Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-12
PAYING FOR A VACATION.
Guaranteeing Situations in This
Country at SIS Head.
JEANETTE GREATLY EXCITED.
Summary Justice Promised to the Men
Who Attempted to Evade
THE ALIEN CONTRACT LABOR LAW

the steamer Friesland at New York on
Wednesday, telegrsphic account of which
THE DISPATCH published yesterday, is
likely to turn out to be the most important
seizure under the contract labor law yet
made. immigration inspector r. d. Lay
ton spent yesterday at Jeanette and found
much to confirm his suspicious before he
left last night for New York, whittier he
had been summoned by Immigration Com
missioner O'Beirne. Mr.. Layton expects
to prove that the 30 men now in custody at
the seaboard have been brought here
under contract, and before he gets through
with the investigation he expects to arrest
three or four men now in Jeanette
ior completely in a conspiracy to import
alien labor. Until he has all the facts he
i, after Mr. Layton will withhold the names
of the glassworkers at Jeanette. A manu-
fscturer or two are also suspected of wink
ing at this breach of the law, and they may
be reached too.
Inspector Layton upon his return from
Jeanette yesterday had this to say about
the affair: 81 have suspected for some time
that an illegitimate traffic in Belgian glass
workers was going on, but 1 could get no
definite information till recently when 1
learned that a large party of men were to
be landed this week under contract to work
at Jeanette.
Paying for a Summer Vacation.
'T found that certain Belgian glass
workers hereabouts were accustomed to go
home for their summer vacation, and to pay
the exI Ienses of the trip to Belgium punched
q hole in the alien contract labor law. The
expenses alluded to amounted in round fig
ures to S160, and the Belgian gentleman of
leisure has been accustomed to engage to
procure work for a dozen of his fellow
countrymen in America at q fixed price of
SIS each-thus paying for his holiday trip
and pocketing $40 besides. Whether the
holiday maker acted as we'll as an agent for
q manufacturer is what i am trying to dis
cover. 1 think he was, and that he proba-
bly, got a commission from the employer
in addition to the fee from the employed.
There is no doubt but that an illegal con-
tract was made
'In the case of the Friesland's passengers
whom we have captured believe the pro-
cedure have described was followed out
Somebody got SIS ahead in advance from
these 80 men, who were to be brought to
Jeanette to take places in the factories
there. The scheme was slickly worked. 1
was informed that the suspected men would
travel in the second cabin, instead of the
steerage; that they would be nattiiy dressed,
with high silk hats on their heads, and
gloves on their hands, to throw the immi-
grafton officers at the port off their guard.
Identified by Their Style.
81 furnished Immigration Inspector John
E Webber at New York with this informa-
tion, and he had no difficulty in spotting
the Belgians. The gloves which hid their
horny hands were as good as tabs, and one
by one they were sorted out and placed un-
der surveillance. They did not confess, of
course. But in spite of the glib stories
they told of how they came to be travelling
in body think we shall be able to induce
some of them to squeal President John
Eberhart, Of the Window Glassworkers'
Association, went on to New York last |
night to probe the matter thoroughly, for
he is convinced that wholesale evasions of |
the law have taken place.
The excitement caused among the glass |
workers at Jeanette by the news OF the |
arrest yesterday was intense, and when In |
spector Layton appeared there he was not
allowed to doubt for moment that the men |
were deeply interested in having the law |
enforced. They wanted Mr. Layton 10 give |
up the names of the Belgian glassworkers |
who had acted as brokers in |
order that summary justice might |
be meted out to them. Mr. LAYTON |
refused to reveal their identity, but he
promised to prosecute the case against them
vigorously. 1t was the widespread belief |
that such Importation of foreign contract
labor was going on in the glass trade on a
large scale that made the glassworkers so
anxious last summer to have one of their
number appointed Inspector of Immigra-
ton.