Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-20
Unable to Earn Anything Like the
Wages He Could Get Without a
Bit of Trouble in America.
WHY NO MORE OF THEM EMIGRATE.
A New York Politician Who Always Had
Ready Reply for Too In
quiSitive QuestionerS.
MISS WASHBURN AND HER LATE DEBUT
Talks Gathered by Reporters During StrOlls Thrcugh
Two Cities

T. Vuylsteke, of Brussels, Belgium, was
a guest at the Duquesne yesterday. He is
a brewer of the Belgian capital, and has
been a few weeks in this country on pleas.
ure trip. He spent the morning inspecting
the Braddock rail mill, and went down TO
Mcdonald later TO see for himself oil spout
ing from the ground. He says this is a
wonderful country, and that but a very
limited idea of its Importance and wealth
is understood abroad. Speaking of Belgium,
Mr. Vuylsteke said:
Trade in general is not very good at
present, and the great mass of the working
people are not very well off They are not
dscontented. though, and manage TO get on
fairly we'll One thing about Belgium is
that the country is overcrowded. Why
don't we send some Of them over to Amer
ica? Well, we can't expatriate them, and
if they wont 60 themselves, what are we to
do? There IS no reason, in Belgium, why
the people should emigrate. The four
reasons which induce emigration in Europe
are wanting in my country. People emf
crate rather than serve during war; they
are also driven out by poverty; despotic
government often sends many people to
foreign lands, and Belgians, unlike other
Europeans, are not travellers, and so, acquire
little information.a foreign lands.
NEITHER RICH NOR PovERTy-sTR1CKEN.
"While the bulk of the laboring class in
Belgium is far from wealthy yet they are
not poor They have no fear of war and the
Government is liberal"
"But when they hear from their country
men on this side how much better wages are
paid has it no effect in inducing them TO
emigrate?"
"Ah, but do they hear? No; they know
nothing of this country. They don't know
that they can get any better wages here than
they do at home. The Belgians who come
here are careful not TO write anything
that would induce others to follow
At least, so l have been told. A friend of
mine told me this. He came over one time
10 this country, and there were a good many
glassblowers on the ship, They told him
they were going to earn very much money
IL glass factories in America. He said to
them, Well, when YOU get settled L sup
pose YOU will write home and tell the others
of your good fortune They said tAh, no;
we have taken an oath not to tell the people
at home how much money we make. The
union made us promise that, or We couldn't
come. They made us take an OATH
what union was it Mr.. Vuylstelze?"
SILENCE IMPOSED BY AN OATH.
"Ah, don't know. They told my friend
some union or association had imposed 81
lence upon them not to say to the others
what wages they got. Glass blowers in
Belgium earn about 50 or So dav at the
most. Yes the country is certainly over
crowded, and that is why every kind of
labor is SO cheap. Perhaps a good many
would come TO America if they knew about
the higher wages
Mr.. Nuylsteke says that Belgian beer is
nogood, and that American beer is far SUI
perior TO it. He thinks railroad officials
are not nearly as polite to strangers as they
might he. and saws that any person coming
TO this country who could not speak En-
Clish would find it very hard to get along.
lie says there should be an interpreter at
each Of the principal depots to direct stran-
gers.