional Committee. This
action of the employers cannot be de-
fended but it is not necessary to appeal
to the public for subscriptions, as | have
a balance left over from the Hart sub
scription, which | shall from time to
time appropriate to persons who suffer
from injustice either at the hands Of
employers or of labor unions. If, there
fore, you will send the women to me |
will investigate the circumstances and
give them such assistance as may seem
necessary until they can get work else
where. Yours respectfully,
ABRAM 5. HEWITT,
Mayor.
HIS OFFER sPURNED.
The Central Labor Union was not
to be thus easily led into a trap.
They scorne1 the money collected
for a "scab," and the three victim
lied women also scorned to touch