The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-01-01
THE PHOSPHATE LABORERS.


Systea of Oppression Toward Labe
ers.
r Timothy F. Lee, the special immigr'
tion inspector of the United States trea
ury department, who was detailed to il
vestigate the recent outrages upon tt
French and German laborers at th
Horseshoe Phosphate mines in Colleto
county, has prepared his report to Sci
retary Window. Inspector Lee says:
1.-The whole trouble at these mines
due to false representations made t
people in New York who know nothin!
about our country and our laws, by th
paid runners of William Orlando, VII
is big 'padrone' in New York. The
represented to the last batch OF laborer
that they could easily make from $1.5
to $3.50 per day, When the men CAM
here and tried the work they found the,
| could not make fifty cents per day. Fou
| of the men, speaking little English
| upon being told if they got in debt tx
the company under the South Carolins
laws they could not leave, quit work a
once and started secretly to walk tc
Charleston. Herts, the manager OF the
mines, got out a warrant for riot and had
the four men arrested.
"The Horseshoe Mining Company, OF
Colleton, is worked in very inhuman
manner. The Italians who are employed
there at present are treated like dogs;
guarded with rifles, knocked down, and
reports say on two occasions, shot,
whether fatally or not could not find
out. This last batch of laborers are
housed like cattle. They are given beds
Of rice straw, without any covering
whatever. The nights here at this time
of the year are bitter cold. The food
furnished is not fit for a man who has to
perform heavy manual labor. The fore
man and bosses are Italian padrones, and
you cannot get in word sideways with
one of the workmen without having one
of these dogs at your side, and then the
workman is as close as an oyster through
fear.
civilian Orlando is the head pa.
drone. He stays in New York most Of
the time aad sends his runners to differ
ent places where Italian, French and
German immigrants congregate. His
special places of supply are an employ
ment agency kept by German named
Henry Faigin, 11S Greenwich street, and
a cheap French lodging house and res
taurant, 80 Worcester street, New York.
One of Orlando's runners is French
Jew named julius Morris, who speaks
French, Italian and German. Morris
paints iD glowing colors the southern sun-
ny country where the immigrants are
wanted to work. He says nothing about
the malaria swaups OF South Carolina
that would break down veteran army
mule.
"The manager of the company is n.
E. Hertz. Orlando. the head padrone,
is paid royalty on the head of each man
furnished to the company and delivered
at the mines. I understand that his own
must have found out how
false bis representations we're, for he has
been unable to get any of them down
here lately. He therefore procures the
French and GermsrlakoFszs. Gifiacdo
and his brother have the store or sutler
PRIVILEGES at the mines, and charge the
poor slaves the most outrageous prices
for all they get. A gentleman told me
as an actual fact that when pay day
comes the Orlapdos get 95 per cent. of
the money paid.
CAL The foremen or oYerseers are Or
Iando's heartless, grinding countrymen.
cannot reach them under the alien con-
tract labor laws, but pray that the so
licitor OF the department be requested
to see if there is not some statute that
will put stop to this heartless injustice,
perpetrated on people who do not under
stand our language or our laws.
1.-THE mine bosses had this last batch
Of poor fellows arrested for rioting and
endangering the lives OF the bosses. I
made close investigation and found the
utterly untrue. The men were
kept in Jail for four days, and when tried
at WalterDoro were discharged. The
French aud German consuls at Charleston
were present and employed counsel to
defend the prisoners. I candidly be-
lieve that if the French aud German
eonsuls had not taken hold of the case
promptly that, with the power Of
strong corporation behind the padrones,
the men were liable to have been COM
mitted, and ifcoamitted, the compsny's
padrones would have bailed them out
and carried them as slaves back to the
mines, and thereby strike terror to the
hearts of tbs Italians at present working
there.
"The colored people tell me that they
cannot make living in the mines, and
none of them can now be induced to
work there.
"'There is very severe law in South
Carolina which was passed to protect the
planters against the colored cropper on
the arms It is outraeScasly one-sided.
If the planter brings in tae cropper in
his debt at the end of the year and the
cropper attempts to leave, the planter can
have him arrested and brought before q
justice of the peace, who can fine him
from $50 to $500 and also sentence him
to imprisonment. The planter then takes
the mau to WORK out the fine and carries
him back to his farm" This happens
70 be untrue.-ED.