Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-01
IMPORTED FoREIoN LABOR.
Joint Meeting OF the House and Senate
Committees on Immigration.


Committees on Immigration.
TEE CASTLE oAhpES NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
OF ITALIAN lADonrns PounISo IN ALMOST
WITHOUT INSTRUMENTATION or TIE ooS-
TaAcT tAsoa LAu IN THE SOUTH.
Ajoint meeting Of the House and Senate
committees on immigration and naturalization
va held today to hear Timothy +. Lee, special
agent Of the Treasury Department upon the
subject Of violations Of the contract labor Law
in the south. Before Mr.. Lee was heard Rep
rssentative Owen, chairman Of the House COM
mittee, who, with Representatives Lehlbach
and Stump, investigated the subject Of immi-
grafton ~ New York, made statement 10 the
committee Of the result OF the labors Of the
subcommittee.
INSPECTIONS AT CASTLE GARDEN A FARCE.
He ssid the workings ct Castle Garden had
been thoroughly examined. The inspection OF
Immigrants averaged two a minute by each in
spector. 1t was a farce; the only wonder
that any OF them were turned back. The i'm
migrants are neeced BY boarding house harp
les, who keep them in the city day or more
longer than they should be- This imposition
upon them ought to be broken mp. Some COM
phnns G nasu made TO the committee ntt.
the restaurants on the railroads. Money
changers in the garden gave the immigrants
the same rates obtained in Wall street or
better. On the whole, Mr.. Owen said. the
management of Castle Garden was not to be
erincized. Several complaints had been in
yestigated by the committee, but they did not
develop anything substantial
PESNLrss ITALIANS COMING IN HoRpEs.
The observation of immigrant officials is that
the undesirable element is increasing. Italians
are coming in hordes without money, without
clothes, except what they wear or carry in bags
Zach Is provided With passport and all bound
for Mulberry street Mr.. Owen said that
Italian BANKERS in this country send agents to
Italy to solicit the natives Of that country to
come to America. Those agents swindle the
Italians, charging them as high IS ESQ for q
ticket from Naples 10 New York. the price of
which 10 S26. Arriving st New York they go
TO boarding houses kept or controlled by these
Italian bankers, and thence are sent out to
labor under
CONTRACTS MADE N THE BANKERs OR PApRoSEs
with employers. II their pay ID fixed At q. as
q day, the padrone takes twenty fve cents Of
it Besides, he furnishes the shanty in which
the men live while at work, and has man in
charge OF that The Italians are timid and
suspicious, 20 that it II impossible for Ameri-
cans to get at them Within the past eight
years they have almost entirely supplanted
other races in the ranks Of unskilled labor in
New York city.
In New England Canadians have taken the
places OF Americana At Gloucester IS per
cent OF the fishermen are Canadians In one
square mile in New York city there are, said
Mr.. Owen, 27o,0o0 peoples, 900 more than in
any other square mile on the earth's surface.
these people speak foreign language Italian),
observe foreign customs and are surrounded
by Chinese wall, over which they never come
and over which no American can CO.
THE QUALITY OF IMMIGRATION pErERroRATISe.
The quality Of immigration lie deterioating
The percentage OF Germans and Swedes is de-
creasing and that OF Italians and Hungarians in
creasing. Not per cent Of the latter can read
or write their own language. 1t is the opinion
OF the sub committee, said Mr.. Owen. that the
a SsUp' Of engaged !. srs as
enough to evade the contract labor law. The
witnesses examined by the subcommittee. rep
resenting organized labor, gave them no valu-
able suggestions as to the manner in which the
laws regulating immigration could be amended
SO as to reach the causes Of complaint. They
said the immigration flowing to our shores was
hurtfut to our civilization and
DEGRADING TO AMERICAN LABOR,
but offered no remedy. The subcommittee
had secured Q vast amount OF valuable informa-
ton, but for suggestions of change In the laws
were dependent upon their own resources. The
present arrangements at the barge Office and
landing for landing and transferring immi-
grants under the control of the national in
spector, Mr.. Owen said, we're insufficient One
of the witnesses on the stand made the
prophecy that unless there was a change in ar
rangements the country would be startled by
an appalling horror caused by collision on the
bay.
In answer TO question by Senator Evarts
Mr.. Owen gave it as his opinion that only q
very small per cent Of immigrants come to this
country in direct violation Of the contract la
Dor law.
Mr.. Lehlbach observed that the law, in its
present form, was farce, and that as enforced
1t worked to keep out desirable immigrants,
and was no bar to the undesirable ones
Mr.. Lehlbach called the attention of the COM
mittce TO the fact that in Of notable viola
ton OF the law (the glassblowers' easel the
violators were the Knights Of Labor, who had
urged its passage.
Mr. LEE EXAMINED.
Mr. Lee was then examined by the CON-
mittee. He said bis territory extended from
Norfolk, Va, to Brunswick, Ga, and his duties
the contract labor Law. In that section of the
country, he said several hundred Canadians
came and went every year, working while there
in loading cotton in steamboats,.
They did not do any more work than the ma
tive laborers, nor did they work for less wages,
benefited financially by their labor. They
were more plant. Mr. Lee thought, than the
native laborer and for that reason desired. He
had worked Up
CASE AGAINST ONE NORFOLK FIRM
for the importation of thirty-fve OF the Cana
dians and the case 10 now pending In the
United States court at Richmond. The Cana
dams themselves, fearing trouble, he said, had
left West Point and returned home The
greater number OF these Canadians worked at
Norfolk, West Point and Savannah
Mr.. Lee told how English cotton brokers.
buying for English consumers had recently
brought with them cheap samplers, who took
the place Of American experts who had re-
ceived from S5 to Sl0 a day for their work.
There seemed to be no remedy for this how
ever, as contracts made in foreign countries
by citizens thereof do not come within the
purview OF the law.
ITALIANS TAKING THE PLACES OF NEGROES
Mr.. Lee spoke Of the supplantiug Of native
colored labor by Italisns in the phosphate beds
OF South Carolina The negroes formerly
made as high as ease day, but the
padrones went down and drove them
out with Italians, who do not average
more than 60 cents q day, Mr.. Lee
says. There are about 2. 600 Of them in the
phosphate beds and they are kept at work by
armed guards. The contract labor law, Mr.
Lee says, 10 imperative. In his opinion both
employer and lsborer should be punished, and
instead Of fine being imposed for violation
the offender should be imprisoned
THE CANAL RECEIVERS