St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-21
POWDERLY'S POINTED TALK
Fhe Z. Of L. Chief Discusses Alien
Labor aud Its Evils.
A CURSE TO THE COUNTRY
Filthy Paupers Who Have Made a
Million Of Americans
Idle.
Special to the Globe.

the opening of the Ford investigation
this morning. Witness read sections
from the amendatory act which showed
that he is not expected to interfere, I'M
less his attention is called. He claimed
that. through contract at present ex-
listing between the commissioners and
the secretary of the treasury, the ques-
ton of who should OF should not land
rests entirely with the immigration
commissioners. In Mr.. Magone's opin-
ion the enforcement Of the immi-
grafton laws should be vested solely in.
the federal authorities. Regarding
aliens securing naturalization papers
at $40 apiece in Brooklyn, wit
ness Investigated the matter and
found the papers of the captains MEL
toned regular. IF the naturalization
papers were bogus the collector said he
had no Jurisdiction whatsoever in the
case. General Master Workman 7. V.
PoWderly was sworn. Mr.. PoWderly
said that an agent of his in Enrobe in
formed him that villages and towns in
Hungary and Poland were full of post
ers announcing to the people that the
wages in America were fabulouSly large
and work plenty. Hungarians had
driven many American miners from the
mines in Pennsylvania. In fact, more
than half the miners in Pennsylvania
were Hungarians. The latter live on
pork and water and
SLEEP LIKE HOGS IN A PEN.
In opposing the theory advanced by
the circular recently issued by Henry
Clews & Co. to the effect that the pres
ent labor evil could be bettered by the
arrival of large ship loads of foreigners,
Mr.. Powderly grew eloquent. He said:
II do not consider man can ever be-
come a good citizen who travels over
the Pennsylvania railroads with brass
tag hung to the band of his trousers.
These people never learn the English
language. They bring their filthy Gus
toms with them and observe them while
they stay among us. They never learn
States, and in my opinion no man
should be allowed the right of fran
chise until he first learns to
read the constitution. They will
take starvation wages and live
on the vileSt of food. Ii they run short
of food they will steal" In speaking of
the case of the Rev. Mr.. Warren, the
preacher, who, it is charged, came here
under contract, Mr.. Powderly said
that the proceedings taken in that case
were solely for the purpose of making
L .
father landed here he had shilling in
his pocket. ''Do you exclude any ma
ionality in your Order?" asked Mr..
Guenther.
eve are not particularly partial to
the Chinese, but l think there are about
a dozen in our ranks" 1.-The lmmi-
grants coming here now are inferior in
many ways to those who came twenty
Years ago. Something over 100000
people who are
WILLING TO WORK ARE IDLE
in the United States to-day" Mr.. Pow
derby then described the principles of
feature is to educate the workingman to
degree that he may become his own
employer, or a partner of his employer.
We endeavor to protect American labor
and wages in mines, workshops and
mills, and thereby lead into the home
circle, where, under such protection,
happiness will exist. This influx Of
foreigners to our shores has depreSs-
ing effect on the American working
man." Mr.. Powderly considered COM
bination of coal barons curse to the
country. Witness said he had good
authority for stating that thousands
of Hungarians and Polanders would
never have come here were it
not for the false promises made
to them before leaving their
homes. Mr.. Powderly thought the
strong arm of the law should reach out
and deal severely with trusts of all
kinds. Witness regarded all trusts as
highwaymen, and said they should be
wiped out of existence. Gregory Wern-
Steid, Russian Hebrew and a sanitary
Inspector, and William Martin, a sealer
of weights and measures, gave the
of NIL
ported contract hands. The latter NEIL
toned Levi p. Morton as one of those
employing such labor, but said this in
formation he gathered from reading it
in the Star and Journal Arthur f. Cur
tbs, reporter of the Star, was called to
the stand. 1t appeared that he
was the author of the Star
story that MIR. Morton had been
engaged in importing contract labor.
He said he received his information
from a man named McCrae, Scotch
man. McCrae told him he was picked
up by man who sent him to Mr.. Nor
him his NO sisters were brought here
by MIR. Morton under contract to work
for him as dairy maids. One FerbS
also same to Mr.. Morton under contract.
Reporter Curtis continued: "McCrae
told me his sisters came here to work
for Mr.. Morton only after receiving a
number of letters and kilograms from
MIR. Morton. l learned of man named
Forbes, who worked as gardener for
Mr.. Morton, having come to this
country under contract. The con-
S35 month, few months ago
Forbes learned that he was receiving
only half the amount paid by other gen
tIemen. Mr.. Morton told Forbes he
could not leave to get more salary as he
was under contract and could be pun
ished if he violated 1t. Forbes left,
however, and applied to man named
Conner, seed merchant in Chamber
street, for employment. This man told
him that as he came under contract
he would have to pay the balance of
what he owed Mr.. Morton. Forbes then
gave the seed man note for S45. paya-
BILE to Mr.. Morton in twelve months,
and he got employment shortly after
wards on W. K. Vanderbilt's place at
Islip, L.. l., at $50 month. This was
the substance of what Reporter Curtis
heard from those people who claimed
they had come under contract to Nor
ton. Congressman Guenther said he
did not
WANT TO DRAW POLITICS
into the investigation, and changed his
mode of examination. On Aug. re-
porter OF the Star wrote long story
about an Italian witness who appeared
before the committee with large Har-
rison and Morton badge pinned on his
necktie. The article referred to spoke
about the Italian stating that he re-
ceived 81 from a nice looking
man the day he testified, who told
him he would ''make it all right for him
after election" Mr.. Curtis said he be-
lieved that the mans name who wrote
the story was Hunt. a funny man