The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-09-13
POWDERLYS PLAN.
The General Naster-Workman Talks Some Har,
Common Sense to the Investigating Committee.

Gu btI0re Ane 1OngFeSSlonal 00nmlltee on ll1-
migration at New York and was examined for
two hours.
Mr.. Powderly began by stating that he was
resident Of Scranton, Pa, and General Mas
ter-Workman of the Knights of Labor. Before
his election to that Office he had been ma
chinist. The Order" continued Mr.. Pow
derIy, has spread all over the world, and we
have branches in every country except China.
In Great Britain especially the Order is in
very fourishing condition"
What class Of persons, Mr.. Powderly, are
eligible for membership in the Order of the
knights of Lab0r?"
Well, we take all men who work at manual
labor We exclude all rum-sellers, those who
are engaged in anyway in the manufacture or
sale of rum, barkeepers, and rich people. Bank
ers are not eligible, neither are lawyers, pro-
fessional politicians nor loafers."
What do you mean-what is your definition
of q professional pOlitician?"
A man who lies around and does nothing
whatever, who stands around on election day
with his hands stretched out for money--a
species of political heeler and striker.
For the last II MONTHS" continued Mr..
Powderly, " / have been travelling all over the
United States. go to all parts of the country
in the interest of my Order, and have had many
chances TO study the condition of the working
men. ! have given much thought TO the sub
iect Of immigration in this country during the
last eight years. ! have found from my own
observation that the social status of the work
ingman has deteriorated, and in every part has
become bad on account of this food of emgra-
tion and the contract system. Its tendency is
to degenerate and degrade morals. / do not
think and do not say that emigration degrades
the morals Of those who come-that is, / mean
to say that the morals of those who come under
the contract system are so degraded that it
tends to pollute the morals of others who have
come here before Of their own free will. These
contract Immigrants have but little morals when
they arrive, and still less while they remain.
They are induced by agents abroad to come
here, aud they are told that they will receive
good wages. An agent Of mine who was abroad
Lastly ear saw large boards hung up in all the
large cities of Europe with huge posters on
them setting forth in every language induce
ments to emigrants TO come to America Ameri-
can railroads would employ this method of ad-
vertising freely, inducing people to come and
settle along the lines of their road, offering
cheap homes and lands. This is one system of
inducing immigration. The other is done by
the agents of American manufacturers abroad.
These men promise high wages and cheap pas
sage out.
HOW THE MINERS LIVE.
"The result of this system / found practi-
cally illustrated in the United States. I found
in 1882, In the town of Frostburg, Nd, at what
this system. I was admitted within an in
closure, which was surrounded by a high board
fence to the mouth of the mine, about the
hight of this wall, probably foot or two
higher: this inclosed the mine. Inside was a
long, low, wooden building; should call it a
shed. Ia that building / found five rows of
hunks. The FIRST one was about 18 inches from
the floor. It was two feet six inches wide and
six feet six inches In length. The mattress
was of straw, and covered over with black and
blue ticking; at leastait had been white and
blue ticking originally, but it was eli black
when / saw il, and fully alive to the situation.
! saw one Hungarian-there were $50 in the
mine; this man walked on crutches. He had
broken his leg some time before. That man
had no assistant. His leg was so offensive as
10 keep people away from him. He reeied into
his bunk filthy, his bandages dirty, covered
with vermin, and without undressing. He
made no pretense of washing. ] saw men come
in to the table dirty and filthy and sit down to
a meal Of salt pork and water, the pork ex-
tTemely lively, without even washing their
hands. These are the men who come TO take
the places Of the American workiugmen, who
cause the reduction Of wages. So that when
the workingman strikes these men are brought
to take his place. They succeed in breaking
the backbone of the strike, while they work
for less than an American can afford. There
were believe los Hungarians who lived there
| in that shed"
WOODEN SHOES AND FILTH.
"Did you remain that night until the men
/ went to bed?"
Il did They would come into the shed:
4 dirty and filthy, and some of them. those who
| had modern shoes, would take off these shoes
aud then, without washing or undressing
would cast themselves dirty on their filthy
| beds. They make these shoes themselves from
/ the timber Of the trees that they find growing
4 in the neighborhood. They do this rather
| than give the work TO an American shoemaker
| / have one Of these shoes now at my house in
| Scranton. As ] said before, the men with the
/ wooden shoes take them off. As to theil
/ clothes, they must have been made in theil
native land. They never take them of, and
had not, / heard, since they had been in thu
| mine. The few that had leather shoes did not
| take them off,
This wholesale importation Of immigrant
labor has the effect Of thoroughly demOraizinG
! the wOrEingmen Of this country. The minel
who has been showed out OF the mines by these
men seeks employment in other towns. Tht
bottom rung Of the ladder is shaken: Inferio
men are placed in shops and factories. Th'
/ discharged miner leaves home to manipulate
machinery, so that he can get some kind 0
occupation. lie viii work lower than th
skilled workman, and the mechanic goes dowI
to the bottom. Until 1873 the immigration
was OF y 0tNEEEEB Gla5@s EEDDlt kEEtl came q
their free viii. Where was born there wer
many immigrants, principally Irish, Welsh ant
English. They ali prospered and owned thei
own homes. But with the present class th
American workman is driven out. He canno
compete with them. He cannot live on corn
meal and salt pork. ] net a Moravian woman
some years ago ia Cleveland. She was quit
intelligent and spoke English. Many of then
never learn the language. She was living in
house with eight men, did their houseworB
and served the double purpose Of wife an
b0usekeeper 70 them. i asked the woman Wh
. she lived such a life. She said she had II
alternative. If she married one of the men sh
would starve, but with eight she could e
! enough TO live on, and besides there was u
danger OF her raising family"
, THE BRASS CHECK SYSTEM.
Mr PowdeTly continued: 81 had occasion
S short time ago to take trip on the Pennsy
vania Road between Philadelphia and Ne
York. / found a lot Of Italian laborers worl
ing on the road who we're identified simply
brass checks bearing numbers attached to
leather belt at the back Of their trousers. Whe
you called them bytheir names they did nt
know what their names were. The number G
{ their checks cOrrcsp0nded to a number on II
= / pay-b0ok, and If they lost the check it was
b case of no check, no pay. 1 haye heard tht
: agents Of the road frequently stole the checl
S and cheated these poor creatures Of their pay
= q would have every mau VINO becomes
: american citizen speak the English tongu