Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-07
AFTER THE BUILDERS.
Chicago Employers to be Prosecuted
for Importing Canadian Labor.
THE STRIKE OF THE CARPENTERS
May be Followed by a Great Battle in the
Q. S. Courts.
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT AT WORK
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcE.i


Chicago carpenters has brought up an in
teresting question under the alien contract
labor law. The Builders Exchange, an in
corporated organization OF contractors and
builders, including all the leading firms of
the city at the opening of the strike, sent an
order to the Toronto Globe to insert and
keep standing an advertisement calling for
800 carpenters at from so cents to 40 cents
per hour. The Globe did so and as a result
the Canadians came in large numbers to
this city and were put to work by members
of the "old bosses association" who were
straining every nerve to fulfill their build
ing contracts without complying with the
demand of the strikers for an eight-hour day
at 40 cents per hour.
The matter was brought to the attention
of Secretary of the Treasury Window, who
about five weeks ago detailed Mr.. Andrew
j. Lester, a Young member of the Illinois
Legislature, to investigate the case and re-
port whether there was sufficient evidence to
warrant bringing the matter into court.
There was no difficulty in establishing the
facts above outlined, but the officials of the
Builders Exchange, admitting the sadver-
tisement, claimed that they were not liable,
Canadian workmen until their arrival in
Chicago.
MR.. WINDOWS OPINION.
Mr.. Lester submitted this question to the
Secretary of the Treasury few days ago,
and received a reply from Mr.. Window,
part OF which has been already published.
But from the interest taken in the subject,
it is worth while to give the letter entire.
Here it is:
"The department duly received your let
ter of the 10th inst, asking instructions in
relation to the enforcement of the alien con-
tract labor laws with respect to aliens COM
ing in from Canada.
1.-THE act prohibiting the importation of
foreigners and aliens under contract or
agreement to perform labor in the United
States, and the amendments thereto, declare
that it shall be unlawful for any person, in
any manner whatsoever, to prepay the trans
portation, or in any way assist or encourage
the importation Of any alien into the United
States under contract or agreement, parol or
special. express or implied, made previous
to the importation of such alien TO perform
labor or service of any kind in the United
States.
This applies to all persons, all aliens,
and all countries to perform labor (save
few person named in proviso). The man.
ner Of his coming, or the means of transpor-
tation used BY the immigrant in reaching
our jurisdiction, does not in any manner
affect the acts prohibited. If prohibited
from coming he is no less prohibited whether
he comes bv vessel, by cars, or by any other
means oil transit.
'You call my attention to the following
advertisement clipped from a Canadian
paper: Five hundred carpenters wanted;
Ill H..
work, at from 80 cents to 40 cents per hour.
Apply at Builders Exchange, 159 La Sale
street. Chicago
IT MAKES A CONTRACT.
"I assume, from your letter, that this ad-
Tertisement was inserted by the Builders
Exchange-an association or corporation
doing business on Change. 1t contains a
proposition to pay good, competent car
penter from 80 to 40 cents per hour and give
him steady employment, on the condition of
his accepting the Offer, coming to the United
States and engaging in labor for the Build
ers' Exchange. II an alien does accept that
proposition, does come to the United States
TO engage in labor for the Builders Ex-
change, he complies with his part of all
that is involved in the proposition. The
minds of the oferer and the acceptor meet
and thus form one of the prohibited con-
tracts OF the statute.
"In nv judgment, il the above conditions
and facts could be proven in a court, it
would be held that the Builders Exchange
was liable to the penalties denounced by the
Law.
81 have no doubt of the right of the Off
GERS appointed by the Secretary to make the
proper Investigation necessary to determine
whether the incoming alien is here in viola |
fion of the law without reference to the |
place where the investigation, from the ma
ture of the case, be required to be made"
Mr.. Lester is now preparing a detailed |
statement of the evidence, which will be |
sent to Washington. If the evidence is con-
sdered sufficient United States District At |
torney Ewing will be instructed to begin
criminal proceedings in the Circuit Court |
Tor the Northern district of Illinois against |
the Builders Exchange and all oil its mem
bers who can be convicted under the evil |
dence. The penalty is fine of 81 600 for |
each alien brought in in violation |
of the law, and as very |
large number have been imported, the |
aggregate of the fines that may be imposed |
on the Exchange is very large. A peeL lar |
feature of the case is that the vast majority /
of the carpenters who belong to the Ex- |
change have already acceded to the strikers |
terms, and are paying 80 cents per hour for
an eight-hour day.
II the Exchange should be successfully |
prosecuted and fined these men would be |
compelled to pay their pro rata share of the |
fines.
ANOTHER INTERESTING CASE |
under the alien contract labor law which |
was reported to the department at Washing |
ton by Special Agent R. D. Layton, of
Pittsburg, is shortly to be tried in the |
United States Court in Virginia. The |
defendant is the Bertha Zinc Com |
pany, OF Staunton, Va, which is ac-
cused of importing workuen from |
Belgium. Mr.. Lester, Who has obtained |
the evidence in this case, also says that he
found that the Bertha Zinc Company had |
made its contracts with the Bel gians at |
wages considerably below the ruling rate In |
this country. Its officials admitted that |
they had imported the workmen under con- |
tract, but claimed exemption from the PEN |
atty of the law under that proviso, which |
makes itlawful to import skilled labor in |
anv industry not at present established in |
the United States upon skilled labor for
that purpose cannot De otherwise obtained. |
At Peru and La Sale, in this State, and
at Pittsburg, Kan, abundant evidence was
obtained to show that the zinc industry is
sat present established in the United States"
and that an abundance of skilled labor is
easily obtsinable without going abroad
for it.
Excursion to Ohio Pyle