Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-24

CANADA NAY RET,ALIiTE.

CANADA MAY RETALIiTE.
The bill that passed the house of
representatives Il few days ago. pro-
viding that it shall be unlawful for
any alien who resides or retains his
home in Il foreign country to enter the
United States for the purpose of en-
gaging in any mechanical trade or
manual labor within the borders
thereof while residing or retaining his
home in Il foreign country, it is said
may provoke retaliation on the part of
Canada, against whose citizens this
provision of the bill, although general
in its terms, is really directed. h
question of an alien labor law is reported
to be entering largely into the election
campaign in western Canada and Il
member of the Dominion cabinet has
pledged himself to support such Il law.
1t is quite possible that the conServa-
tive party can make votes by promising
II policy of this kind, which ought to
be popular wifi the working classes of
Canada, as thk bill in congress UNI
u~uestionably i5 with the workingmen
Of this country WHO suffer from the
competition Off thee Canadian labor
which it is proposed to exclude.
Retaliation by-th Dominion govern
ment in this matter would be incOnSe-
Ouential. as very. few Americans seek
employment in Canada while residing
or retaining their home in the United
States. ON the other hand, the pro-
-, H.. Ar,. ,t.n,,Il hA
a serious matter to Il large number of
Canadian people OH the border. In II
communication addressed as recently
as a month & to the commissioner
general of immigration by the immi-
grafton inspector at Suult Ste. Marie.
Mich, it is stated that while the Cana
dams are discharging and excluding
American mechanics II lnborers from
their country very effectually, Canadian
carpenters. maSOns and laborers o
our home market and, as they work
cheaper, take the. work away from Il
residents. The immigration commits
sioner at Boston. in IL letter to the
author of the exclusion provision, Rep
resentativc Corliss of Michigan. stated
that from February 1 to May -, in
elusive, of his year 4,T92 aliens ar
rived at Boston from Nova Scotia,
about ~ per cent Of whom would come
under the head birds of passage"
Their occupations. principally, are fish
crmen, farmers. carpenters, maSOnS and
stonecutters. ''who have no intention of
making their abode in the United
States and who come in direct competi-
ton with our nntiye-born citizens and
those who have adopted this country as
their permanent abode, and whose
coming has n tendency to reduce the
rate of wages, especially those en-
ployed in the building trades" The
commissioners stated that they come
year after year in the spring and re-
turn in the fall when the season is
over. This class of men thoroughly UNI
derstand the contract labor laws of the
United States and know how to evade
them upon their arrival. There Is no
data showing how many of he Cana
dian people find employment in the
Dominion, but the Number is large and
is increasing from yoar to year.
1t is manifestly the duty of the gov
ernment TO protect American b
against this composition, which is not
only dctrimentallto our working people,
but takes out Off the country annually
Il largeHhmount of.lnoney that otherwise
would go to American farmers and
manufacturers. ioThe proposed legisla-
ton would in Ii nMay affect the Cana
dian who has or'ihty hereafter come to
this country wit4bdhf intention Of max
ing it his home. "a sipuIpoSe is to stop
the skilled mechanics and laborers from
annually coming into the large cities
along the Canadlinoborder and compel
ing with our attisdiis in the building
and other trades. 1t is "A policy that
will have the general approval OF the
American people.