The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-07-31
EMIGRATION ENQUIRY.
Progress of he Congressional
Committee Investigation.
IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.
1t Consider. the BilI so Investigate
thaCh argos Against PAMELA
LIVELY Z ebate-Other Notes.
The Immigration Inquiry

New YoRK, July 30.-ln the afternoon
session of the committee Investigating
immigration affairs, John 4. Dyer,
secretary OF the Granits-cutte1's Ma
tional Union. said he knew OF stone.
cutters brought out here under con
tract to WORK. One George Berry, act
ing for Gus WiIkee, contractor, en-
ployed by syndicate to build the new
state capitol at Austin, Tex. had
brought oyer number of stone cutters
under contract TO work OF that Job
The witness had met them at Castle
Garden, and three Of the men were
taken before the United States District
Attorney, but he refused to act, and
they were allowed to GO to Austin.
Seven ty- eight of them came over. and
ifty-fiVe vent TO Texas. They
came over in April, 1885
The witness produced an affidavit
made by one of the men, 10 which WAS
attached copy Of the circular gwen by
Wilkes agent III Aberdeen. Scotland,
setting forth the nature Of the work to
be done. scale of prices 10 he psld for
Stone-cutteIs ana bIacksmiths, rates OF
board in Austin, manner of paying
etc. a hundred aud fifty granite
cutters were needed and number Oh
b)sobsmitbs. It stated also that there
was eight en- months'w0rk to cut enough
stone for the bnilaing. The passage
money Was paid by the contractor, 10
be refunded out OF The first earning.
Dyer stated when he found he could
not OPP the men here be notified the
Knights of Labor al Austin, ard the9
now have a suit pending in the United
states courts against the capital syndi-
cate under contract labor law. Witness
said the government furnished con-
tractors convict labor t. quarry stone
and that the granite cutters were asked
Of quarry men not to cut granite
which was qUarried by convict
labor, and then Wilkie sent
over 10 Scotland for these
ulen lie said Senator Farwtl
was mo Chief man of the syndicate,
and Wilkie Yaprs,s nts himself as acting
iGT the synuicats. Wirl,,eess would nor
swear that Senator Farwen A.eW Ct
Wakes action in importing this con-
b.. act labor. The State Of Texas gave
the syndicate 100000 acres of land
and the labor of 500 conyicts.
David Dawson, one Of the contract
laborers brought by Berry. was the
next sworn He worked in Aus
lin for the syndicate eighteen
months. He understood before
that he went there that Wilkie had con-
wet labor on the job, but was told the
convicts would be taken OFF as soon as
Wilkie could get enough free labor to
do the work. On the contrary, the
witness declared, Wiikie doubled the
number of convicts Wilkie paid the
witness 81 day, and at his request, the
witness wrote to afriend in Aberdeen,
who, on his assurance there was WORK
for them, secured about fifteen others.
who came out here and were employed
by Wilkie. Witness said IL was very
common thing for the people Of Aber
deem to come here and work during the
summer and return home in the win
ter. Witness said that he could make
81 Is day here, but in Aberdeen he
could make only $i25 day. The
skilled lahore g who CONS over here for
the summer work are mostly stone
cutters.
Stan;slaus n lLedeochouskia native OF
Russian Poland. next swore that the Bre-
men. Hamburg and Antwerp steam
ship lines have agents there, who per
suade people to emigrate by the means
of most untrue representations. The
most ignorant and poor classer are
those who come here. The authorities
richly enforced the law compelling all
emigrants crossing the frontier to show
that they had sufficient noney to carry
Them through. 70 meet this difficulty
agents furnished enigrants with
bogus exchange drafts, which they
show at the frontier aud which arr
taken up again as soon as they have
crossed.