The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-09-20

passed py the House last July. ana tue speaker
did me the honor to appoint me chairman Of
the committee. We commenced to investigate
the question. and have been almost continu-
ous1y engaged In IL 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. Pla-
cards are posted up in prominent places. with
the information that there is plenty OF work
for common laborcrs in the United States at
q. 50 per day. and that . fortune is easily made
IN short tine. II a man has no means. but Is
possessed OF little property, such as horse.
or mul:, or little land, the steamship agent
will take q mortgage on the property 1T 10 Sor
cent interest for the price OF the passage tick.
ct. Thousands OF persons are thus induced, By
lying statements, to immigrate TO the United
States.
Again, there Is class OF Italians in this
country who make o business OF importing
common laborers in large numbers They OBJ
tam contracts to furnish laborers, principally
to work in constructing railroads. They prose-
cute their business In about this rise: They
all have agents In Italy and they will write to
the agent to send them 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 u or so per day. The pas
sage ticket costs about e25, and the agent
requires an agreement from each man to
whom he furnishes . ticket that in considers
tion OF the ticket being furnished him he will
pay back out OF his wages . sum ranging all
the way from 80 to $40. depending upon tho
simplicity Of the immigrant When the immi-
grant arrives in this country he ID taken in
charge by the Italian contractor here and put
tn nvsth "a hnu hut iSscf NON
mencod From that time on the immigrant. in
many cases, Is systematically robbed BY the
contractor. In this manner whole towns have
been nearly depopulated in Italy, and within
the last eight years nearly 100000 men have
been imported from Italy. only 8 per cent OF
whom were skilled iaborers.
The committee examined q large number Of
them and did not IN single instance find
man who had intended to become q citizen OF
the United States. All Of them invariably re-
piled that they intended to come here for .
year or two and make money and then return.
Upon examining lot OF ncwly-arrived immi.
grants. We found several who did not know
whether this country was an empire, kingdom,
or . republic. They did not know whether we
had king or President They were all bound
for the coal regions in Pennsylvania Taking
all the immigrants together within the last
eight years, 4,2j0, $50 people have come to tho
United States. large proportion OF these
people were common laborers, q great number
OF whom had come by reason Of lying state
ments ss 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 hmm grafton has been very depress-
ing.
In Boston we discovered that of all fisher
mon engaged in the New England fishing in.
dustrics IS per cent. were aliens. don't mean
foreign born, but aliens, subjects Of Great
Britain, and also 5000 people came to the port
OF Boston every year from Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick to WORK in this country during
the summer months and 60 back In the fall.
Samuel Gompers, president OF the American
Federation OF Labor, testified that 50 per cent
OF the cigar-makers In New York were aliens
persons who never intended to become citizens
OF the United States.
Mr.. Powderly. General Master-Workman OF
tho Knights OF Labor OF America. testified that
in his opinion there were over l,0o0O0O OF men
In the United States out OF work. who wero
ready and willing 10 work IL they could it'd
employment, and also that some OF these i'm.
ported laborers were not known by any name.
but that they each had q brass check, with q
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,
which is largely owing to this induced and ns.
sisted immigration, and the State annually
spends 10000. 100 for the support OF paupers
and insane.
The investigation also shows numerous in.
stances OF the importation Of laborers under
contract In direct violation OF the law. This 10
largely owing to the fact that the law prov .des
no machinery for its enforcement. The evil
dence also disclosed that society exists In
England whose object is the importation Of
paupers and poor persons, and that In one year
there were over four thousand such persons
landed in Boston who were assisted to omt
crate by thst society. Also that In Munich,
Bavaria, there exists society for the exporta.
ton OF incorrigible criminals. mon who are to-
tally lost to reformation. Prince Leopold 10
the honorary president of II, and In the year
1856 that society shipped thirty seven such men
TO the United States. England and Switzer.
land both encourage their convicts to emigrate
to America, and in many instances those Gov
ernmeIts have released c0nvicts from prison
before the expiration OF their sentences, upon
the expressed condition that they would come
here, and officials OF those Governments have
paid the passage OF those criminals and shipped
them here.
We found the condition OF the American
miners in the coal regions to be deplorable
owing to the importation Dy the proprietois Of
aliens. xThe wages have largely declined by
reason OF the importation OF such laborers.
| while the price OF coal has remained the same.
These effects have not been SO much felt Ia
tive West perhaps, but 1t is only question ol
time until our own laboring men will realize II.
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,
want the criminals: we don't want the pau
| pers; we don't want r1en here who come undol
| false and lying misieprese ntations, and TIL.
/ importation OF laborcrs should cease. II yot
| are gong TO have prosperous country, tne
common laborer must be prosperous. and 70,
can not have happy Nation composed entire
| ~ OF rich men. The common laborer should be
able to make fair living for himself and fani
~. He should be able to live as an American
working man is accustomed TO live. No Amer
| lean citizen can compete with men who vii
| come here and work for fifty csnts 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 reall,
| and truly protect the American laborer
| would let no immigrant come here unless h
intends to become citizen OF the Unite,
| States. Machinery for the Enforcement OF on
| immigration laws should be supplied whereve
| II is inadequate.
believe the National Government shoul
take charge OF this country, SO as to have en-
tire concert OF action. Induced and stimulate
immigration should cease. The importation o
| And, as ono member OF the committee, / viii
say we propose to stopit. II we can we shat
offer measure and endeavor to stop it befor,
the present session adjourns. II not then, a
the next session OF the present Congress; an
II we can not do 1t in this Congress. We will d
It in the next Congressional is ;, say, SO "a
IS am concerned-proyided I am re-electe
TO the next Congress. But what wan: to en-
phasize Is that the investigation OF our con
mittee is no junketing, 0ress-parade affair. w
are bound to remedy this thing and believ
| and know we shall do II. and am confiden
we shall have the hearty cooperation OF even
member OF Congress.
Now, my friends, We are approaching, to m
mind, the most important election Of moder
times. 1t is q test between the people and tn
protected manufacturers. II the people full
understand the issue, have no fear Of the r.
suit. I know that the trusts and combAe
who are aided by the tariff, are doing their u
most to return majority in their favor to tn
next Congress. They have large fund, an
they propose to use 1t. was told In New Yor
the other day, by gentleman whom have til
utmost confidence in, that the Protec,lv
Tariff League, OF New York, had spotted m
and they proposed TO defes. my re-elect on.
other words, they proposed to try and debauc
the ballot in this distr ct by o large expend
ture Of money. This gentleman told me tn;
he had been informed that II would have