, 1892-08-09
HOW THEY COME In.
Contract Laborers From the Other
Side of the Ocean.
How They Give Evidence Against
Themselves which Keeps Them
Out-PrOOfs That the Law is Per-

AOks MCy 0ANG ANghGG n eAAha
themselves which Keeps Them
Out-PrOOfs That the Law is Per-
sIstentIY ViOIated-SOme Facts.
New YORK, August Commissioner
Weber Of the immigration service has
granted permission to President Samuel
Gompers of the American Federation OF
Labor to place four "pickets" of the labor
unions at the landing place of immigrants
to aid the regular inspectors in detecting
contract laborers. This action is one OF
the outgrowths of the Homestead labor
troubles. 1t is feared that the Carnegie
party may secure the admission of skilled
laborers from abroad to take the places OF
the strikers, and Commissioner Weber has
thus emphasized his determination that
the law shall be enforced to the fullest ex-
tent. The Contract Labor Bureau has
been working with much zeal, however,
and it is doubted by the officials whether
the labor pickets can add much to its re-
suits.
"How do we catch them2 Why, there
are dozen ways. 1t is not so hard as it
seems. With each inspected gang we
adopt a course that seems to suit the case
For instance" said the immigration In
spector at Ellis Island to The Recorder
man a few days ago, There are hfty-one
self-acknowledged' contract laborers in the
pen out thore. They will be sent back by
the Veendam. They came in two lots
One gang was Italian. They were from
the Isle Of Sicily, the home of the Malta,
you remember where the New Orleans
Italians hailed from mostly. The other
lot ara from Rncaian Poland NhaU hn1Oror
to some local tribe or community in the
foothills, and are evidently agricultural
laborers.
"How do we detect these particular
parties2 Simple enough. We caught
them both with the same bait. They go
from the steamer to the transfer barge.
Then they come to the island. We put
them in the big pen to be examined. We
separate one from the lOt-one who seems
to know something, perhaps, more than
the rest. We see how much money he has.
He hasn't much. They never have, for
that's what they come for. We tell him
he is little better than pauper, and we
can't admit paupers. We tell him he has
no job and is likely to get into the poor
hOuse-likelY to become a public charge.
He is very quick to say he will not-that
he has Job, and is only anxious to get to
it. Where is the job2 He is very fresh to
tell where it is, and then we draw from
We take him to a notary public and he
makes Oaths to the facts. He belongs to a
gang. He sWears that they all hired out
to the same man to come to the PennsYl-
Yania mines.
GAS many names as he cen remember he
gives. They are carefully taken down,
But there are others. He calls another or
two or three in to help him remember the
names. Among them they know all the
names. There are forty-Odd of them. On
the facts thus gained proceeding is based.
AS fast as possible an affidavit is filled out
for every fellow to sign and swear to. They
all recite the same general facts. Each
man is eager to sign it, for the Stern Off
cials make him believe that his admission
depends upon doing the thing up right.
"While this is going on some big Italian
stands outside the iron network of the
pen. He knows his men are there, but he
has not had a chance to get at them. He
is not allowed to speak to them. He is per-
chance the padrOne, the man to whom the
contracted laborers are consigned. He
glares savagely at the blue-COated officials
for he knows that something is up, and
that something bodies him no good.
Presently the affidavits are complete,
and all are sworn to. Then the men are
hustled to another pen. There is no
particular politeness in putting them
there, either. They are all rough and
hard-looking and the methods of treating
them are evidently suited to the case.
There they are now" the inspector con-
tinued." "They wonder why they are
not turned loose. They have sworn away
their right to land, and have doubtless
told the truth. The padrone is not allow
ed to see them. The ship on which they
came must take then. back. They will not
know they are to 60 back until an hour be-
fore the vessel sails. Then there will be
scoWls, black looks, sharp thrilling words,
frantic temper and all that, but 20 back
they must, Just the same.
tIt was the same story with the Rus
SLAMS, only it was more trouble, for they
are not as smart as the Italians. Some Of
these fOot-hillers, in fact, have but little
the call on idiOcy. Their mental density
stolidity-is something approached only
in the lower animals. Seems as though a
COW with ordinary talent would compare
faYorably with some of them. Alongside
a real smart American dog they would be
in the shade. This may be little extreme,
but you would think so if you could see
them and hear them try to express a cohe-
rent idea or thought. They too go back by
the steamer that brought them. There
isn't a man in three among them who
could comprehend, if we took the trouble
to tell him, why they are being sent back
They are little the worst lot 1 ever saw,
and I've been at this business for some
time"
Both lots of men, ffty-one in all, are
now ahoat on the way to the ports at which
they shipped. No doubt they each and all
think that this new America, the land of
the free and the home of the oppressed, is
a queer sort of land.