San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-02-04
LABOR AND IMMIGRATION.


consideration of the statesman, the
patriot and the economist. The ar
rivals of foreigners in this country
during 1891 were entirely too many to
suit the views of those who believe
that our country suffers In every way
from this stream OF unrestricted i'm.
migration, and who would restrain it,
alike in the interests of home labor,
the national morals and the preserv-
alton of the national life untainted by
old world corruptions. That this
stream of foreign population is detri.
men tai to the interests of the Ameri-
can laborer is self evident, and being
so evident there is no excuse for the
statesmen who refuse or neglect to
guard our artisans and unskilled la
borers from the evils ofthis foreign in
undation. The future of this country
depends in great measure on the char
acter of the so-called working classes,
and any thing that tends to degrade
the workingman tends to the national
deterioration: The influence Of large
masses offoreigners upon the customs,
ideas, life and wages of our people
cannot but be continual source of
disturbance, unsettling all cur home
relations, and scaling down the char
acter of our native working popula-
ton. Its influence in lowering wages
is the most readily seen and felt, but
this is only small part of the evil.
The influx of foreign ideas, foreign
hatred of the professional and monied
classes, foreign socialists with their
destructive ideas. foreign disregard
and defiance of laval these are
greater evils to the state than the
lowering OF wages incident to this ex-
cessive foreign flood. That there is
danger to the state and to the nation.
al life from THE unres tricted immi-
grafton Is no longer disputed, and
attempts are being made in the ma
tional congress from session to ses
ion to restrict the stream, but so far
the question has only been trified
with. AS an adjunct to this attempt
to restrict immigration the foreign
contract labor law was passed by con-
gress. The recent Investigations
made into the working of this law in
Pennsylvania mining regions justi-
fies the statement that the law has
been q dead letter on the statute book
of the nation from the hour of its pas
sage The large corporations, in
terested in grinding blood and bones
into money regardless OF the brutal
izing effects of their inhuman sys-
TENS, finding that the contract labor
law of the nation was directly in the
way of converting the free laborer
into q slave, have defied the law and
imported laborers from the mining
districts Of central Europe VINO are no
whit superior to the serfs of Russia.
By this means they have driven the
oiu hih0io ilo" tlo IHiuce
or compelled them to accept the
conditions of serfdom thus forced
upon them. 1t is impossible
that this condition of things can con-
tinue. Government must enforce its
laws against foreign contract labor. in
every instance melting out the full
legal penalty, and largely restrict i'm
migration, or there will be such re.
volt of the intelligent labor of this
country against the unequal condi-
tions forced upon 1t as will shake the
very foundations of the government
Itself. In country such as ours, q
government of the people, by the peo-
pie, and for the peoples 1T is dangerous
to disregard the just demands of so
large portion of the people as is
formed by the laboring classes. Il Is
the part of true statesmanship to
make it to the interest of the lowest
classes to obey law rather than to de.
fly 1T. The republican party has done
all that has been done for the work
ingmen of this country, but the work
is q long way in arrears and it is time
that it was undertaken in dead ear
nest.
1T is said that Grover took his in
tention TO withdraw from the preai