The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-10-24

q If thcr was no moral obligation or stat
utory enactment i'm their way. The lat
ter. however, provided heavy penalties for
violation of the law and these penalties
must be avoided
Right here was where Commissioner
owen came i'm handy. The members of the
tin-plate gang found they could use owen
as a convenient tool and they used him
for all he was worth. So far as is known
this labor was a labor of love with owen
not love for the American worldngmen,
u be sure. but love for the highly pro-
tected employers in the tin-plate industry
The Law NuIIiGed.
Owen was appealed to by the tin-platC
gang. and In accordance with their wishes,
if not with their Instructions. imme-
dlately proceeded. as the lord high execu-
toner of the national immigration laws
TO nullify and set aside the alien contract
labor law for the special and exclusive
benefit of his friends. the :in-plate gang
This was done in a letter to Neidringhaus
Of st. Louis. which paralyzed the work
ingmen Of the country and created no end
Of disturbance in labor and political
circles. This letter was written in June
1892, and was as follows:
THE contract labor law was enacted
to protect the wage-earners Of this coun-
try. They We're suffering from the incur
sions Of laborers who had entered into con-
tract abroad and were imported here to
do work at a rate cheaper than was paid
To American wOrkingmen. Such immi-
grants came with the surety of employ
ment and displaced citizens who must go
idle or accept the hire set by the new
conner. These imported labOrers, from the
dagO on the railroad TO the glass-blower
Of Pennsylvania. came at a reduced wage,
wages. The new immigration law recog-
nizes the value of the existing contract
labor law and made certain valuable
amendments TO it. This department. will
labor earnestly to enforce the law. Con-
greSS did not intend by this enactment
to forbid new industries nor TO limit en-
terprise to American skill, but expressly
made provision for the new Industries and
the Importation of the new skill.
The law plainly intends that skilled
labor may be imported into the United
States to do work in an industry not yet
established, provided skilled workmen in
that industry cannot be found among
our own people. The discussion in con-
nection with the recent legislation dis
closed the fact that the manufacture Of tin
plate is not an established industry in the
United States, and that we have but few
labOrers skilled in its manufacture.
Skilled tin-plate workers may therefore
be imported into the United States at this
low that employment.
when the present conditions change
and the tin-plate industry becomes estab-
lished, or when there shall be found n
sufficient number of skilled tn-plate
workers to carry on it's manufacture with
a reasonable degree of business facility,
then the importation of such worKmen
will be in violation Of the contract labor
law. w. D. OWEN,
Commissioner of Immigration"
This was a most remarkable letter for
many reasons. In the first place
Mr.. Owen pays a high tribute to John
Shernan's white slavery" law, under
which the ''pauper labor Of Europe "came
with the surety Of employment and dis
placed citizens who must go idle or ac-
cept the hire set by the newcomers"
In this condemnation Of the Sherman
law Owen evidently sought to square him
self for the course he intended to take in
setting aside the contract labor law for
the benefit of his friends Of the tin-plate
ring. He thought TO anoint the working
men with a little rhetorical cocaine before
applying the knife TO their vitals 1t was
the sugar coating of the bitter pill. An
other features of this letter, which will APP
peal with particular force to a certain por-
ton of the foreign-born citizens Of this
country, is the cOmtemptuous reference to
1.-The dago on the railroad" Truly this is
a dignified utterance for a public servant
to give. No wonder the A. =. A. Is so
enthusiastic IN support or the Rev" w.
D. Owen.
But the sting Of the hornet is in it's last
paragraph, as 1t were, and the venomous
and business part Of Owens letter was
in its last part. That part practically set
aside the alien contract labor law for the
benefit of the tin-plate friends Of Owen. It
gave them what they wanted and they
Immediately proceeded TO fill their factories
with Welshmen, imported under contract
by permission and connivance Of w. d.
Owen. commissioner Of immigration.
This letter gave too much countenance
to the open violation of the contract labor
law for even the Harrison administration,
which was VIGOROUSLY unfriendly 10 work.
ingmen. The secretary Of the treasury
later on sought TO modify the effect of the
Owen ruling, and did so in a letter to
Niederinghaus, In which he said:
Letter to NfederTnEhaus.
Replying to your letter Of the 21st, in
which you ask in behalf Of the st. Louis
stamping company. whether you must go
through any particular form to import
skilled labor for your tin plate mills,
have the honor to say that no regulations
have been issued by this department per-
scribing forms relating to that subject.
1t is the practice of this department TO
express opinions or to make advanced