Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-04
SCORED BY POWDERLY
The American Workingman's Friend
DenOunces the Importation of
Cheap Hungarian Labor.
The Huns. He Says, AmasS a COmpe
petence. Then Go Home and Be
come Shylocks.

PHILADELPHIA.- General Master MOrk-
man Powderly is preparing an extended
article on the question of imported labor,
in which he will give the results of some
of his personal Investigations among the
nationaliiies which have largely predom-
mated among those brought to this coun-
try under contract. Concerning his tes-
timony bsfore the congressional com
mittee IN New York last spring, Mr..
Podwerly says:
"On August 20 1 was summoned before
the congressional immigration committee
to give testimony IL relation TO the effect
of imported cheap labor on the native
End natureiized workman. The papers
of the 2lst gave pretty accurate accounts
OF what I SAID, but some of them made
me say Some hard things about the Poles
and Moravians. OF the former l said
very little, and that was not to their dis
credit, for Poles, as rule, assimilate
very readily with others who make up our
American people, They are not slow to
learn the value OF their labor, and on
that account are not SO desirable in the
way of an imported article as the en-
ployers of labor could wish. The name
Moravian did not escape my lips while on
the stand, unless II was IN answer TO an
scenes that 7 described while on the
stand could not possibly be witnessed in
the United States, and that I drew upon
my imagination IN painting the picture.
To verify the statements made on the
witness stand I determined to make an
investigation in the city and country in
began the Investigation by going to a
fc-c CT in ho o5t ~
of Scranton, and here a few words CON
corning the lands from which these un-
fortunates came will be in order. Soft
hearted sentimentalists claim that we
should interpose no barrier to obstruct
the free and uninterrupted immigration
of all classes, for the reason that We have
land enough in this country to supply
THE WANTS OF ALL.
grant that we have the land, but that
these poor people will ever become till
ers of the soil or that they will ever be
anything more than slaves to those aho
CONTROL the land, is not true. They are
too ignorant to do SO. Their intention
in coming here is not to go upon she
land Or 90 have anything to do with it.
They come TO amass q fortune, which for
one of them runs all the way from $500
to $1,000. Statistics show that the ave--
age earnings of the Hungarian a5 home
is about 10 guldans Il month. A gulden
is equal to a fraction over forty cents in
this country. At this rate of pay the
laborer received 81 month in Hungary.
man who can live on the sum will find
20 sum on reaching the end of life's elem
der pan. On the amount which he takes
back from the United States with him -
say that he taxes back $300-on that sum
he can live in idleness for over six years.
On returning to his native land he in
vests his money in land, or loans il, for
be is not SO ignorant of the ways of that
country as he Of this. No matter how
dumb he may appear while here, he soon
develOpes into veritable Shylock after
lie crosses the big pond again. While
hers he will work for IS cents and from
that up to $1.25 day. Very few ever
receive the latter sum. The Hungarian
can live on So week. How he does it
will be explained in a paper / am pre-
pairing. Say that the daily wages are 81,
with an average Of twenty-five working
days in the month. That would make
the earnings of the Hungarian $25 a
month. Take So for the cost of living
out, and he has SIT left after his month
ly expenses are paid. At the end of a
year he has accumulated 1904; at the end
of the second year ne has $408, and if he
remains for three years he has forwarded
to his home $612. "When Hungarian
draws his pay he does not deposit it in
the bank or allow any cashier to spend it
in Canada. He at once
SENDS TT HOME TO FRIENDS,
vino either invest it, or else place it to
his credit in some secure institution.
There is no attempt to invest in land
here, and we need not wondear that, for
Hungary presents as good field for that
purpose as this country does. Hungary
contains $1,000 Mills Of territory. It is
estimated that she has 24,000,GO0 acres of
land under tillage, with 100000 used as
pasture land.
$50 much for Hungary. Italy is de-
scribed as veritable garden, where no
man need hunger for the good things OF
earth because the coil is not productive.
The Almighty created the soil of Italy so
rich and deep that on her 111,14O square
miles of territory her population Of 80,
100000 could live and grow fat on very
little labor. The soil yields its richsst
treasures almost for the asking. The
climate OF that country is delightful.
The mineral wealth has been the WONDER
of ages. Surelyit is not for want of
land that her people leave their homes to
become slaves in land of liberty. Not
that alone, but to endanger the liberties
of others through their willingness to ap-
pease the demand for cheap goods by Civ
ing their labor for little or nothing.
at is not land that these people want
end, while we import ignorance under
contract By the hundred thousand, those
who would in this land free our soil from
tie burden of Iandlordism and monopoly
will have their hands full
COMPETING WITH CHEAP MEN;
men who are Indifferent to their surround
inws and men who are content TO live for
81 per day and who are content to live as
dogs live, on the very offal that Ilould be
buried for fear of creating plague"