Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-27
SELLING our AmERICAN LABOR.


The Treasury Department has decided
that manufacturers of "American" tin
plate may import all the labor they
want; that such foreign contract labor
Is exempt under the Alien Contract La
Dor law. Endorsing this, the InteLu-
gencer says:
Under the construction which has sought
70 be put on the Contract Labor law, no la
Dor to start a new industry could be
brought into this country under contract,
and the country would have to go without
the new industry or blunder along at great
disadvantage. The Superintendent of I'M
migration says this was not the intention
OF Congress, and that labor for new indus
tries not found at home may be imported.
Oh, hol So there are no workmen to
be found in the United States who can
make tin plate Then the claim of the
IltelIt0encer and the rest OF the frantic
Republican press that tin-plate, as good
as the foreign article, is already being
made here, falls to the ground fat, and
they must also acknowledge that the
oft proven statement of the Demo
cratic press that this so-called American
tin plate is simply foreign tin plate re-
dipped, is the truth. II we are now
making tin plate equal to the foreign
article what need to import foreign
labor? 1t is only "a few skilled laborers"
that are to be imported to teach" Amer
lean labor how to make tin-plate, say
our Republican friends; but if we are
already making tin-plate why not get
our own American tin-plate skilled
labor to do this teaching? Doubtless,
from patriotic motives, they would be
more ready to do it than the foreign
ers.
The fact is, that American labor is
not sin it," at all. The rich manufac-
turers who are making tin-plate out OF
foreign tin want cheap foreign labor
and the administration which was
creased into power by the STAT" QUAY
fried out Of them stands ready to do
their bidding even TO annulling law
that was passed in the interest Of Amer
lean labor.
In fact, American labor has not been
sin it" from the start, and there was no
intention, on the part of the advocates
of the enormous increase in the tin
plate tariff, that it should be, as Presi-
dent WEIHE Of the Amalgamated Asso-
citation has learned to his sorrow and as
he has admitted with emphasis. Tin
plate Congressman NEIDERINGHAUs
promised the Amalgamated Association
an increase Of wages If the association
would throw its influence on the side of |
the tin-plate tariff advocates. This was
done by the men, and last week when
President WEIHE recalled the matter to
the mind of Mr.. NEIDERINGHAUS
during the strike at his works, that
gentleman coolly refused to stand by his
pledge. 1t was clear case Of bunco.
Mr.. NEIDRINGHAUs has filled his ware
houses with tin-plate imported under
he old tariff and will make an enormous
Ortune selling it out at Mckinley
prices; but not satisfied with this the
greedy tin-plate barons now want to i'm
port cheap foreign contract labor and
he administration, their creature, pro-
,nsas m allow than tn do II in diraot
yiolation Of law. American labor has
,een cheated all around and made to
,ay more for its dinner pail into the
bargain. 1t is not likely to forget
he lesson before 1892.