Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-08-17
LABOR AND IMMIGRATION.
How Cheap Foreign Labor Has Been
Used to DIsDIace Americans

Used to Displace Americans.
New YORK, August 16th.-The immigra.
ton and labor investigation was resumed
to-day. julius Oppenheimer, manufacturer
OF cloaks. said that in former years three
fourths of his employees were women. The
sexes were about equally divided now.
Wages at present are 10 or II per cent
lower than ten years ago. He did not
think immigration had anything to do
with il.
This line of examination was suspended
while Congressman Ford interrogated the
witness as TO the reason why Marion Pres.
ton, who gave testimony before the Com
mission, was discharged The explanation
was that his partner, Wllinski. got ex-
cited after reading the evidence gwen BY
her, and on the impulse Of the moment
discharged her.
What was there in the girls testimony
that excited your partner ?" asked Ford.
Well, | don't know. She Knocked Mr..
Willinski's way of talking" said the wit
ness.
" Was her testimony true?"
She told the truth, but she made fun of
the way my partner talks" said Open
heimer.
The most interesting testimony given to.
day was that of Samuel Gompers, Presi-
dent OF the American Federation of Labor.
Chairman Ford asked him his opinion as
to the present excessive immigration. His
opinion, summarized, was as follows:
He considers an unhealthy and forced
immigration curse to workingmen. Vol
untary emigration he could not find fault
with. Gompers said that foer wears ago.
when times were hard in Poland and the
Jews were prosecuted, Hebrew charity or
CARNATIONS were formed here and helped
thousands of Polish Jews TO this country.
They were given employment in cloak and
cigar factories, with the result that Ameri-
cans were crowded to the wall as the for
eigners worked for very low wages. Wit
ness said that the charitable men made
money on their investment, and wanted
the people to believe they were unselfish.
The present condition of American cigar
makers is deplorable, and all on account OF
immigration. In this city 20 per cent. of
the cigarmakers were aliens, who never
could learn to speak English. Twenty
years ego the condition of affairs was the
reverse, and American cigarmakers were
in control, but their wages have been re-
duced from 20 to so per cent. in the past
six years. The same state OF affairs exists
among the tailors from the same causes.
The coal miners suffer from the enforced
immigration of Hungarians.
Witness denied the phrase "pluck men
as store where miners were compelled to
ouy supplies because the proprietors were
interested in the store. Miners wages had
fallen fifty per cent, while coal was as high
as usual.
Herman Stein, a flannel shirt manufact-
urer, said .the testimony given by Mary
Berg, that witness was in the habit of i'm
porting foreigners to work in his factory
was basely false. The only true state
ment she made" said witness, was that
reduced wages half cent per dozen, and
I'll tell you now that we were going to
raise the wages again. She was an agitator
in the shop, and was glad TO get rid Of
her"
Mary F. T. Brice, living at 116 Mulberry
street, said she worked at button holes, and
only earned forty cents day by using her
needle from five o'clock in the morning
until ten o'clock at night. She shares with
three families four rooms, for which S15
month is paid, there being fifteen persons
living in the apartments.