Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-04-17
SLAVS NOT WANTED
Powderly Talks of Undesirable
immigration.
THE INVASION OF sLAVONIANs.

Habits and characteristics of People
Whose Presence Is a Pest-How They
Drive Away the Other workmen, and
Their Mode of Living and Wages
Prison Labor Contractors in Trouble
The Columbus Convention.
NEW YORK, April 11-Grand Master
Workman Terrence V. Powderly, of the
knights of Labor, with more gray in his
elaborate mustache and less vivacity in his
mien than he had in the palmy days of the
organization, appeared before the sub COM
mittee of the congress committee on immi-
grafton yesterday at Castle Garden, and told
what he knew about several things relating
more or less TO immigration. He said, with
some hesitation and more reservation, that
the order of which he was the head had
about 2l3, 900 members, according to the last
report, in the United States.
The Slavonian Irrupticn.
He said that any immigrant, even imme-
diately after landing, could become a mem.
Der of the knights, if member in good
standing vouched for him. The immigra-
ton of laborers to this country, particular
ly to the coal and coke region of Pennsyl
yana had increased much in recent years.
The German, Scotch, Welsh, Irish and Eng
lish miners wers being driven from Penn
sylvania by the Slavonians, and not, as gem
orally supposed, by the Hungarians The
Hungarian was an entirely indifferent
creature He had not long ago seen forty
Welshmen, who were citizens of the United
States, leaving Scranton to go back to
Wales. The Slovenian immigrants drove
\ IL
| unable to make decent living in America
Slaves to Displace Freemen.
just after the departure of the Welshmen
/ Mr. Powderly had seen forty-two Slavonic
immigrants at the Hoboken ferry bound for
Scranton. There were virtually forty-two
slaves TO take the places of forty-two free
men driven out of the coal regions The
| Slavonians were not known, as the Ameri-
| lean miners were known, by their bosses as
Jack, Tom, Bill and Harry. They were
| only known by the numbers by which they
were labeled. They did not live like Amer
| lean miners but roasted like chickens In a
room 4Ox2U feet 100 Slavs slept in hunks ex-
| tending from the floor to the ceiling The
atmosphere was filthy and the morality of
| the men of a very low order.
A Menace to Civilization.
| in 1882, Mr.. Powderly said, .when these
| imported laborerS came to Maryland to take
the places of American miners, the Amer
| leans said: These people can never take our
| places But they did. They belonged to a
different order of men. They lived on little,
and made their shoes by cutting them from
the trees of the forest ] cannot tell how
these laborers get in | do not know whether
or not they are landed at Castle Garden.
| They may drop from the skies know that
they are crowding in and menacing our civ
| ilization."
The Way They Live and Their Wages.
The Italians were as rule, unprogressive
| The Poles made good citiz ms. The worst
class of immigrants came-or were brought
to the mining region. The men who sup
planted the Welsh, English, Scotch, Irish,
| and American miners were very economi-
| cal in everything. One woman did the cook
| ing for a house containing thirty or forty
| men, and the result was that the morality of
that woman was not very high ave are
sending missionaries to Africa said Mr..
| Powderiy, land importing heathens by the
| thousands"
| What are the wages Of these menF" Prom
30 cents to 81. have yet TO meet the man
who receives more than 81"
How much did the old miners receiver
"From SIS to s.. To-"
| Wants More Radical Measures
Mr.. Powderly believed in more radio al
measures to keep the undesirable immi-
grant out. He thought that an immigrant
| who came here to get a place secured for
him by friend was more desirable than one
who came here not knowing what he was go
| ing to do. Il believe" said Mr.. Powderly.
that the authorities not only made no at
tempt, but opposed the enforcement of the
law. The labor agents are no good. Their
| superiors have no sympathy whatever with
the man who works, except just before cleo
| 1ion