Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-02

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could be obtained for them. He did not
believe the great State of New York
wanted to take money from the immi-
grants through the privileged contractors.
MIR. Jackson thought the head-money
tax paid by the steamship companies
largely Injured to the benefit of the emf
grants; he thought, however, if that tax
were increased to $25 head it would be
prohibitory he thought the Legislature
had made a mistake in requiring the
Commissioners to be responsible for an
emigrant's maintenance for one year
after his arrival he thought they should
be chargeable to some other fund. Mr..
Jackson made some valuable sugges-
tions to the committee based upon his
experience, among others one that the
passing upon the fitness of immigrants
so far as deciding whether they belonged
to the criminal classes or not should not
be left to private society, but to the
police who were properly chargeable
with such a duty. The gist of Mr..
Jackson's testimony and opinions on that
point was, "Tley manage such things
better abroad" He thought as rule
criminals were more likely to come to this
country in the cabin than in the steer
age. The only way he knew of to stop
their landing was by obtaining informa-
tion of their coming in time from the
police of Europe. The passports carried
by the majority of the Italian immigrants
were not worth the paper on which they.
were written as far as testimonials OF
character or fitness were concerned they
were only means of revenue to the Gov
ernment or Government officials issuing
them.
Mr.. Jackson was requested to see the
Collector of the Port on behalf of the
Committee and obtain from him per-
mission to retain here little longer the
German farmer and his seven children
who landed in this country last Saturday
from Stettin, Germany. The man had
$37 with him; two of his family are
strong young girls who have already
been offered situations; the man him
self has been offered work at $40
week; the family, however, are
to be returned to their native land
tomorrow under the law on the ground
that some of them may become charge
on the public. The Committee think this
is case where even the immigrants are
not allowed to land here permanently,
the officials may very we'll exercise the
discretion vested in them and to retain
them here longer than until the sailing
of the steamer on which they came, that
they may have a chance to demonstrate
that they do not come within the category
of pauper immigrants.
The next witness was Walter McIn-
tosh, an Englishman and a watch-case
maker, who testified to the importation
of contract labor by the employers in his
trade, the existence of system of black
listing by the employers in this country,
and to pretty general violation of the
contract labor law. He belongs
to the Watchcase Makers Union,
but he testified unwillingly. He
produced number of documents
proving the violation of the law
in the clearest possible way, more clearly
almost than any other cases yet cited
before the Committee. The men came
out under contract, and they are gener.
ally advanced money to pay their pas
sage by the English or other European
employers, or other persons acting as
agents for the employers in this country,
to be repaid out of the first wages they
earn here.
This is copy of one of the documents
produced by the witness:
MEMORANDUM.
From RoBBINs & APPLETON,
General Agents for
THE AMERICAN WATCH COMPANY,
of Waltham, Mass, q. s. A.
WALTHAM BUILDINGS,
HoLBoRN CIRCUS,
LONDON, E. c., June %, 1888.
To Messrs., Robbins d appleton, s Bond street,
GENTLEMEN-This will be handed to you by
Mr. Booth, whom we have engaged as an en-
sum of sis, which he will reimburse from
wages as may be agreed upon, Yours very
respectfully, ROBBINS & APPLETON,
PIP. A. BEDFORD.
The witness said his organization had
no fault to find with the class of labor
thus imported; it was first-class skilled
labor; he and his organization were sat
is6ed the employers were doing this to
break down the wages; the importation
of this class of labor had tended greatly
to reduce the wages in the trade; the
employers were doing it Systematically
in order to defeat the union; the men
imported would work for less than the
union rate of wages wages had been so
reduced in the witness trade that many
had been driven out of their occupation
in order to obtain livelihood.
The Committee left the watch ease
trade for the briny ocean, metaphori-
cally speaking, and listened to the testi-
mony of Francis w. Bell, aged A years,
and pilot call his life," as he testified.
He had commanded many vessels, he
said, among others Mr.. Tilden's steam.
yacht Yosemite. He testified to the exist
ence of system by which Nova Sco-
tians and other foreigners, for fee of
$40, were made full-fedged citizens in
two weeks after landing and placed in
command of American vessels. This
was done through broker named Lock-
wood by means of bogus naturalization
papers, which were obtained through a
son of Judge Moore, Brooklyn, with
whom Lockwood was very intimate;
Judge Moore's son attended to his
father's Office in the morning,
and got the papers then; at the
same time, stated the witness, he was
told that Judge Moore had been spoken
to about the matter, and he said it was
all regular. The witness gave the name
af man who he said got his naturaliza-
ton papers for seventy-fve cents while
still living in Novia Scotia, or sailing be-
tween there and this port he also men
toned the names of several men who
were thus, de declared, illegally and
fraudulently naturalized, and the vessels
on which they are now engaged some of
them. he declared, were still
residents of Nova Scotia, al
though holding papers emitting them