Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-24

FEDERATION OF LABOR ASKS A FURTHER
vEsrTdArroN By SECRETARY FosTER-THE HIS
TORY OF THE CASE AS TOLD IN A LETTER AID
DRESSED LAST NIGHT TO THE DEPARTMENT.
Messrs. Gibson and Jansen. the two Swedes
whose employment at the Washington navy
yard led to a request some time ago by the
Federation of Labor for an Investigation by
the Treasury Department, to determine whether
or not the contract labor law had been violated,
are still employed at the yard. 1t does not APP
pear, however, that the Federation of Labor is
satisfied with the action so far taken by the
department At the meeting of the federation
last night the matter was again up for consid-
Grafton, and letter addressed to Secretary
Foster by Mr.. E. W. Oyster, chairman of the
Legislative committee, was sanctioned by the
federation.
This letter recited the history Of the case,
! giving the resolutions adopted by the fedora
| ton April IA last. requesting an investigation
OF the facts concerning the employment of the
two aliens. who, it was alleged, having lately
| been employed in England, came to the United
| States with a letter of recommendation from
| English official to Commodore Folger and
| within less than week after landing in this
| country were employed as fourth-cass ma
chinists in the Washington navy yard. At the
| same time resolution was addressed to the
Secretary of the Navy requesting an order pro-
hiblting the employment in the navy yards or
bureaus under the Navy Department of aliens
in preference to American citizens. April IL
the Secretary of the Navy informed the fedora
hon that 1.-The subject shall receive the con-
alteration of the department" and April Is a
reply of similar import was received from As
slstarlt Secretary Nettleton of the treasury.
COMMODORE FoLoER's REPLY.
The letter addressed to Secretary Foster last
night says: Under date of May Is you in
formed the Federation of Labor, tin ough its
president, that the complaint contained in
the communication had been referred to the
Secretary of the Navy with the request that full
information be furnished and inclosed a COM
munication from that official, in reply. stating
that the matter was referred to Commodore
William NJ Folger, who reports thereon as
follows:
1.-The two Swedes mentioned in the within
communications presented themselves Febru-
airy 10. 1881, bearing letter of recommended
tlon dated January 20 1891. copy OF which is
lnelosed. from correspondent of mine In
London, Eng.
IL was not aware Of their desire to be en-
ployed in the United States, nor did any cor
respondenoe or information of any description
whatever, directly or indirectly, reach me that
these men would present themselves for en-
ployment prior to said date, February 16,
81 desire to have the above statement un-
derstood as implying that the terms of the
alien labor law have not in this case been
transgressed, either in letter or in spirit, ill
anyimanner whatsoever
The Federation of Labor, in the communica-
ton last referred to. was notified that in view
of the statements made by Commodore Folger
this department treasury is of opinion
that no violation of law is involved in their
employment.
AFURTHER INVESTIGATION ASKED.
"The federation, not satisfied with the manner
in which its request for an investigation had
been disposed of by the Treasury Department.
at a stated meeting held on the evening of Nav
10, instructed the undersigned to seek an in
terview with the Secretary and again request
that an investigation be ordered, at which both
sides could be heard and witnesses examined.
including the aliens. This duty was dis
charged on the following day, when, after
hearing my statements, you said the matter
would be fully investigated.
ION the 9Th instant, the investigation not
having been ordered, again called at the
Treasury Department and in an interview with
Assistant Secretary Nettleton. made statements
to him similar to those previously made to Won
and was then requested TO put in writing my
application for further investigation, giving
reasons therefor.
'As the matter now stands the case has been
dismissed on the ex-parte statement of the
accused official, which Is not the usual mode of
procedure under the alien contract labor law
Commodore FOlger asserts that the terms
OF the alien contract labor law have not in this
case been transSressed, either in letter or spirit
IN any manner whatsoever and the Treasury
Department apparently indorses that broad
statement in declaring that this department is
OF the opinion that no violation OF law is in
volved in their 1.-THE aliensl employment.
THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT.
at may be possible that the letter of the law
has not been violated in these cases. but il is
an undeniable fact that the effect upon Ameri-
can workingmen is precisely the same whether
they are deprived of employment through i'm
ported contract labOrers or through aliens who
when work Is slack in foreign countries are
advised to proceed to the states, and, in my
judgment, only an official entirely ignorant of
the purposes o. the contract labor law and the
statute giving soldiers and sailors of the late
war preference for employment under the gov
eminent would declare that neither the letter
nor spirit of the law had been violated bv
the employment OF aliens in preference to
American citizens.
III the construction placed upon the letter of
the law by Commodore Folger is correct. and
no regard whatever paid to its spirit, then a
road has been discovered through the law over
which the traditional horse and cart NAV be
driven with perfect safety. If it is not viola
ton o. law to employ two aliens under the
circumstances attending the employment of
Messrs- Gibson and Jansen, then two thousand.
or as many thousands are advised to pro-
of Recommendation cause American COM
modores and other employers of labor to think
well of them, may be so employed, even while
hundreds of thousands of American citizens
are vainly seeking employment.
Were ii possible to detect and punish every
violator Of the alien contract labor law land in
large majority of cases it seems that it is not.
for the reason that it is extremely difficult To
prove violation Of the letter of the law)
comparatively little benefit would thereby ac,
crue TO American workingmen and women.
owing to the fact that not one in q hundred
probably not one in thousand, of the hum
dreds of thousands of foreign mechanics and
laborers who come to the United States eyery
year and enter into direct competition with
our own citizens in an already overcrowded
market would or could, under the law. be re-
turned to the country from whence they came
And the immigration law will prove even less
effective than the contract labor law SO far as
any material benefit to American workers is
concerned.
THE INFLUX OF FOREIGN LABOR.
THE United States is the land of the free
and the home Of the brave country which
offers "a refuge for the oppressed of all nations
to whom the gates of Castle Garden swing in
ward not outward'-a nation which not only
invites all who so desire to come in freely
(there is no duty on foreign 'pauper labor in
the tariff law, but which. in the language of
the late Senator Wilson of Massachusetts,. has
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