The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-10-12
TO ENSLAVE LABOR.
Ever the Aim and Object of the Ie-
publican Party.
Origin and History Of the Contract
Labor Law.

Enacted For the Purpose of Giving EN-
pioyers Cheap Labor PerpetuAt~d so
Keep the Laborer. who Had Returned
PROM the War Prom Securing Fun
pioyrnent as Good Wages Remarkable
Reports ON the BiiI Made by R~pub-
iicans In Congress
I In 1864 congress passed an act sub
stantially entitled an act 10 encourage
immigration. This was its o~tensible
purpose. bet its real object was 10 clothe
contractors. nlineowners and manufac-
turers with power 10 contract with and
import laborers from Europe To supplant
American workmen. and 10 reduce the
price Of American wages
Mr.. f. b. Washburn. in reporting che
same 70 the house. said:
The vast number Of laboring men. esti-
mate, a, nearly l.25O.c0. who have left
their peaceful pursuits and periodically
gone forth in defense o. our government
and its institutions. has created a vacuum
which j. becoming s->iou>ly felt IN every
norton Of the country. Never before in
our history has there existed - unprece-
dented a demand for labor a. AT the pres
ent time. This demand exists everywhere
/, exists in the agricultural districts IT the
northwest, and in the central states. in New
England. and among shipping interests 81
the lakes and seaboarVi. and j. felt In every
field of mechanical and manufacturing in
dustry. The dearth Of laborer~ j. severely
felt in the coal and iron mines II Penn>yl-
vania. in the coal mines II Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois: i'm the lead mines u Galena.
anil in the gold and silver mines OF Caiifor-
MA. Nevada. Idaho and Colorado II i be
lieve,l that the demand for laborrr~ on our
railroads alone will give employment for
the entire immigration If laborsr> IN l>sis
Held the LAborer's ALL
The second section provides that con-
tracts may be made whereby immi-
grants shall pledge the wages OF their
labor 10 repay the expenses Of their I'M
migration. and further provides for the
enforcement of the contract and that IL
shall operate rs lien upon any land &C
auired by the immigrant when recorded
in the county where the land Is situated
So drastic were the provisions Of this
measure that IL gave 10 the importer OF
laborers not only lien upon any land
they might enter. but upon the wages
they might earn
Senator Sherman in reporting this
measure 10 the senate very adroltly tried
20 conceal its real purpose. but mad
yertenfly disclosed the secret before con-
Guiding the statement. He said:
The special wants for labor in this coun-
/ try at the present time arr very great The
war has depleted our workshops and ma
terially le>--ned our supply Of labor IN
every department Of industry and mrc han
/ ism. In their noble response to the call
OF their country our workmen in every
I branch Of the useful arts have left yacan-
cies. which must b~ filed or the material
interests Of the country must suffer The
immense amount Of native labor occupied
by the war calls for a large increase OF for
eign immi gration To make up the deficiency
AT home The demand for labor never was
greater than at present. and the fields OF
usefulness were never - varied and prom
Using
II was true as stated by Senator Sher-
man that there was "a noble response 10
the call 81 their country" by the work.
ingmen, but while absent fighting it,
battles their vacant places should not
have been filled with cheap laborers i'm
ported from Europe under contract
Paupers unable To get to this country
under the terms and provisions Of thu
law could virtually enslave themselves
in foreign countries 60 American con
tractors and American manufacturer
- a -.
TO the fullest extent.
Amounted ca slavery.
The second section Of this law read
AZ follows:
Sec. ?. And he il further enacted. That al
contracts which shall IL made by emf grant
TO the United States in foreign countries
In conformity 10 regulations that may b
established by said commissioner. whereof
emigrants shall pledge the wages Of thei
labor for term not exceeding u month
20 repay the expenses ~ their emigration
shall IT, held To be valid in law and ma
be enforced in the courts Of the Unite
States or Of the several states an
/ territories. and such advances
10 stipula ted in the contract, an
: the contract il recorded in the recorder
Office in the county where the emigrsr
shall settle. shall operate asa lien upon An
land thereafter acquired by the emigrsn'
, whether under the homestead law whs
the title is contaminated. or on proper'
z otherwise acquired until liquidated by q
emiSrant: but nothing herein contains
e shall be deemed TO authorize any contra
n conrruvening the constitution of the Cnit'
A Stats. or creating in any way the relstiC
Of slavery or servitude United stat
y statutes At large. volume Is, isss3-si5.
A. The extent to which the authors
y this measure knew they were going
: apparent from the last lines Of the -
s.n.. MINT f,nfhinu herein conf ain.