Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-08-17
LABOR EVILS.
American CigarmakeYs Crowded to-
the wall.

American Cigarmakers Crowded to-
the wall.
New York. August 15.-The immigra-
ton investigation was resumed to day.
Julius Oppenheimer, manufacturer of
cloaks, was examined. In former wears
three-fourths of his employees were te-
males. To-day the sexes are about
equally divided. Wages at present are
10 to IL per cent. lower than ten years
ago. He didn't think immigration had
anything to do with this. The line of
examination was suspended while Con-
gressman Ford interrogated witness as to
the reason why Marion Preston, who
gave testimony before the committee,
was discharged. The explanation was
that his partner, Willinski, got excited
after reading the evidence given by her,
and on the impulse of the moment, dis
charged her.
"What was there in the girls testi-
mony that excited your partner ?" asked
Ford.
"Well, don't know; she mocked Mr..
Willinski's way of talking" said the
witness.
| "Was her testimony true?"
''She told the truth, but she made fun
Of the way my partner talks" said Op-.
penheimer.
The most interesting testimony given
to-day was that of Samuel Gompers,
p, esident of the American Federation of
Labor. Chairman Ford asked him his
opinion of the present excessive immi-
grafton. His opinion, summarized, was
as follows:
He considered unhealthy and forced
immigration curse to the workingmen.
Voluntary immigration he could not find
fault with. Gomper said that four years
ago, when times were hard in Poland
and the Jews were prosecuted, Hebrew
charity organizations were formed here
and helped thousands of Polish Jews
to this country. They were given
employment in ciger and cloak factories
with the result that the Americans were
crowded to the wall, as the foreigners
worked for very low wages. Witness
said that the charitable men made money
by their investment and wanted people
to believe that they were unselfsh. The
present condition of the American cigar
makers was deplorable, and all on ac-
count of immigration. In this city 20
per cent. Of the cigarmakers are aliens
who could never learn how to speak En-
glish: Twenty years ago the condition
of affairs was the reverse. American
| SlSuh WOAO SoAlpClCu W SO 1ACO
other business. Witness was certain
that the females who testified would be
discharged for SO doing. Furniture work.
ers also suffered from enforced immigra-
tion, their wages having been reduced
from 20 to so per cent. in the past six.
years; the same state of affairs exist
among the tailors from the same cause.
The coal miners suffer from the enforced
immigrations of Hungarians. Miners
wages had fallen 80 per cent. while coal
was selling as usual.
Herman Stein, flannel shirt manu-
facturer, said the testimony given before
the Commission by Mary Berg that he
(witness) was in the habit of Importing
foreigners to work in his factory, was
basely false. "The only true statement
she made" said witness, "was that re-
duced wages half cent dozen, and I'll
tell you now that we were going to raise
wages again; she was an agitator in the
shop, and was glad TO get rid of her."
Mary F. 7. Brio. living at 116 Mulberry
street. said she worked at button holes
and only earned forty cents day by
using her needle from 5 o'clock in the
morning until 10 O'Clock at night. She
shares with three families four rooms,
for which SIS month is paid, there
being fifteen persens living in the apart
ments.