Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-02
MUCH INDIGNATION
Local Workmen Protest Against In
portation of Italians.
TO WORK ON TIE SEWERS
Officials Said to Have No Discre.
tion in the Matter.
L A 30 RERS' QUARTERS

There is a good deal OF Indignation about
the District building. The laborers out Of
employ who haunt the home OF the
District have grievance, and they are
outspoken in their denunciation of the
ConImiss. oners. 1t is all about the work
that is going on in the construction OF the
Brookland sewer The contract for this
work was awarded to T. NJ. Lesher a. Son
of Easton, Pa, an6 they have brought
number of Italian laborers here to do the
work. The great cause for complaint is that
the Commissioners should award contract
TO a foreign firm, when there are enough
contractors in the city to do the work and
employ District laborers.
When bids were opened for this work
twelve contractors submitted propcs ais.
They were John Jacoby of Wimina on,
Del; Justin Mccarthy. II. l.. Cranford, J.
2. Larguey, Darius Gaskins, Andrew Gee
son, ID. ]. Coyle. Lyons Bros. James Nc
Candiish and NJ. F. Tally of WasknG :on;
Stratford e. Hawkes. of Brooklyn, y. Y,
and I. NJ. Lesher & Son of Easton, Pa.
The contract was awarded 10 the last
named, although their figures were only
s2o4.0. less than District contractor, Mr.
H. l.. Crawford.
The Commissioners say they have no dis
erection in the matter of awards. Ecing
bound by law to give the contract to the
lowest responsible bidder and TO advertise
for proposals in other cities. They stated
today to a Star reporter that the impC.ja-
tion foreign labor to this city when our
own laborers we're SO anxious for work vas
to be deprecated. District work Should
go TO District laborers, they thought, and
if they had the power 10 stop the work
they would do 1T. AT any rate, they pro-
posed to look into the matter.
So incensed are the local laborers over
the importation of the Italians that il is
feared d fight will ensue. Many of them
have been out of work for long ti,r"
The employment of the Italians has rot
been officially reported 10 the authci les.
Capt. Beach. who has charge of the scver
department. said to 4 reporter of Tho staT
tins morning that he had received in,
ticn from d personal source that Il nfir hcI
of Italians haG been brought into tile city
and that camp was being forusC., at
Brookiand. He would satisfy himself re-
garding the matter AT the first opportunity.
The Camp.
1t was thought at first that the autl:ori-
ties could proceed against these i.'!ans
under an old law of the corDorat;-l OF
Washington. which forbds the ir..,5rta-
tion of persons likely to become a e rye
upon the community But This law, - hica
opera ed in the case of CoXcy army, was
found not equal TO This occasion, for she
Italians are without the city. Iii nl@E he.
however, that the health depar;meIt VIII
proceed against the camp, FOR IL is uf-'isr-
stood the mca are to be huddlcd tu = T"at
big shed. which has recently been efsl.-d-
No record o. a permit lof tfiS SliN' lure
has evef been mad in the Office 81 the
inspector of buildings, and one Of tile as
siStan;s was ordered out to investiSato the
matter. In such camp rs this ais'1S= If
once started would spread like w.' IRE.
These camps cannot he properly Pre- ided
with sanitary arrangements. and d!aS-ae is
almost certain to break out among the
men. a single case of smallpox would
breed an epidemic and the city would pass
through another Siege OF that terrible dis
case. Other diseases equally contagious
are also liable to break out at any lime.
The health authorities are worked up over
the situation, and conference VIII he
held with the Commissioners this after
noon to formulate some plan.
Col. Carson Indignant.
Col Perry Carson was boiling over with
indignat ton this morning when he heard
about the matter, and Immediately juT2ped
in his buggy and drove to the camp. v hen
he returned. he said he was never so rlach
surprised in his life. ITO think" he said.
that the authorities would permit these
paupsrs to come to Washington and keep
honest, hard-work:rE citiZ ens cut of em-
ploynent. You say there is no law? v ell,
the quicker We get one the better " ny,
nian alive. such things as that breed riots.
How would you like to see foreigners ccrne
to this city and take your place at
cheaper salary, while your children are
crying for bread. There is large army
of unemployed in Washington. Men skilled
given an opportunity 20 earn an honest
living. Contracts should lie drawn in such
a way that this class of foreigners be kept
away. Here 1 have been all winter II; ing
10 get some laborers employed. l tell YOU
this is serious matter and should be care
fully looked into"
In Their Quarters.
workingmen out of employment who re-
side in The vicir i,y of South Brookland are
also considerably 3erturfed in spirit re-
galding the importation of the Italian la
borers. and Star reporter who visited The
camp today had no difficulty In finding any
number OF men ready 20 speak their Views
on the subject. Application, they say, has
bee made to Mr.. Iesier for work, but the
reply received has been that no local men
can he taken on TO aid in the construction
Of the Brookland sewer until eighty ltal-
ians from Philadelpl ia are put to work.
The foreign VIC rkirgm reached the Dis
trct Sunday cvermg, and tramped out
along the tracks of the Metropolitan
branch Of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad,
carrying val;ses. knapsacks and bundles.
That night, it is said by those who reside
in the s; me block, sXty-seven men, with
an Italian woman. cclored woman and
child slep: in an upfurnished house at 18th
and Concord streets, Brookland. Many OF
them are still there.
AS stated in The Star yesterday, shaaties
have been constructed to accommodate some
of the men in hollow directly south Of
South Brookland and about 1Jo yards east
of the railroad tracks. The last of the shan
ties was finished yesterday evening, num-
ber of the Italians assisting the carpenters
in the work.
Another Party.
Another party. numbering about fifteen
persons, including woman and a child, also
arrived Sunday evening and took up quar-
ters in one OF a row of five brick houses
located on the east side of 4th street eN-
tended, directly opposite the Washington
Outing Clubs grounds
1t was intended to begin work on the
sewer this week, bu; the condition of the
weather, it is thought Will make post
ponement necessary until Monday. When
asked regarding the amount of salary paid,
one of the imported worllmen replied that
his wages were sl.25 per day. but the local
men are confident that the figure named is
a gross exaggeratien over the amount really
paid
The party living in the shantes, have sew
eral wagons and horses. and today were
engaged in hauling machinery. trunks and
toxes to the site Of the camp. From the
substantial manner in which the habita-
tons have been put Up, and the amount of
baggage in evidence, it is probable that the
Italians have come prepared 10 reside in
this locality fer several months at least.
&c ha arc.u i'm b.,