New-York tribune., 1890-05-04

has for the last ten we will see many OF our best
citizens going from the United STATES ana the
scum of Europe will be dumped on these shores
in their places. Will this influx cease? Leu
us sec The great steamers that ply between uNe
United States and European ports VIII not DC us
continued, their weekly trips Will not cease ior
want of passengers so long as cheap rates are
held out as inducements. To the port OF New
York alone over 900 vessels are driven by steam.
wind and wave each week; many OF them Will
carry from 800 70 800 steeragc passengers. They
will not cease in their efforts to stimulate immi
grafton. and, while avarce is as strong in the
American as in any other man, there is no element
of patriotism alive in the owners of vessels that
fly every fag save that Of the United States that
Will cause them TO hesitate before dumping a
few thousand more unfortunatcS our shores
One steamship company, the lnman, has $500
agents in Europe and the other lines are equipped
in proportion. Europe is secured by these agents
and one of them told me that when abroad he
made il q point to seek out the man who had com
mtted an offence, and told him TO leave that
country in order to avoid punishment. by that
means he sold one more ticket and pocleted one
more fee. Rather than sail without a cargo of
immigrants, for they make up the cargo nowadays,
the poor people will be carried for fraction over
the sum required TO provide them with food OH
the trip. Ballast costs something when men have
to load it. but this quality of ballast walks in il
self it unloads itself also.
We hear a great deal about unskilled labor
There is no such thing as unskiled labor, for it
requires skill to dig even post-holc. Why should
the calling of the railway labOrer be degraded
any more than that of the engineer who manages
the engine? There is but one thing that causes
men to look down upon the miner, the street
cleaner and the ordinary day laborer, and that is
the ease with which the places Of such men can
he filled from the scourngs of Europe If two
employers sought for laborer, that laborcr
would be the dictator as to what his compcnsa-
ton should be, and there would be no talk of the
nfcriority Of his calling. Two. and sometimes
ten, laborcls apply to one employer, and as a
consequence. the calling Of the laborcr is de-
graded in the eyes of many. Go further: every
step in reducing the standard of living and wages
Of the laborcr reduces the wages of the skilled
workmcn as we'll When - cents day in
1890 takes the place of 81 in 1889, each recipient
of such wages must curtail his purchases, in order
to conform TO the 25 per cent reduction in wages
Less of food. less of clothing, not so many shoes
and cheaper lodgings must be had, and those who
make shoes, clothing and articles of household
use find that their business falls of also; the
in wages, and the evil stream runs the entire
length, until all are infected. The chcapening OF
labor cheapcns production: cheap production
cheGpens human fesh and when the race OF
cheapncss is run we find ourselves nation of cut
throats for each mans hand Is at his nclghbors :
throat, seeking to wrest from him part, or the
whole, of the trade he has acquired and his
argument always is Il can do II cheaper. Ihc
logical end of chcapness s-nothing. and to that
end the immig grant of to-day, in lis ignorance Is
driving the American laborcr, mechanic ana puSl-
ness man, many of whom labored By h. side
across the water years ago.
IGNORANCE AND VICE ~ POLITICS.
Now let MS look al the political side Of the
question and see if we are doing night by ourselves
This country would not be- sought by the oppressed
of the earth if il were not that we had constituted
a government OF and by the people. We IN
America know that there is no longer govern
mcnt of the people In the United States. We know
that DIR. Lyman Abbott was right when he said
that we had a plutocracy managing the affairs
Of the country now. and that VIC had developed
the worst possible form of government on earth
Though the scales have fallen from our eyes, and
we sce things as they really are still go through
the farce of holding elections knowing all the
time that the highest bidder gets the Office
Others do not view the matter as we do. and Ne
cannot blame tie poor Immigrant If he seeks
shores that are represented 10 him as the edges
OF a free land in all that the word implies. ONCE
landed his eyes are opened If he can see at all
If he cannot see he Is dangerous through his
ignorance if lie can s-,c he Is dangerous because
he sees thnt he has been deceived. but IN either
event he Is allowed 10 become citizen al the end
Of five years and his vote stands as Tie equal
of that of the most patriotic citizen IN the land
OF the 900. 600 that landed in the last twenty
wears lei Us say that 100000 alone became
citizens, and that 10000 Of them took mp
their residence In Ncw-lork state. OF that
number let us estimate that IN 1854 j2j couII
moi read and that tie managers Of the Democratic
party knew who they were. and made use OF th"in
TO give Grover Cleveland the majority that mnl"
him President of the United States. 1t COULD bc
done and there is no doubt but what the ienor-
opco Of more than twice that number taken
/ advantage ~ i'm that campaign. In 1855 1t r-
ouired an effort on tAc part of the RcpuhicanS
to win back what Was lost in 1854. and Nhiln
,hc canvas. Of that year w,s considered Il " cam
/ n,ion of cducation,r II is a notorious fact that
r,u,p,rv workers were bribcd to secure vote, fof
,be Ecpuhlican party. How could they get them
,rou intelligent educated mon? Their work
/ must be- done among the isnorant, th"s" Who
could not read and they succeeded Who VIII
/ deny that among The Immigrants VII" landed
/ prior to l--4 who settled IN Ncw-fork. 90, wh"
could neither read. nor write, became citizens and
/ voted for the President that year? II required
I moro WORK I'm 1sss, but the Republican party
| had the money and the ahlcst manager ana Where
/ education and intelligence were not available
there was no hesitation IN calling III the aid
! Of ignorance and nitcncy. New-lork
/ j. tie pivotal state. and as con
/ sequence the stecmgc passengers Oh one vessel
/ that lands IN $50 may decide the political iai~
Of this Nation in 1896. Either one Of our great
Z parties viii take advantage Of such chances -
tint. they viii not hesitate 10 employ any mcan'
short of murder 10 win victory and what murder
can be- wor- than 10 trade IN the illit"racy oi the
DOOR people who come here for something TO eat