Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-24
THE NEEDED RESTRICTIONS
Systematic Diversion Of Objectionable
Classes to America.
EYADING THE CONTRACT PROVIsO.
Recent Measures Have Not Reduced the
Number Who Come.
THE GOOD POINTS OF THE LATEST ACT
rwRrrrEN FOE THE D1sPATcH.I

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATCH.l
Up to 1875 the immigrant came to the
United States tQ better his condition or to
improve the chances of his children in the
struggle for existence. In the cities of the
Old World, with the congested population,
there was little hope for a man who loved
liberty or asked an opportunity, and from
this class we have mainly received our
foreign-born citizens. By their morals,
thrift and economy they have helped to
build up for themselves and their new home
nation such as only that kind of citizens
could create
But since 1875 the character of the immi-
grant has been steadily deteriorating, and
the immigrant law of 1882 and the contract
law of 1885 were passed to restrain these
increasing bad features. Many societies
throughout Europe are organized to assist
emigration; many municipal corporations,
and even national governments, provide
large sums of money annually to deport
their poor, to provide them with prepaid
ticket, and landing sum with which to
begin life in the New World. The poor-law
guardians of Great Britain have used money
from the rates since 1884 to assist paupers
| to emigrate.
Assistance From Government Golfers.
| The congested population in every sec.
| tion of the Old World seeks to relieve itself,
| and the avenue is so well understood that
the average citizen over there petitions his
commune to relieve their surplus by emf
| grafton. Here is an illustration from Zug,
| Switzerland, where the President of the
commune announced that demand for a
| special meeting of the citizens of the town
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| by a sufficient number, for the purpose Of
considering the petition for the payment in
| advance of money out of the town revenue
to members of the township for a certain
number of years to aid emigration out Of
Europe. And emigrant assistance demand
ed by the petition as an advance from the
corporation funds and the conditions Of
granting the same in case of the reception
by the corporation which had been consid-
cred by the municipal council as set forth,
is as follows:
The corporation government is authorized
| to advance 200 francs in cash to persons OF
| full age of both sexes, being citizens of the
| town, and 40 francs to children under age
| who emigrate with their parents, as well as
| to the former who emigrate to another Aem-
! isphere.
socistiesto Assist Emigration.
| Various charitable societies in Europe as
sist persons to emigrate The so-called
luke committee assisted over 5000 persons
| to emigrate from ireland from 1882 to 1885
The Londou Times, January 81, 1889, SAYS
''that the Prisoners Aid Society assists con-
victs to emigrate, everybody knows, and
probably the United States receives its full
quota of the persons so aided"
Our consular reports of 1885.86 enumer-
ate 38 societies as assisting pauper children
to this hemisphere. The Central Emigrant
Society of England, at its annual meeting in
1889, announced that the restrictions placed
on the emigration of pauper children by the
local government board had been removed,
and that the managers of reformatory schools
were to be allowed to apply treasury grants
under certain conditions to fitting out and
emigrating such children. The Hebrew
Board of Guardians of London assisted
during the five years-1882 to 1865, 439
poor Hebrews, mostly Russians, to come to
America. There existed in Munich a soei-
ETY. for the purpose of assisting discharged
convicts to begin life again. They wers
usually sent to America for the new be-
ginning.
The Contract Labor Law Failure.
The alien contract labor law is intended
to prevent the landing of any alien who
comes under any contract, express or i'm
piled, to do labor in this country. But
law. Employers interested in importing
large bodies of men have devised ways to
avoid the contract law. Agents are now
sent to Europe who employ natives as as
sistant agents in districts where they de-
eide to operate. They arouse an interest
in America by circulating glowing descrip-
tions of the development and prosperity of
the New World, the wages there paid, and
the fabulous fortunes made by men who
Ior o1 from fhoir
particularize the districts where laborers
are needed, and the wages paid are reported
five to ten times higher than in their local
ity.
The agent will enter into no contract but
makes abundant promises of work, and the
inducement to go becomes so great that
ships have been chartered from their Gus
tomary traffic to bring over cargoes of these
people. These are the immigrants who,
skilled and uns6lled, on landing know their
destination, and file from the Barge Office
to their employers Office as directly and
effectual1y as the old-time laborer who went
with his contract in his pocket.
Another Way of Eyading the Law.
Another method of avoiding the contract
labor law has been found in advertisement
for laborers through employment agencies
and in the newspapers published abroad.
Last spring the Free Stonecutters' Associa-
ton Of New England advertised in certain
English and Scotch papers for journeymen,
agreeing to pay 90 cents per hour for work.
The applicants were directed to call on the
agent signing the advertisement in London.
These agents made no contract with the men,
but they came on the representation that
employment would be found As the free
stonecutters in England and Scotland re-
ceive but 20 cents per hour, the inducement
was sufficient to bring many Of them here.
At Chicago it was found that the boss
carpenters association was importing car
penters from Canada in the same way.
When differences arise between employers
and men in employment, where good wages
are paid, advertisement abroad has become
of common occurrence; the workmen here
are thereby brought to terms, or the market
becomes OVERLOADED with laborers and
wages are reduced. In other instances the
agents of the steamship companies operate
through sub-agents and solicitors. Some Of
the steamship companies have as many as
2, 900 agents in Europe, and their sub-agents
and solicitors are found in every neighbor-
hood on the continent. The sub-agents re-
ceive from so cents to 50 for each emigrant
obtained. Their business is not
to sell tickets to passengers who have de-
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