Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-22
The Foreign Pauper.
Pittsburg Officials Give Their
Experience of Him.
TOO NUMEROUS IN THE SMOKY CITY.

He Hunts the Poor House as Soon He
Arrives and Forms 90 Per Cent Of Its
Inmstes-Some Reflections on Italians
and Buns-Bow They Arrive In Penn
syivania and How They Live and Labor
-Ford's Committee at Work.
PIrrsBURs, Pa, Dec 22-The congress
sionai committee investigating the violation
of the immigration laws began its work here
yesterday. and was through before night,
having secured a quantity Of testimony
showing that the law is freely violated. The
first witnesses were the charity officers Of
this city, Mr. Robert Elliott, Judge Ramsey,
and George Hoffman Their testimony wss
all in one direction, viz: That immigrants
arrived in Pittsburg on one day and applied
for admission to the poor house sometimes the
same day and frequently on the next. They
were paupers In their own country-eome
times convicts-and their passages were paid
them. Many were right out Of insane to get
rid of asylums They came largely from
England and Ireland, while there were hun
dreds OF Hungarians and Italians; the two
latter did not come to stay, but to earn
money enough to go back and live at ease,
which required little money in their own
country. The poor house here was so crowd
ed-90 per cent Of the inmates being for
egners-thnt the legislature would be asked
next summer to provide more room. The
witnesses denounced the system OF examina-
ton In vogue at Castle Garden, New York,
aud said it was a farce.
Eccles Robinson, master workman OF the
Brass Workers National assembly, testified
that he had observed large increase in the
number of Poles, Huns and Italians in this
vicinity.
They have driven naturnlized Irishmen out of
the field of labor These foreigners come In the
spring, save their earnings and return home in
the autumn. They do not come 10 this country
intending to become citizens. A Pennsylvania
railroad official told me that they come here In
charge of man known padrone. have no
doubt that they come under contract They live
on food such as no American could eat A whole
COLONY of them will occupy one house Their In.
fiuence is bad. They do one third more work aud
receive less pay than the American lsborer.
A goverum mt official had told Mr.. Robin
son Of instances where paupers had been re-
fused entrance at Castle Garden ami then
went by vessel to Halifax and entered the
United States by way Of Canada.
John F. Doyle, master workman of Dis
trict Assembly 3, K OF L., testified that last
spring twenty-five Scotch and Welsh stone
cutters came to Pittsburg and were given
work at the block stone quarriss in West
moreland and Fayette counties One of the
party admitted to Hr Doyle that they came
here under contract
Inever saw the Huns, Italians and Swedes come
In less numbers than ten in a group lsaid Mr.
Doylel The arrive one day and 40 to work the
next, seemingly by prearrangement. The work
they perform was previously Gone by nsturalized
Irishmen. They have no horne influences do
their own cooking, living in shanties. They are
designated by numbers instead of names Many
Americans have been driven TO tramping through
losing their work which Is now being done by
the aliens Eighteen months ago Belgian glass
workers were brought TO this country TO work in
the plate glass works at Tarentum. There was
at that time scarcity Of plate glass workmen.
James Campbell, president of the Window
Glass Workers Association of the United
States, testified:
There is a universal federation of labor which
includes the United States, England France Bel
GUM and Italy. 1t was organized in 1877. For
some time after its organization the immigration
Of contract labor continued. A bill was passed by
congress prohibiting this, but still the contract
labor continued to come here We then sent a
general organizer to Europe. Since then we have
not suffered 10 any extent.
Nj. Campbell then denied emphatically the
charge that the Window Glass Workers as.
ISOLATION had imported any workmen to this
country. He then explained the general
orkings Of his organization, claiming it to
be benefit to foreigners as well as to work
men in the United States.
William J. Smith, president of the Ameri-
can Flint, Glass Workers union offered as
evidence an affidavit of the secretary of a
local union at White Mills, Pa, that Dor
finger & Sons, glass manufacturers, had
brought several glass workers the United
es-.~- ,-d~r contract last August and Sep
TENDER.
This concluded the work Of the commits
sion in Pittsburg The members left last
night for Detroit, where the investigation
will he pursued