Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-10-17
WORkMEN STARVING.
But the Militia Would BE Called Out

They Asserted the First Law of Nature.
A correspondent of New York daily
paper writing from Mays Landing, N.
j., under date of Aug. 30, told the fol-
lowing heartrending story:
Representatives of the United Hebrew
Trades of New York are at Ziontown, a
Hebrew settlement four miles from Ma
laga, investigating the charges that the
people have been induced to go there to
invest their money in homes under prom
Use of work, and were left destitute and
actually starving by Jacob Zion, New
York manufacturer, who owns all the
property of the settlement. The condi-
ton of affairs was found to be serious.
Two or three families have been saved
from starvation only by eating green
fruit and what little food they could
beg in the neighborhood.
The settlement at present consists of a
two story shirt factory, half dozen
small frame dwellings and a half dozen
more in different stages of completion,
upon which no work has been done for
six weeks. There are about thirty He
brew families, most of whom came di-
rectly from Castle Garden and have
every cent they own in the world invest
ed either in lots or half finished houses.
For six weeks they have had no work.
Some of them are only keeping from
actual starvation by charity, and two
families will be tomorrow thrown out
of the houses for which they have given
up their last cent because they can't
keep up the payments.
The process by which this condition
was reached is a peculiar one. Mr.. Zion
declares that no blame attaches to him,
but he would have received very warm
welcome had he visited the settlement
yesterday, as was expected. Zion, who
is the head of large New York cloak
manufactory, purchased large tract of
land at Zion. He erected factory and
offered steady employment to all who
would purchase lot and build home.
He arranged with building associa-
tion for the erection of the houses, the
settlers to pay for them in installments
from the wages he guaranteed them.
The factory was fitted up, and in Feb
ruary Mr.. Zion brought about thirty
Hebrew families from New York. A
majority of them were newly arrived
immigrants, and most of them had about
enough money to purchase one of Mr..
lions lots for twenty dollars, and pay
the building association sufficient to JUS
tify them in beginning work ON the
houses.
The settlement was to be conducted
on what was virtually cooperative
basis, the men and women having the
factory practically placed in their own
hands, being allowed to choose their
own foreman and being assured good
wages. Things went along swimmingly
for some time, the settlement prospered
and new houses were built. Then the
work fell off and wages fell to five dol
lars and six dollars. Mr.. Zion was ap-
pealed to, but said it was the dull sea-
son and he could do nothing at this
time. Then he leased half the factory
to a firm of cloak manufacturers, and
they brought most of their work people
with them.
Work soon ceased altogether in Zion's
part of the factory, and the settlers, see
ing nothing but starvation ahead, sent
one of their number away to secure
work. They finally got some cloaks to
make, and the goods We're sent to them
to the factory. Then, they say, Mr..
Zion refused to allow them to do the
work. They appointed four of their
to try to reach an agreement,
the result being fight in which every
one took hand. The men gained pos
session of the mill and went to work,
but the next day Mr.. Zion arrived and
to arrest them. Their friends,
including the women, came to their as
Sistance, but the sheriff arrived with
men, and part of them were
arrested and sent to Jail.
Then Mr.. Zion left them upon their
own resources. They had no work and
no money. The carpenters and builders
ceased work on their houses, and the
building associations demanded the pay
ment of assessments, with the alterna-
tive of foreclosing the mortgages on the
houses. This is how things have stood
for six weeks, and now the settlers for
tunes are at their lowest ebb.
Those working in the new factories
live well and divide their food as far as
possible. Five children of the settlers
are fed regularly every day. The men
cannot go away because they have no
money, and for the same reason they
can't stay there much longer. Almost
all of them are in the same plight, and
those who are destitute have been living
On apples and pears gathered from the
farms.