The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-04
Investigating the Class of
Labor to Which They Give
Employment.
MEETING AT PLEASANTON.
The Commissioners Propose to Put
a Stop to the Hiring of Aliens
on Contracts.

sioner Fitzgerald and Immigration Com
missioner Stradley to abolish the contract
cody labor evil is meeting with the ap-
proval OF large number of citizens, who
have called upon both officials within the
past few days to express the hope that the
anti-cheap-labor fight will be kept up to
the end. In yesterdays CALL the fact was
published that in this State there are
$4,000 Japanese and Chinese laborers, none
OF whom are idle. There are in this State
1900 unemployed white men, of whom
10000 are in this City. Of these at least
tWo-thlrds have families numbering from
one to seven persons. If the white labor
ers were furnished the employment now
given to the coolies at least 10000 white
people would be relieved from sore distress
for the necessaries of life for which they
are now suffering.
During the day yesterday at least fifty
Well-to-do people called upon Mr.. Fitz-
gerald and asked him if the CALLS figures
were true, for they were too appalling to
believe.
1.-The Calls figures are correct, and 1
am sorry to say that the situation is even
worse than depicted" was Mr. Fitzgerald's
reply. eff the coolies could be displaced
by our idle white men this State would
soon experience boom of prosperity"
liz gwen the Two
Commissioners has melted them to even a
greater activity in fighting cheap labor.
The number OF Japanese who have recently
arrived from Japan, direct and via Vic
torla, has caused a reasonable suspicion
that they were contracted for before their
arrival by many of the Alameda orchard
lists and farmers If So it was in violation
OF the United States contract labor act of
1885. The principal section provides:
hot md ofta
February 26, 1880 it shall be unlawful for
any person, company, partnership or corpora
ton in any manner whatsoever to prepay the
transportation of an alien or in any way to
assist or encourage the importation or imi-
grafton of any alien or aliens, any foreigner or
foreigners into the United States, its Territories
or the District of Columbia under contract or
agreement. parole or special, express or i'm
piled, made previous to the impor tation or
immigration.
The act further sets forth that all con-
tracts made in violation of this act shall be
utterly void and of no effect The statute
provides that for the violation of the pro-
visions of this act the person or corpora
ton shall pay the sum of $1,000 which may
be sued for by the Government. Every
alien so imported shall constitute separ-
ate offense.
Believing that the law has been violated,
the two Com missioners will hold an inves-
tigation to-day in Pleasanton, Alameda
County. Yesterday their deputies served
subpenas upon eighty orchardists, farmers
and laborers. The Labor Commissioner
has the authority to hold such an inquisi-
ton and the United States immigration
Commissioner has the right to compel wit
nesses to answer any and all questions he
may ask.
In a recent interview Governor Budd
told Mr.. Fitzgerald to probe the matter to
the bottom, and yesterday Mr.. Stradley re-
ce1ved instructions from the immigration
Department at Washington to go ahead
and cooperate with the State Commits
sioner, and if they find that the law is
being or has been violated to prosecute the
guilty parties at once. Backed by both
State and Federal Governments the two
officers will make thorough investigation
So far they have found that nearly all of
the harvesting in the eastern part of Ala
media County is done by coolies, who are
under the direction of a few bosses.
The latter, mostly Japanese. keep them
selves informed as to the acreage in or
chards, grapes and hops, and they so ar
range their business that gangs go from
one place to another on the same principle
as harvesters work in the grainfields. This,
with the credit system, completely shuts
out white laborers from competing for
work even at starvation wages.
In connection with the employment of
Japs in Alameda County, remarkable in
cldent occurred not long ago. A batch of
about three dozen Japs were landed from
China steamer. The next day about a
dozen of the number were seen at work on
farm near Pleasanton in the uniforms
they Wore during the late war between
Japan and China.
The investigation of immigration Com
missioner Stradley into the cases of the
two dozen Japanese who arrived Saturday
on the steamer Belgic has resulted in his
learning to his satisfaction that at least
twelve are under contract and have no
right to land. He has determined to hold
them for few days on board the ship and
send them back to Japan as soon as the
Alameda County investigation is over.
Upon matters of this kind where there is
any doubt he will refuse to grant them
landing and let their bosses fight the cases
in the United States courts. This gives
rise to the belief that the old habeas corpus
mill that operated a few years ago in the
Chinese cases will be set in operation again
by the Japanese.